Bulgaria will be hosting the fifth European Forum on Social Entrepreneurship to mark the 120th anniversary of the establishment of the country’s first worker co-operative. The event will take place from 31 March to 3 April 2016 in the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
This Forum includes the Fifth European Fair of Enterprises and Cooperatives in Social Economy, where more than 100 co-operatives and social enterprises from over 16 countries are expected, as well as a European conference with round tables on current issues regarding the social economy, among others. The European Commission, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy in Bulgaria, CECOP, the National Union of Worker Producers’ Cooperatives (NUWPC) and eight non-governmental organisations are co-organisers of this event. The Forum enjoys a growing interest from the business partners, media and public. CECOP expects that it will attract more than 30,000 visitors.
At the session themed “The Social Entrepreneurship – innovative model of social inclusion and employment", to be held on 31 March, discussions will focus on the new policies concerning social entrepreneurship and social economy, public private partnership and the opportunities and perspectives for the social economy will be at the heart of the debate. Each year, representatives from the European Commission; the EESC, other European institutions; European co-operatives and non-governmental organisations are involved in the forum.
The draft program is available here. The registration for the forum will be open until 10/03/2016 on CECOP’s website.
