• The president of CEPES repeats the mandate at the head of the highest European entity of the Social Economy. SEE has achieved that the Social Economy increases its presence and visibility within the European Institutions.
• According to data from the Commission, the European Social Economy has 2.8 million companies, 14 million jobs and a turnover that accounts for 8% of European GDP and has 232 million members in cooperatives, mutual societies and other Social Economy entities .
• SEE has achieved that the Commission and the European Parliament bet on the Social Economy as a way to build a European project that aims to generate smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and a more prosperous and supportive Europe.
• In the coming years, it will encourage the EU to generate an ecosystem favorable to Social Economy companies: socially and economically profitable, which do not relocate, generate stable and high-quality employment, and in which the person prevails over capital.
(Madrid, April 17, 2018) .- The president of the Spanish Business Confederation of Social Economy, Juan Antonio Pedreño , has been re-elected as president of Social Economy Europe (SEE), the highest representative entity of this business model, which It accounts for 8% of GDP and 6% of employment (14 million workers) in the EU. A business network that represents 2.8 million companies and has 232 million members of cooperatives, mutual societies and other Social Economy entities.
Pedreño unanimously agreed to the presidency of SEE in December 2015. During his tenure, Social Economy Europe has promoted an increase in the presence and visibility of the Social Economy in the decision-making bodies of the European institutions.
The proposal of Social Economy Europe for the Social Economy was materialized at the end of last year, when the European Commission and the European Parliament agreed on the need to build a more prosperous and social Europe thanks to the Social Economy.
Also, during this mandate, the 'Madrid Declaration' was signed in May 2017, in which 11 European governments (Spain, Luxembourg, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Malta, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Sweden) undertook to that the Social Economy occupies a priority place in the communitarian policies and they demanded "concrete measures" to obtain it.
The president of CEPES and SEE has valued "the growing importance that the Social Economy has acquired over the years, and the strong impetus that this gives us to continue working on this path, since the European Institutions are aware that it is a necessary tool to build a more prosperous, just and sustainable EU ".
It is an element of European identity and part of the European economic and social system. Pedreño appeals to the rest of the governments (11 are already signatories) to empower it, relaunch it and transfer to its citizens that their country and Europe care about them and calls for a European Action Plan that recognizes the Social Economy as a transversal actor of the socio-economic development policies of the European Union. "In the coming years, from SEE we will maintain the momentum for the European Institutions and the member countries of the EU to generate an ecosystem favorable to the Social Economy, since it has been shown that a new economic model is possible, with companies that do not they relocate, they are socially and economically profitable, they generate stable and quality employment, and in which people take precedence over capital; all characteristics of the Social Economy ".
Juan Antonio Pedreño assumes thepresidency with the previous team. The Vice-Presidencies will assume: Alain Coheur , of AIM (Mutualidades euroepas) and Emmanuel Verny , of the French Chamber of the Social and Solidarity Economy; and Luigi Martignetti from REVES (European Network of cities and regions for the Social Economy).
SEE and CEPES
Social Economy Europe was born 18 years ago with the vocation to represent the interests of the European Social Economy, which currently represents 10% of the continental business fabric and employs more than 14 million Europeans.
The Spanish Business Confederation of the Social Economy The Spanish Business Confederation of the Social Economy ( CEPES ) is the highest representative institution of the Social Economy in Spain, constituting itself as a platform for institutional dialogue with public authorities. Its 26 partners represent the interests of more than 43,300 companies, representing 12.5% of employment and with a turnover of around 10% of GDP. Its partners, with more than 200 regional structures, are national or regional organizations and business groups, representing the interests of cooperatives, labor societies, mutual societies, insertion companies, and special employment centers.
