• Pedro Sánchez, Teodoro García Ejea, Magdalena Valerio, Fátima Báñez, Jyrky Katainen, Nicolas Schmit, Marianne Thyssen, Elzbieta Bienkowska, among others, as well as representatives of the European Institutions and Social Economy entities highlight the contribution of the Social Economy to build a more equitable and fair economic model.
• 'The social economy in the Mediterranean', the title of the work, has been coordinated by Juan Antonio Pedreño, president of CEPES, and edited by Cajamar.
• The book is available through the following link: https://www.cepes.es/publicaciones
Madrid, October 5, 2019.- The book 'The social economy in the Mediterranean' , edited by Cajamar and coordinated by the president of the Spanish Business Confederation of the Social Economy (CEPES), Juan Antonio Pedreño , is a reflection of the strength and potential of Social Economy companies.
This publication gathers, in more than 500 pages, the analyzes and opinions of fifty personalities of the Government of Spain, of the European Institutions, of international organizations and experts in Social Economy, who explain their adhesion and proposals with this business model .
'The social economy in the Mediterranean' has articles in favor of this business model by, among others, the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez ; the general secretary of the Popular Party, Teodoro García Ejea ; the Minister of Labor, Migration and Social Security of Spain, Magdalena Valerio ; the former Minister (2011-2018) of Employment and Social Security (2011-2018), Fátima Báñez ; the future Commissioner of Employment of the European Commission, Nicolas Schmit , the Vice-President of the Commission Jyrki Katainen or the European Commissioners of Employment (until 2019), Marianne Thyssen ; and Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Elżbieta Bieńkowska , among others.
All authors agree to value the Social Economy as a form of business that, without sacrificing competitiveness and innovation, places the person and solidarity at the center of their activities. In addition, they all make value proposals on their contribution to generate solutions to the current social, economic and environmental challenges, as a pillar on which to build a more equitable and fair economic model.
“It is a work that, first and foremost, wants to give the dimension of the important role that companies and social economy entities play in Europe and the Mediterranean today,” explained the president of CEPES.
“This publication,” added Pedreño, “consolidates the Social Economy as a pillar on which a more equitable and fair economic model is built. The allusions that all these authorized voices make of the social economy as a form of company that, without renouncing competitiveness in the market and innovation, are committed to placing the person and solidarity at the center of their activities are repeated and coincident ” .
The president of CEPES recalled that “the Social Economy is a successful business model that offers solutions to global challenges, such as the creation of quality employment, the maintenance of jobs, the reduction of inequalities or social and territorial cohesion, by guaranteeing sustainable development of the territories and a more equitable distribution of wealth ”.
In addition, the book recognizes the Social Economy as a key business actor of the great agendas ofinternational organizations, such as the European Pillar of Social Rights, which seeks to adapt the European social model to the challenges of the 21st century to increase equal opportunities, improve access to the labor market, generate fairer working conditions and increase protection and social inclusion It also notes the contribution of social economy companies in the 2030 Agenda.
“Companies with cause”
In the presentation of the book, held at the Cajamar Headquarters in Almeria, the president of this entity, Eduardo Baamonde ; the director of the collection of Mediterranean Economic studies, Manuel Gutiérrez ; and the president of CEPES, Juan Antonio Pedreño .
Baamonde gave as an example the role of social economy companies during the last fifty years in the development of Almería, based on intensive horticulture and its auxiliary industry, as well as noted the presence in areas as diverse as education, health, The big distribution or the bank.
"It is, therefore," said Baamonde, "a key segment of our economic reality, for its relevance in the employment, income and welfare of millions of people, and the number of resources and organizations that are mobilized to your surroundings".
The president of Cajamar reiterated in his speech that cooperatives, and by extension all social economy organizations, are companies with cause: "The cause of economic development and social progress of people." And then he noted that “with this publication we wanted to contribute to publicize the contribution of social economy companies and claim their potential as a tool for building social Europe, and as a lever for development and international cooperation between countries to both Mediterranean shores. Hence, we are presented today as a priority formula for the construction of a new productive model, more efficient, more solid, more competitive, but also more fair and more equitable, more sustainable, facing the new stage of the global economy that is to come ”.
Important presence in the Mediterranean
For his part, Pedreño said that "the social economy is not only an alternative way of providing economic, social and environmental value but also an intelligent way to take advantage of resources, create sustainable employment and generate inclusive economic growth in the Mediterranean region."
In addition, the president of CEPES said that “the social economy represents a very important part of the private sector of the Euro-Mediterranean region with more than 3.2 million companies and 15 million jobs. It constitutes a business fabric capable of energizing the economies of several countries, in which it accounts for 10% of its GDP, as is the case in France and Spain ”.
Hence the importance of “rethinking the future” and “the opportunity that is offered to us to generate, together with the Social Economy, an area of shared prosperity between the north and south of the Mediterranean, which fosters a business model that gives solutions to the social, economic and environmental challenges shared by 750 million people in the 43 countries that cover the Euro-Mediterranean region, ”said the president of CEPES.
The book is available through the following link: https://www.cepes.es/publicaciones
