• The document was presented by the Government of Portugal, which chairs the Follow-up Committee of the Luxembourg Declaration on July 13.
• Through this declaration, they undertake to reinforce their commitment to the guidelines formulated in the previous Declarations of Luxembourg, Bratislava, Ljubljana, Madrid, the Manifesto "Pact for Impact" of Paris, and in the Declaration of Toledo that was signed by 18 EU governments last year.
• It includes a series of principles and recommendations that recognize the contribution of the Social Economy to offering agile and proximity responses, especially in the post-COVID scenario, and innovative solutions for a just ecological and digital transition.
• The signatory states commit to improve access to public and private financing for these entities; support the European Action Plan for the Social Economy; reinforce the commitment with the creation of instruments destined to the formation, among others, through the 'Pact of the Capacities' strengthen regional and local networks; promote a coherent education policy for the Social Economy in the curricula of all educational levels and the creation of mechanisms to measure the social impact of this business model.
• The complete CASCAIS Declaration is available at: https://www.cepes.es/documentacion/424
Madrid, July 20, 2021.- The president of CEPES, Juan Antonio Pedreño, has stated that “the Declaration of Cascáis is a clear example of the resounding commitment of European governments to the Social Economy business model, insofar as to the commitment derived from this document to promote the model and to the recognition it makes of its contribution to the European Pillar of Social Rights ”.
This has been evidenced after the adoption by the EU governments that make up the Monitoring Committee of the Luxembourg Declaration at the meeting held on July 13.
This document includes a series of principles and recommendations adopted by said states that recognize , among other aspects, the contribution of the Social Economy, in collaboration with the traditional public and private business sector, to offer more agile and local responses; for the purposes of COVID-19 in “crucial” areas of economic activity and community social action; as well as the "contribution of innovative solutions for a just ecological and digital transition, playing a key role in strengthening the industry and the resilience of Europe through collective entrepreneurship".
Through this declaration, they undertake to reinforce their commitment to the previous guidelines formulated in the Declarations of Luxembourg, Bratislava, Ljubljana, Madrid, the Manifesto "Pact for Impact" of Paris, and in the Declaration of Toledo that was signed by 18 EU governments last year, assuming a common understanding of the values and principles of the Social Economy affirmed therein; and pay due attention to the measures recommended in the Mannheim Declaration on the Social Economy made public at the European Social Economy Summit on May 27.
In addition, the signatory governments will recommend to the EU and the Member States the reinforcement of the commitment to Social Economy entities as instruments of resilience in the context of the economic and social crisis caused by COVID-19, including them in the Financing Instruments Europeans and in the Planes of National Recovery and Resilience.
Likewise, they undertake to improve access to public and private financing for Social Economy entities, taking into account the specificities of this business model. At the public level, the Declaration warns that “special attention should be paid to the use of social criteria in public procurement” , as well as to the potential of this model to “achieve emission reduction targets, among other things, through inclusion of relevant criteria in public procurement ”. In the private sphere, the document refers to the importance of developing "intermediaries and investors with the capacity to understand the particular needs of these entities."
On the other hand, the countries will support the European Action Plan for the Social Economy, which will be approved by the European Commission in the second half of 2021, with the aim of supporting existing Social Economy entities and social enterprises , as well as the creation of new entities , innovation and social investment, and reinforcing the role of the Social Economy in the European Pillar of Social Rights and in promoting the Green and Digital Transition .
In this sense, the states indicate that they will embrace the industrial ecosystem "Proximity, Social Economy and Civil Security" , and will reaffirm the role of public and private stakeholders, including social partners, to jointly create the path for the ecological and digital transition .
The 'Pact of Capacities' is another of the points included in the Declaration, and that is that the signatory governments will reinforce their commitment to the creation of instruments aimed at the formation and empowerment of Social Economy entities, "through the participation of its actors in the design and implementation of the Skills Agenda for Europe , in particular through the Skills Pact ”. In this way, they recognize the role of the Social Economy in the integration of people at risk of social exclusion, as well as the importance of innovation, social entrepreneurship and volunteering to provide adequate responses to new social challenges.
They will also establish a biannual Work Plan of the Luxembourg Declaration Follow-up Committee in cooperation with Civil Society when necessary, in order to reinforce cooperation between Member States committed to promoting the Social Economy. Likewise , they will promote the reinforcement of regional and local Social Economy networks by inviting public actors from different levels of governance to do so.
The Declaration of Cascais also makes mention of education , recommending the structuring, at the EU level and through the mobilization of the Erasmus Plus program, of a coherent education policy for the Social Economy in the curricula of all educational levels. .
The countries also recognize the importance of measuring the social impact of this business model, for which they will strengthen the promotion of cooperation between the academic world, research centers, statistical institutes, and Social Economy entities and companies to the creation, establishment and dissemination of methodologies, networks of good practices and statistical tools, including satellite accounts of the Social Economy, as well as studies and instruments.
THE SOCIAL ECONOMY IN THE EU
It represents 2.8 million companies and entities, which generate 8% of GDP, representing 13.6 million jobs, in all sectors of activity, sharing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with emphasis on goal 8: "Promote sustained economic growth , inclusive and sustainable, full and productive employment and decent work for all ".
