The European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Lászlo Andor, highlighted the important contribution of co-operatives to providing jobs for disadvantaged groups in Europe.
In his speech at the conference “Co-operatives and Work Integration of Disadvantaged Persons”, Mr Andor said that co-operatives provided almost 40,000 jobs to disadvantaged citizens across the European Union (EU). Co-operatives, he argued, offer long term employment to persons with physical or mental disabilities, emigrants, minorities or ex-offenders.
In Italy social co-operatives members of CECOP (the European Confederation of co-operatives and worker-owned enterprises active in industry and services) employ around 32,000 disadvantaged people, while in Bulgaria and Romania they are the first employer for disabled workers.
“They bring a fresh vision and approach to the current mainstream economy. Among others, they have been capable of enhancing the ability of disadvantaged groups of people to protect their own interests, by guaranteeing self-help outside the family in accessing basic goods and services. Co-operatives hold powerful tools for social integration,” said the Commissioner.
He added that the Commission’s Social Investment Package adopted in February 2013 underlines the importance of providing incentives for social econ start-ups and the need for an enabling regulatory environment.
“The considerable contribution of co-operatives to work integration of disadvantaged people is one of the most cost-effective ways of meeting the Europe 2020 targets for employment, innovation, education and social inclusion”, said Commissioner Andor.
The European Commission (EC) has recently convened a working group on co-operatives and their potential to generate growth.
According to the Mr Andor, one of the EC’s key goals “is to create legal and administrative environment at EU level and in every member state in which co-ops can thrive and compete effectively in the markets on equal terms with private firms”.
He revealed that the EC is also proposing a new employment and social score board to help detect unemployment levels, change, real gross disposable income of households and poverty rate of working population and inequalities.
Also speaking at the conference, Bruno Roelants, Secretary-General of CECOP-CICOPA, emphasised that “co-operatives allow employees, including disadvantaged ones, to take part in the governance and democratic control of the enterprise”, increasing social integration while empowering them.
As part of the event, several co-operatives presented their stories, including Juratri, a French worker co-operative, Ecosviluppo, an Italian social co-operative for migrant workers, Severoceske Druzstvo Zdravotne of Czech Republic, a co-operative which integrates disabled workers and Vägen ut!, a co-operative consortium for ex-offenders and drug addicts from Sweden.
Giuseppe Guerini, President of Confcooperative-Federsolidarietà of Italy also attended the event. He said that co-operatives provided concrete examples of social innovation. He also argued that when measuring the social impact, it should be taken into account that “co-operatives do not only create jobs, but they can also maintain them”.
The conference was jointly organised by CECOP-CICOPA and Confcooperative-Federsolidarietà, the largest Italian federation of social co-operatives.
Photo: The European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Lászlo Andor, highlighted the important contribution of co-operatives to providing jobs for disadvantaged groups in Europe.
