• Economic and Social Committees of the EU and countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean converge in the development of formulas to facilitate entrepreneurship and boost the Social Economy.
• The EU has 2.8 million social economy entities and companies of all sizes, representing 8% of the EU GDP and employing 13.6 million people.
• In the countries of the southern rim of the Mediterranean there are 300,000 Social Economy companies that generate 1.5 million jobs.
Madrid, July 19, 2018.- In the European Union there are 2.8 million Social Economy entities and companies of all sizes (which produce 8% of the Community GDP), which employ 13.6 million people. In addition, in the southern Mediterranean countries it is estimated that there are 300,000 companies and that they generate 1.5 million jobs, according to the 'Euromed Report on Social Economy and Entrepreneurship in the Euro-Mediterranean Region.'
"This study, led by the Economic and Social Council of Spain (ESC) and will be raised to its Euro-Mediterranean counterparts, is an important boost because it will serve as a starting point to promote the entrepreneurial spirit and the Social Economy and, thereby, promote economic and social development in this region, "said the president of CEPES, Juan Antonio Pedreño .
The Social Economy is recognized in the report as one of the actors that respond to the shared socio-economic challenges between the north and south of the Mediterranean, contributing to the promotion of economic growth, the reinforcement of sustainable local development and, equally, in the improvement of access to the labor market and good working conditions.
For this reason, the report requests measures so that public policies ensure that new entrepreneurial initiatives and the Social Economy are developed in a framework that favors activity and job creation.
In addition, the report identifies priorities to promote entrepreneurship and the Social Economy in the Euro-Mediterranean area such as: motivate entrepreneurship as a professional outlet, promote quality education and training, promote productivity and competitiveness, overcome barriers that limit trade , improve the quality of the institutions, establish an adequate regulation of the markets, favor the second opportunities for the entrepreneurs that initially have not been successful, provide financial resources to undertake at a reasonable price and guarantee access to infrastructures.
Finally, the report proposes to guide cooperation between the EU and the countries of the southern Mediterranean on issues such as the release of the potential of companies, the creation of SMEs and companies of the Social Economy, the training of workers based on the needs of the labor market, improvement of support services for the creation of companies or easier access to financing; aspects all of them linked with the priorities in the social field, such as the creation of employment for young people and women.
The report, approved today by the ESC of Spain along with its counterparts from Greece, Jordan, Morocco and the European Economic and Social Committee, will be debated before the end of the year at a Euro-Mediterranean Summit of Economic and Social Councils. Its final conclusions will be transferred to the European Commission and International Organizations specialized in the development of the Mediterranean.
