• This was one of the main conclusions of the event that the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) organized in Barcelona, in collaboration with CEPES and with the support of the ESMED Network and Social Economy Europe, to promote the development of the 3.2 million companies and social economy entities that exist in the Euro-Mediterranean region and that employ more than 15 million people.
• In this event, leaders of the Social Economy from 14 countries of the South and North of the Mediterranean participated, along with high representatives of the Union for the Mediterranean, the Governments of Spain, France, Morocco and Tunisia as well as the European Commission.
• The Government of Spain was represented by the Secretary of State for Employment of Spain in office, Yolanda Valdeolivas, and the Director of Autonomous Work, Social Economy and Social Responsibility in functions of the Ministry of Labor, Migration and Social Security, María Antonia Pérez León.
Madrid, July 12, 2019.- The headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean (UPM) in Barcelona hosted last week the celebration of an event on the Social Economy in the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans, organized by the UfM in collaboration with the Spanish Business Confederation of the Social Economy (CEPES) and the support of the Euro-Mediterranean Network of the Social Economy (ESMED) and Social Economy Europe, the European entity representative of the social economy.
Fifty representatives from 14 countries from the north and south of the Mediterranean met in Barcelona with senior officials from the governments of Spain, France, Morocco and Tunisia, and the European Commission. The objective of this workshop was to address the development of this business fabric that is a relevant part of the private sector in the Euro-Mediterranean region, with over 15 million jobs and 3.2 million companies and entities of all sizes, present in all sectors of activity.
The UfM, which is the intergovernmental organization made up of the 28 Member States of the European Union and the 15 Mediterranean partner countries of North Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Europe, was represented at the highest level by its Secretary General , Nasser Kamel , who announced that this workshop is the first of a set of activities that the UfM is going to implement in favor of the social economy.
Along with Nasser Kamel, the Acting Secretary of State for Employment, Yolanda Valdeolivas, spoke at the inauguration , who highlighted the added value provided by the business model of the social economy since "it puts people at the center of its activity" and it responds better than other business formulas to parameters of "commitment to its environment", which are translated into "greater equality, social inclusion, respect for the environment and support for local communities".
For his part, Juan Antonio Pedreño , president of CEPES and Social Economy Europe, as well as coordinator of the ESMED Network, said that the Social Economy is a top-level socio-economic actor, capable of energizing the economies of countries such as France and Spain, where it represents 10% of GDP, and which is also growing in the north and south of the Mediterranean both in number of companies and in jobs.
Through several business experiences of the social economy of Spain, France, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey, the act addressed how this model is generating quality employment, especially among young people and women, and how it provides social and environmental solutions that are contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and sustainable development in the region.
tify; "> The main instruments, programs, strategies and policies were also shown that Spain, France, Portugal, the European Commission, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and countries of the South of the Mediterranean, such as Morocco and Tunisia, are adopting favor of the Social Economy and support for its entrepreneurs State policies were the subject of one of the sessions where the director responsible for Social Economy of the Ministry of Labor, Migration and Social Security, María Antonia Pérez León, explained how Spain has a "Ecosystem" favorable to the social economy, being the first member state to acquire a Social Economy Law in 2011 and approve a specific strategy to promote this business model, Pérez León showed the will of the government of Spain to strengthen collaboration with other Mediterranean countries and strengthen collaboration agreements on Social Economy that Spain has signed with France, Morocco and Portugal.
The president of CEPES declared that "this act opens a new stage for the social economy in the Euro-Mediterranean and international cooperation that will be concretized in concrete measures that have been debated among the representative organizations of the social economy with the UfM, the European Commission and governments that have the most advanced policies in favor of the business model that are reflected in the conclusions of this event. "
Pedreño added that "Spain is very well positioned to work with the European Institutions, governments and, especially, with the UfM to implement the measures that have been identified in Barcelona. The Spanish social economy is a benchmark for other countries and CEPES has been working for decades in favor of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, leading the Euro-Mediterranean Social Economy Network and, at the same time, presiding over the European social economy organization, Social Economy Europe ".
The conclusions of this event, which identifies priority lines of reinforcement of the social economy and areas of joint work are accessible on the UfM website: https://ufmsecretariat.org/potential-social-economy/
