Co-operators, politicians and NGO representatives met at the European Parliament in Brussels to debate the role of private sector actors in development. Hosted by Linda McAvan, the seminar, “Business for development: Perspectives from the Cooperative World” was jointly organised by Cooperatives Europe and Euro Coop.
Ms McAvan chairs the European Parliament’s Development Committee (DEVE). In her keynote address at the event, she said: “The upcoming international meetings in the framework of the European Year for Development will be critical to define the development agenda for the next ten years. In this scenario, the private sector is key to development."
Also speaking at the event, Paul Renier, deputy head of unit at the Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) said that one of the Commission’s principles for strengthening the role of the private sector in EU development co-operation was adopting a different approach to the private sector. He added that the Commission’s Communication on a stronger role of the private sector in achieving sustainable growth supports inclusive business models, including co-operatives.
Co-operatives are already making an important contribution to development. A new online project database launched by Cooperatives Europe showcases 295 active international co-operative projects carried out by the Cooperatives Europe Development Platform (CEDP). The website was officially presented at the seminar in Brussels. It was designed to enable co-operatives active in development share ideas and experiences.
“It shows that we have been active for a long time and it provides a platform for collaboration among our EU organisations and within our different regions of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA). The website really builds a strong joint family of working together. The most important is not the online, but the offline part, the contact between people,” explained Klaus Niederländer, director of Cooperatives Europe.
He added that in recent years the EU’s development policy had started to place a stronger emphasis on the role on the private sector. Co-ops are not only private sector actors, but also civil society organisations. “That is very important”, he argued, “because we are an enterprise at the same time we are democratically governed and owned by people who are members.”
Todor Ivanov, secretary-general at Euro Coop, the European Community of Consumer Cooperatives, said that co-operatives had consistently showed the way on how sustainable development is truly achieved.
“Through their inclusive entrepreneurial model they have shaped a different way of doing business in developing countries, based on empowerment and creation of long-lasting value. That is why we call on the European Institutions as well as the other partners active in the international development field to recognise and support the co-operative difference."
