Lemur zaprasza
IMPORTANT LEGAL NOTICE - The information on this site is subject to a disclaimer and a copyright notice. Home Policy Areas Promoting Entrepreneurship and SMEs Social Economy Social Economy (CMAFs) on the European agenda The economic and social significance of Social Economy enterprises is widely recognised. Their importance is also growing in the face of new emerging needs. Recent figures indicate that approximately 9 million people are employed by CMAFs in the European Union. Co-operatives in the production and the consumer areas have, depending on the source of the data, between 78 and 150 million members in the Union. Almost one third of all Europeans are insured with mutual insurers against the economic risks of illness or old age. The Social Economy, particularly co-operatives and associations, can also make a substantial contribution to the integration of the economies of the Candidate Countries. In December 1998, the Vienna European Council reaffirmed employment as the top priority of the European Union and stressed the need for a comprehensive approach to employment policy. The Council welcomed the Commission's proposal for Employment Guidelines for 1999, which again recognise the employment potential of the Social Economy ("Exploiting new opportunities for job creation", guideline 12) by stating that the Member States should promote measures to exploit fully the possibilities offered by job creation at local level, in the Social Economy, in the area of environmental technologies and in new activities linked to needs not yet satisfied by the market, and examine, with the aim of reducing, any obstacle in the way of such measures. The Commission Guidelines for 2001 (agreed by the Council on 19 January 2001) for the National Action Plans for Employment continue to emphasise the importance of the social economy under the entrepreneurship pillar. Guideline 11 calls on Member States to "encourage local and regional authorities to develop partnership-based strategies for employment in order to exploit fully the possibilities offered by job creation at local level and in the social economy". For further information on employment guidelines, national action plans, as well as local initiatives, which are very relevant for the social economy, please consult the Employment and Social Fund Web pages: http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/empl_esf/index_en.htm. The European Parliament has on several occasions pointed to the need for Community actions to take full account of the Social Economy's potential for economic growth, employment and citizen participation. The Commission's Communication on Promoting the Role of Voluntary Organisations and Foundations in Europe aimed at illustrating the growing importance of voluntary organisations and foundations within the European Union and to show what problems and challenges these organisations are facing. It has produced a positive response from the sector, the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions, and the Economic and Social Committee. It was followed up by a series of National Conferences and experts' meetings, each of which addressed one of the Communication's themes. CMAFs – primarily co-operatives and associations (including those usually referred to as Non-Governmental Organisations or NGOs) – are involved in the implementation of Community programmes and actions. They figure most prominently in employment policy, regional cohesion, education and training, economic development in countries in Central and Eastern Europe and in developing countries. As a result, community programmes and actions are increasingly making specific provision for the participation of these organisations. Examples of this are: the setting aside of 1% of the European Social Fund for a Local Social Capital Fund open exclusively to non-profit organisations the stronger emphasis on the role of Social Economy organisations in the Structural Funds and in Community Initiatives the proposals for a European Volunteer Service programme the Third System and Employment budget line the Liaison Committee of Development NGOs (http://www.oneworld.net/) Civil Dialogue via many different civil society organisations including NGOs at regional, national and European levels European Social Policy Conferences in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 In 1993 the Commission submitted to the Council the European Statutes for Co-operatives, Mutual Societies and Associations with the aim of improving the conditions for transnational working by Social Economy bodies. The discussion of the proposals has been reactivated after agreement on the European Enterprise Statute end 2000 and in July 2003 the Statute for a European Co-operative was adopted. For further information click on the European Statutes and on the history of Community support to the Social Economy enterprises. The Consultative Committee for Cooperatives, Mutuals, Associations and Foundations (CCCMAF), established by the Commission from March 1998 to November 2000, and the more recent autonomous Permanent European Conference of Co-operatives, Mutual societies, Associations and Foundations (PEC-CMAF) established since 17th November 2000 is an important interlocutor for the Commission on all questions relating to the promotion and implementation of Community policy on the Social Economy. The Permanent Conference is a forum for continuous dialogue between the Commission and the CMAF and a medium for the circulation of information. Last update: 28/10/2003 |