On December 1st, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen stated in her mission letter to Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit: “You will develop a European Action Plan for the social economy to enhance social innovation”.
Social Economy Europe (SEE) President, Juan Antonio Pedreño, commented: “I would like to congratulate President Von der Leyen for this courageous decision of boosting the social economy across the EU to co-construct an economy that works for people and the planet. We are ready to cooperate with Commissioner Nicolas Schmit and with the entire Commission to enter this new era of EU policies for the social economy”.
SEE has been consistently calling for a European Action Plan for the Social Economy since 2014. In 2018 the SEE presented a the policy paper “The future of EU policies for the Social Economy: towards a European Action Plan” that was submitted, in cooperation with the Social Economy Intergroup, to former Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen.
President Pedreño added: “This opportunity is the result of a collective success of all social economy actors that working together contribute to build a more prosperous and sustainable European Union. I would also like to acknowledge the fundamental support that the social economy has received from many Institutions, Member States and the Social Economy Intergroup and its members. Today I would like to pay tribute to the tireless commitment of our friend Jens Nilsson, former co-Chair of the Intergroup, who left us in 2018”.
Furthermore, this announcement enhances the need to renew the European Parliament’s Social Economy Intergroup to work hand in hand with the European Commission to develop a successful European Action for the Social Economy.
About the social economy in Europe:
The social economy is an essential part of the European economic and social landscape formed by a diversity of enterprises and organisations such as cooperatives, mutuals, associations, foundations, social enterprises or paritarian institutions of social protection. In the EU there are 2.8 million social economy enterprises and organisations, that employ 13.6 million people and account for 8% of the EU’s GDP.
Social Economy Europe (SEE) is the voice of the 2.8 million social economy enterprises and organisations.
