• The European Conference was held this Monday in the Portuguese city of Sintra, coinciding with the European capital of the Social Economy 2021 in Portugal.
• The resilience and rapid recovery capacity of the Social Economy business model in the toughest moments of the pandemic was one of the central axes of the day.
• Different European countries offered their experiences regarding the implementation of policies to reinforce this business model and underlined the importance of the European Social Economy Action Plan, which will be approved in the last quarter of 2021.
• Juan Antonio Pedreño stressed that Social Economy companies are "key agents to mobilize our ingenuity and our entrepreneurial and creative capacity, for a fair and sustainable recovery, in which no one is left behind."
• The Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz, pointed out that the Executive is working on a new generation of active employment policies “closer and more effective, in which we wanted the Social Economy to have priority treatment due to its relevance to generate quality employment ”.
Madrid, March 30, 2021.- The role of the Social Economy in mitigating the impact of the pandemic, both in the economy and in society, has been one of the axes around which the European Conference has revolved ' The role of the Social Economy in job creation and the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights' , held this Monday in the city of Sintra, coinciding with the European capital of the Social Economy 2021 in Portugal.
During the meeting, the resilience and rapid recovery capacity of this business model in the toughest moments of the pandemic , as well as its key role in relaunching economies, has been revealed through different testimonies from different countries. and in the materialization of new forms of economy in the long term, by promoting inclusive and sustainable models.
Likewise, the approval of the European Social Economy Action Plan, scheduled for the last quarter of 2021 , has been another of the topics discussed during the conference, which will promote the creation of jobs that respond to the main challenges of society , such as the demographic challenge, the care economy, education, the digitization of the agri-food sector or the difficulty of access of young people to the labor market.
During his speech at the conference, the president of Social Economy Europe and of the Spanish Business Confederation of the Social Economy, Juan Antonio Pedreño, highlighted the figures of this business model in the European Union, with 2.8 million companies and almost 14 millions of people employed, who "aspire to recognize and enhance what we already do: create stronger and more resilient societies."
Likewise, he highlighted the role of the Social Economy as a “ key partner of the European Commission of all administrations and governments to achieve strategic objectives in Europe , both at the macro and micro level, because we are companies rooted in the territory, with deep roots economic, social and cultural in all the territories where they are implanted ”.
Pedreño stressed that the Social Economies companies are “key agents to mobilize our ingenuity and our entrepreneurial and creative capacity , for a fair and sustainable recovery.ble, in which no one is left behind ”and pointed out the commitment of this business model to people's talent:“ We are reindustrializing our territories, capitalizing on a key resource: talent . We accompany people, who are always at the center of the Social Economy, such as young people, but also those who are not so young, with collective entrepreneurship projects , which are pure resilience ”.
The president of SEE and CEPES also emphasized the role of this business model as an “ engine of a green transition , led by and for citizens” and highlighted the potential of cooperatives for the production of renewable energy and Social Economy companies. in the circular economy, in sustainable agriculture, in decent and affordable housing and in ethical finance ”. "The Social Economy is the revolution of citizens who want affordable housing, of those who want a green economy and ethical finance."
THE SPANISH EXAMPLE
Likewise, Pedreño pointed out that only Social Economy companies can promote a systemic and impact structural change, for which CEPES has worked together with the Government of Spain on a joint Plan for the participation of the Spanish Social Economy in the Recovery Funds. , Transformation and Resilience approved by Brussels, which it plans to present soon. "The Social Economy is an employer of the first order and we must have a voice and vote in the intersectoral social dialogue of the European Union", he concluded.
The representativeness of Spain in the European Conference on Social Economy not only came from the hand of the president of Social Economy Europe and CEPES, Juan Antonio Pedreño, but also the conference was attended by the Minister of Labor and Social Economy , Yolanda Díaz, who highlighted that the “Social Economy in Spain is in very good health, representing approximately 10% of GDP and 12.5% of employment, generating more than 2,200,000 direct and indirect jobs in all economic sectors. , with more than 43,000 companies ”.
The minister pointed to the great legislative effort made as one of the keys to strengthening the Social Economy in Spain and recalled that the Social Economy Law, of 2011, was the first regulatory law of the sector in Europe, followed later by the Strategy of Social economy.
In addition, he insisted on the importance of having the " institutional and economic support provided by the public powers" and stressed that the Executive is working on a new generation of active employment policies "closer and more effective, in which we have wanted that the Social Economy should have a priority treatment due to its relevance to generate quality employment ” . Díaz added that, for this, Spain has European funds, as well as those from the Operational Program for Social Inclusion and Social Economy (POISES) of the European Social Fund.
On the other hand, the minister stressed that much of the success of the consolidation of Social Economy companies in Spain comes from the strong cohesion of the representative organizations of the sector and also referred to the institutional recognition of this business model in Spain through of the creation in 2020 of the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy.
Finally, Díaz pointed out the important work of Social Economy companies during the pandemic, which “have shown their best virtues in crisis situations like this one, performing outstanding work, carrying outprovision of essential goods and services, such as food or health-related, and caring for the most vulnerable people, such as the elderly or people with disabilities ” .
He also recalled his "enormous capacity to fight against precarious work and promote quality work." And it is that, as it indicated, 80% of the contracts celebrated by the companies of the sector have indefinite character; 47% of the jobs belong to people under 40 years of age; They are companies with a greater female presence, particularly in management positions; employs 128,000 people with disabilities or at risk of exclusion; and they are especially resilient companies, with 6.5% lower job losses than other companies, “because the application of the principle of the primacy of people and the social purpose over capital allows them to develop self-adjustment measures that they are very effective ”.
EUROPEAN EXPERIENCES AND EUROPEAN PLAN OF ACTION FOR THE SOCIAL ECONOMY
Throughout the day, representatives of the sector and public institutions from different countries participated, who were able to share their impressions about the evolution of the Social Economy in recent years and the impulse it should take in the next.
The Minister of Labor, Solidarity and Social Security of Portugal, Ana Mendes , highlighted the capacity for networking in the Social Economy and referred to this business model as a “key element for the application of the European Pillar of Social Rights”.
Mendes underlined the rapid response of the Social Economy sector during the coronavirus pandemic, and pointed out that "it is the sector that gave concrete responses to the needs of the people, to whom they needed it most, when and where they needed it." In addition, the Portuguese minister took the opportunity to announce that the government of Portugal is going to launch a network of spaces for social innovation and co-working using the network of spaces that it has distributed throughout the country, with an initial departure of 110 million euros. euros and a total forecast of 1,000 million euros.
For his part, the Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights of the European Union, Nicolas Schmit , spoke of the Social Economy as a key factor in offering citizens the ability to have access to social services, especially important with the inequalities that are emerging. seeing, even more so after the pandemic.
"When social cohesion weakens, we cannot leave anyone behind, we cannot leave any city or any territory at this time," said Schmit, pointing to the important role that Social Economy companies play not only in response to situations but in the construction of a new Social Economy, which is going to be built with the new European Social Economy Action Plan.
He also recalled that Social Economy companies have also been affected by the coronavirus crisis, due to lack of funds and the fall in jobs, "despite being one of the sectors that has shown greater resilience."
The commissioner stressed that “the EU is going to make a very important effort to make policies and legislation more coherent and adapt to the requirements of the Social Economy, because it is key to achieving a new growth model, a flexible model ”And highlighted the importance of promoting Social Economy companies not only in the EU, but in all countries,“ as an engine for generating employment, especially for young people, through employment plans ”.
Other Authorities also participated, such as the Secretary General of the OECD, Ángel Gurría, who pointed out that the Economy; a Social has a positive influence on labor relations, in addition to generating employment in vulnerable groups and fostering a constructive Social Dialogue with the Social Partners. "The Social Economy has great potential to contribute to inclusive growth," he said.
