Last month, social economy leaders and EU and national government representatives met in Murcia, Spain for the Social Economy European Summit. The summit included a conference examining the implementation of the Social Economy Action Plan, with sessions exploring where co-ops fit within it.<\/p>\n
The event heard from Social Economy Europe<\/a> president, Juan Antonio\u00a0Pedre\u00f1o, who\u00a0called for the\u00a0full implementation in all member states of the plan and the 2023 Council Recommendation, with social economy needs placed at the core of the EU\u2019s industrial policy.<\/p>\n Regarding the EU\u2019s next budget, known as the <\/strong>Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), Pedre\u00f1o had four recommendations. He asked for a \u201crobust and independent\u201d European Social Fund Plus, which is the EU\u2019s main programme for investing in people, and European Regional Development Fund, which aims to strengthen economic, social, and territorial cohesion by reducing disparities between regions. <\/strong>He also called for the explicit inclusion of SE as a priority in the budget\u2019s architecture and the National Reform Programmes.<\/p>\n Furthermore, he argued, the funding architecture of the next budget must recognise the social economy as a key actor, with its various strands made accessible to social economy actors. And he wants the InvestEU programme strengthened, with tailored financing offered to social economy actors.<\/p>\n \u201cAlone we are invisible but together we are invincible,\u201d he told delegates.<\/p>\n The conference also heard from Jos\u00e9 Ballesta Germ\u00e1n, mayor of Murcia, and Fernando L\u00f3pez Miras, president of the Region of Murcia and vice-president of the European Committee of the Regions, who mentioned the role of the social economy in the region\u2019s development. They were echoed by Maravillas Abad\u00eda, co-chair of the European Parliament\u2019s\u00a0Intergroup on the Social Economy and Services of General Interest (SESGI), who praised Murcia for showing how to unleash the social economy\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n the Spanish social economy secretary Amparo Merino Segovia noted that the also allowed social economy actors to share best practices, and to hear from member states about their best policies and financial instruments. \u201cWe can\u2019t allow the social agenda to be left behind,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n As to how much progress has been achieved on the action plan\u2019s implementation, Ruth\u00a0Paserman, director at the European Commission\u2019s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL), said: \u201cWe are getting there, but we are not already there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n She explained that 50 of 63 actions have been completed or are in progress, with the Commission due to publish the midterm review at the beginning of 2026.<\/p>\n But full implementation of the recommendation on frameworks in all member states remains the biggest challenge, she warned.<\/p>\n The social economy accounts for over 8% of the EU\u2019s gross domestic product. But IdoiaMend\u00eda, vice-president\u00a0of SESGI,\u00a0thinks the sector has the potential to make higher contributions and called for ambitious policies.<\/p>\n Related: EU State of the Union speech \u2013 what co-ops need to know<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Likewise, the SESGI co-chair Maravillas\u00a0Abad\u00eda highlighted the need for strong leadership at Commission level. She urged full implementation of national frameworks and strategies, and said it should be easier for social economy entities to access EU funding.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Giuseppe Guerini, president of Cooperatives Europe<\/a>, said the EU\u2019s next budget should include national and regional social economy action plans, arguing that the sector can play a key role in the EU\u2019s strategic autonomy.<\/p>\n Diana Dovgan, secretary general of the European confederation of industrial and service cooperatives (Cecop<\/a>), said that \u201cwhile the action plan is an achievement, there is a risk of it falling flat and not being ambitious enough.\u201d <\/p>\n She thinks tangible targets up to 2030 are needed, as well as the recognition and mainstreaming of the social economy in all upcoming European policies, across all the Commission\u2019s Directorate Generals.<\/p>\n Another challenge co-ops face is historical prejudices, particularly in former communist countries, as noted by Romania\u2019s minister of labour, family, youth and social solidarity, Petre-Florin Manole. He also noted problems such as <\/strong>limited access to public procurement and dependence on EU funds. Romania is working to improve legislation and visibility for the social economy and has recently allocated funding to boost the sector.<\/p>\n