• Minister Reyes Maroto and the Board of Directors of the employers of the Social Economy agreed the presence of CEPES in all the working groups of the Ministry to contribute to recovery.
• CEPES will send the minister a battery of proposals in the coming days to advance the recovery, which will take into account the important impact that the Social Economy has on Industry, Tourism and Commerce.
• The president of CEPES, Juan Antonio Pedreño, specified that the social economy must be at the center of industrial regeneration as it has absolutely necessary values to get out of this crisis: sustainable, flexible, stable, quality jobs, where the person prevails and it is shown that it is possible to combine economic, social and territorial cohesion.
Madrid, April 25, 2020 .- The Board of Directors of the Spanish Business Confederation of Social Economy, CEPES, held a meeting with the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, in which they agreed to coordinate joint actions. and work aligned on the reconstruction plans of Spain after the Covid-19.
CEPES President, Juan Antonio Pedreño , specified that “Social Economy companies are being active protagonists in the fight against the pandemic , and they have a lot to contribute in the reconstruction plans of the economy, because regardless of their macroeconomic strength (12.5% of employment and 10% of GDP) and their presence in strategic sectors with recognized firms at the state and international level, have values absolutely necessary to get out of this crisis: sustainable, flexible, stable, quality jobs, where the person prevails and it is shown that it is possible to combine economic, social and territorial cohesion ”.
In the meeting between the minister and the Board of Directors of the employers of the Social Economy, the presence of CEPES in the working groups of the Ministry was assured, both in those that it has already implemented and in those that are new to be developed to get out of the crisis. CEPES also promised to send a battery of proposals to Reyes Maroto next week.
The President of CEPES conveyed to the Minister the desire that the Social Economy be placed at the center of industrial regeneration, and that this first meeting with Reyes Maroto serve to recover the dialogue of this business model with the Ministry, and with it, represent the important impact that the Social Economy has in its areas of activity: Industry, Tourism and Commerce.
"The Social Economy is present in strategic sectors, with a modern, sustainable business model that has allowed solutions to different situations, and is highly qualified to face the coming transitions, digital, green, etc .; and move towards the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda. Likewise, in each crisis, we prove to be a pillar of containment to maintain employment, "said Pedreño.
INDUSTRIAL, TOURISM AND COMMERCE SECTOR
On behalf of CEPES, the President of Mondragon Corporation, Iñigo Ucín, the President of the Spanish Confederation of Associated Worker Cooperatives, Luis Miguel Jurado , Mikel Larrea , the President of the Spanish Confederation of Consumers and Users of Spain and President of Eroski, and José Ángel Preciados , CEO of ILUNION HOTELES. All of them presented reflections and proposals to Minister Reyes Maroto to promote economic recovery.
CEPES moved to advance in the reindust
rialization, which will necessarily go through taking measures to consolidate existing companies and develop a Country strategy, in which future industrial policy is well defined. In addition, it is necessary to size it with larger business projects, promote its internationalization, increase responsible public purchasing and solve the pressure with tariffs with the United States that are seriously damaging to Spanish agri-food cooperatives.
Likewise, the need for reindustrialization to be inclusive was transferred, guaranteeing access to work and industrial, tourist and commercial services for all people.
From CEPES it was proposed to bet firmly on innovation and technology centers, as well as maintaining the level of aid to this sector (especially affected during the crisis), just as other countries around us do.
Likewise and from the field of Consumption, an important debate was held on the flexibility of trade, the limitation of gauging and other security measures to start marketing products that are not essential, since after 40 days of confinement, the Consumers begin to have other needs for goods that are currently difficult to put on the market.
The President of CEPES stressed that "industry, tourism and commerce have to be strengthened and will have an important role in the recovery and, if we do it well, they will become an important pillar to emerge from the crisis with force and guarantee the future. of the Welfare State. For this, apart from betting on sustainability and companies with values such as those represented by the Social Economy, it is necessary that industry, innovation and internationalization be leverage policies and that aid be established for economic recovery ”.
Business transformations
The Board of Directors of CEPES also transferred the minister, with the aim of maintaining employment and economic and industrial activity, to promote business transformations of mercantile companies in crisis in others of the Social Economy, mainly cooperatives and labor companies.
This option saves jobs and prevents the closure of many companies by transferring the company address to its former employees. In the vast majority of cases where these transformations have taken place, the workers invested savings or capitalized the unemployment benefit to be able to continue with the activity of their old company, in order to keep the activity and their job alive.
Over time, the vast majority of these companies converted to cooperatives or labor companies managed to maintain and enhance their activity. In addition, they have occurred in all kinds of economic sectors.
For this, in addition to addressing the de-escalation of different sectors and territories, he was asked to work on making the procedures more flexible to favor business transformations such as reforming the bankruptcy law or transposing the Second Chance Directive. The proposal was welcomed by the Minister and it was agreed to work on it to remove all current regulatory obstacles and help maintain jobs.
The European Union's commitment to the Social Economy
Juan Antonio Pedreño, who in addition to CEPES co-chairs Social Economy Europe (SEE), reminded the minister of the proposals and dialogues that this European employer of the Social Economy maintains community institutions to advance towards economic recovery.
Pedreño highlighted how "Europe has put the Social Economy in its sights" and explained to Minister Maroto the battery of measures that1_cepes-claims-together-european-social-economy-response-precedent-crisis-covid-19 "> SEE has presented to the Presidencies of the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council of Europe. These are intended to be carried out at European level an ambitious plan for economic recovery, in addition to a powerful multi-year plan until 2027 and the mobilization of investments in innovative projects, where the Social Economy will play a fundamental role.
The President of SEE and CEPES also detailed the mandate that the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen , has given to the European Commissioner for Employment, Nicolas Schmit , to draw up a European Action Plan for the Social Economy, which is currently it represents 8% of EU GDP in the EU and has 2.8 million companies.
Pedreño also indicated that Spain is currently chairing the Monitoring Group of 16 EU Governments that are committed to the Social Economy, as well as the recent announcement to establish the Social Economy Table , held during the meeting held this week by the Board CEPES directive with the Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz .
CEPES proposed that both the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce be present at the constitution meeting of the Social Economy Table, as a consequence of the important weight that this business model has in both ministries .
The meeting with Reyes Maroto, held on Friday afternoon, took place in a constructive, positive, intense climate that allowed the reflections, proposals and measures of the Social Economy companies to be shared in the future industrial reconstruction of Spain with the team that leads the minister, who has been open at all times to the requests of the CEPES Board of Directors, promising to include them in the Ministry's agenda and work on them and make them concrete in the coming weeks.
