• The document, signed this Wednesday at the Iberian Social Economy Summit, defines the role of the national Social Economy councils, favors the exchange of information for the production of statistics and reports, and commits to developing joint proposals to promote of this business model in the Ibero-American summits.
• Yolanda Díaz: "the memorandum is an unprecedented opportunity because it favors and paves the way for the long-awaited economic recovery."
• Ana Mendes: "This document is necessary for the construction of a more just, supportive, sustainable and inclusive social Europe".
• Juan Antonio Pedreño: “Our challenge is to convey to society everything that the Social Economy contributes and means. We are in an important moment and together we have to add, from the institutions, to the governments, companies and organizations of the Social Economy, among others ”.
• In the period 2008-2013, the Spanish economy lost 20% of jobs, while in the area of the Social Economy this loss was 6 points less.
Coimbra, September 9, 2021.- The governments of Spain and Portugal have signed an ambitious and promising new Memorandum of Understanding on the Social Economy , in order to strengthen the common ties between both countries and promote this business model bilaterally between the two , as well as internationally.
The document, which was signed this Wednesday in the framework of the Iberian Social Economy Summit, held in Coimbra , presents several lines of action. On the one hand, the definition of the role of the National Social Economy Councils as bodies for consultation and exchange of experiences on legislation, the Transformation, Recovery and Resilience Plan, and the European Action Plan for the Social Economy. In the case of Spain, the Economic and Social Council will be the body in charge of this area.
Another of the axes of the signed memorandum is the exchange of information for the realization of statistics and the definition of the methodology in the realization of reports. For this, different meetings will be promoted in which the National Statistical Institutes of both countries will participate.
Likewise, the document establishes the biennial periodicity for the celebration of the Iberian Social Economy Summit and commits to developing joint proposals to promote the presence of the Social Economy in the framework of the Ibero-American summits. In addition, through this memorandum it has been agreed to create a biannual Iberian award that recognizes the action of Social economy companies and their role within the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
During the event, the second vice president of the Government and Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz; the general director of Autonomous Work, Social Economy and Corporate Social Responsibility, Maravillas Espín; the Minister of Labor, Solidarity and Social Security of Portugal, Ana Mendes; as well as the president of CASES - Cooperativa António Sérgio for the Social Economy of Portugal, Eduardo GraÇa; the president of CEPES, Juan Antonio Pedreño; and the general director of the Portuguese Confederation of Social Economy, Francisco Silva, among others.
For her part, Yolanda Díaz stressed that the mempraying "it is an unprecedented opportunity because it favors and paves the way towards the long-awaited economic recovery." The minister wanted to point out that “hand in hand, with that fraternal will that unites us, we have shown that our commitment to the Social Economy is very serious, since we are aware that it is a fundamental model for building a new economy, a new one. life ”and focused on the principles of this business model:“ equality, social cohesion and improvement of working conditions ”.
He also referred to the different memoranda that have been signed between Spain and Portugal in this area, from the first, in 2013, to the most recent, at the end of 2020, both signed in stages of recovery after the two economic crises.
Likewise, Díaz emphasized one of the main points of the document: the promotion of meetings of research personnel in Social Economy between universities from both countries, which will contribute to the exchange of knowledge .
On the other hand, he highlighted the role of CEPES as "fundamental to send us the demands of the Social Economy sector and develop and consolidate the role of this business model for economic recovery."
For its part, Maravillas Espín stressed that this document "represents a significant milestone in promoting communication between the governments of both countries" and explained that "we are convinced that coordinated action between the different administrative agents is key to the definition and imposition of the public policies that must accompany this process ”.
From the government of Portugal, Ana Mendes reinforced the idea of commitment between both countries: “We want to reaffirm the essence and dynamism of the Social Economy, with its ability to respond and anticipate the needs of the population on the ground. For this, it is essential to strengthen collaboration between the two countries. Only together can we move forward and go further "and pointed out the need for this memorandum for" the construction of a more just, supportive, sustainable and inclusive social Europe. "
Likewise, during the summit a round table was held in which the role of educational institutions in education and training for the Social Economy was debated , which was attended by different experts from the educational field of the Universities of Valencia and Coimbra.
THE ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONS IN FAVOR OF THE SOCIAL ECONOMY
The president of CEPES, Juan Antonio Pedreño , congratulated the Ministers of Labor of Spain and Portugal "for their tireless work to promote the Social Economy and achieve a more just and social Europe" and reviewed the achievements of the Social Economy , especially in the last two years, both through the Spanish employer, CEPES, and the rest of European countries.
Thus, he recalled some milestones such as the Toledo declaration of December 2020, in which 18 governments of the European Union pledged to prioritize the Social Economy within their policies.
“Our challenge is to transfer to society everything that the Social Economy contributes and means. We are in an important moment and together we have to add, from the institutions, to the governments, companies and organizations of the Social Economy, among others ” , he pointed out.
On the other hand, he highlighted the role of Spain and Portugal: "It is important that we work continuously to set an example for other countries because when it comes to legislating or making public policies, this business model cannot be ignored.";
Likewise, it valued the principles of Social Economy companies : responsibility with their environment, prioritizing the value of the person over the maximum benefit, capacity and maintenance of employment and fixation of the population to the territory, promotion of social cohesion, of the SDGs, the 2030 Agenda and an example of the incorporation of women in the workplace.
In addition, Pedreño stressed that the Social Economy is a "fundamental" formula for workers' access to company property, which, he said, has served to mitigate the loss of many companies during periods of crisis. One piece of information he contributed is that, in the period 2008-2013, the Spanish economy lost 20% of jobs, while in the field of the Social Economy this loss was 6 points less.
Finally, he affirmed that "the European institutions know that, to improve the visibility, recognition and guarantee the stability of the Social Economy an ambitious financially endowed European Plan is necessary".
In this sense, he detailed the objectives of the European Social Economy Action Plan proposed by Social Economy Europe, which is expected to be approved in November. One of them is to approve a European definition of the Social Economy, as well as to promote an ecosystem for the growth of the Social Economy in Europe and that helps companies to take advantage of resources and funds.
