Italian co-operators came together to celebrate the International Year of Co-operatives and the International Day of Co-operatives last month.
Officials from co-operatives including the Alliance of Italian Co-operatives, Legacoop and Confcooperative gathered in Rome on July 5th to raise the profile of the sector.
The keynote speech was delivered by ICA President Dame Pauline Green, who praised the work of the Italian co-operative movement and spoke about the challenges the sector continues to face. She praised the Italian movement, and described some of the co-ops she had visited including a ham and salami co-operative (CLAI and SACMI), which she said was “the largest workers’ manufacturing co-op that I have ever seen, with tremendous global reach."
However she outlined that there are still challenges ahead: “While we are a European and global movement, we do not have a European or global ‘brand’, in the traditional sense of ‘brand’, and that make us difficult to see and hear in a global economy.
“Our co-operative identity or ‘brand’ is not about selling a monolithic corporation, a product or service, but for us something bigger. Our model of business is sustained because it developed according to local needs, local culture and member demands, and which have a proven track record of sustainability.”
Along with Dame Pauline, the event saw speakers such as Luigi Marino, President of Confcooperative and the Alliance of Italian Cooperatives, and Giuliano Poletti, President and Co-Chairman of Legacoop Alliance of Italian Cooperatives.
Mr Marino explained: "The crisis has led, in the world and in Europe, to the rediscovery of the co-operative, many of which have resisted and reacted to the difficulties better than other companies. 2012, proclaimed as the IYC, is a recognition that enhances our responsibility and we are committed to new targets in Italy, the European Union and worldwide."
Mr Poletti, added: “It is necessary to create a new development model, based on the support of the people and communities, a new social model, the need to work for a future where there is more balance between individual and community, economic activities and the economy, between public and private initiative."
The event was held in the Parco della Musica Sinopoli Hall, in Rome. The Alliance of Italian Co-operatives represent over 90% of the co-op sector: it employs 1.3 million people, has a turnover of 140 billion euros and over 12 million members.
