Activities of Jordi CAÑAS related to 2021/2179(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
EU action plan for the social economy (debate)
EU action plan for the social economy (debate)
Reports (1)
REPORT on the EU action plan for the social economy
Amendments (102)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
— having regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and in particular Article 27 on work and employment;
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the social economy encompasses diverse types of private entities, independent of public authorities, as cooperatives, mutual benefit societies, associations (including charities), foundations, social enterprises, and other legal forms, all characterised by different operating and organisational principles and features such as the primacy of people as well as social and environmental purposes over profit, the reinvestment of most profits/surpluses in the sustainability of the entity and the general interest providing goods and services to their members or society at large, and democratic or participatory governance;
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the social economy has played an important role in mitigating and addressing the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on the EU’s social market, society and economy and has driven and contributed to social and economic resilience thanks to the long- term orientation of the European Pillar business model and the nature of social rights and the targets and activities of the social economy12 ; __________________ 12 OECD (2020), Social economy and the COVID-19 crisis: current and future roles.sustainability of this model;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the social economy contributes to and benefits from well- functioning welfare systems; whereas, however, it is the State and public authorities at large which have the ultimate responsibility for ensuring universal, affordable and equal access of citizens to a high standard of public services and welfare, and as such, social economy organisations play, and should continue to do so, a complementary role, not a replacement of, first-line, state/regional-based public service provisions;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 17 February 2022 with recommendations to the Commission on a statute for European cross-border associations and non-profit organisations,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas social economy organisationentities have a long, yet heterogeneous history in the majority of Member States, most of which have adopted specific laws in this field, and have established themselves as crucial market playesocial and economic actors, who can play an important role in the market, whereas social economy entities still face significant obstacles that hamper their economic and overall social impact; whereas Member States need to adopt specific legislation to overcome those barriers and enable the consolidation and development of the social economy, and to ensure that social economy entities can compete effectively in all economic sectors;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas social economy organisations operate in key sectors such as health, long-term care, social, education and vocational training, culture and the promotion of cultural heritage, advanced technologies, housing, leisure and circular economy, renewable energy and waste management, and by virtue of their local anchoring and their social and integrative character, are an intrinsic part of the European social model;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
C b. whereas social economy entities have traditionally played an important role in the integration and employment of as well as in the provision of services for disadvantaged workers, especially persons with disabilities, including through UNCRPD-abiding Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISE), thus improving their wellbeing and mental health;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
C d. whereas the Parliament has highlighted in past resolutions1a the importance of facilitating the development of cross-border activities and the access to the internal market for mutual societies, associations and foundations; __________________ 1a 1987 resolution on non-profit-making associations in the European Communities; European Parliament resolution of 14 March 2013 with recommendations to the Commission on the Statute for a European mutual society; European Parliament resolution of 2 July 2013 on the proposal for a Council regulation on the Statute for a European Foundation (FE).
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission’s Action Plan for the Social Economy (SEAP), the guiding principles defining the social economy set therein, the political impetus it provides to its development, and the wealth of measures announced therein; notes, however, that certain aspects related to employment and social affairs within the social economy could be further strengthened;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Underlines social economy’s plurality of aims and the important role it plays in improving the resilience of the economy, ensuring a just transition, reducing inequalities, providing quality employment opportunities to vulnerable groups, promoting people’s independent living, enhancing the sense of community, countering depopulation and strengthening the development of rural areas, implementing the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights, and achieving upwards social convergence;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 22 a (new)
Citation 22 a (new)
— having regard to the European Economic and Social Committee' opinion of 22 September 2016 on 'The External Dimension of the Social Economy';
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Urgesnderlines that despite the social economy being a considerable source of economic growth and job creation, more needs to be done to promote this model, including the principle of solidarity, social inclusion and social investment which underpins it; urges therefore the Commission and the Member States, as well as regional and local authorities, to step up efforts to further promote the social economy and mainstream the social economy dimension in relevant policies, programmes and practices, such as those relevant to ongoing transitions such as the green and digital ones, at Union level as well as globally via the EU’s external action;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Reiterates its call13 for the ‘think small first’ principle to be set as a guiding principle in the drafting of future legislation and the adoption of policies, so as to make the Union’s ecosystem more competitive and supportive of micro, small and medium-sized organisations both within and outsidewithout weakening existing rules, standards, and rights, such as environmental and consumer protection so as to, on one hand, make the regulatory frameworks more supportive of micro, small and medium-sized entities in their application of existing rules and regulations, and, on the other, to strengthen the development, sustainability and growth of the social economy; __________________ 13 In, inter alia, its resolution of 16 December 2020 on a new strategy for European SMEs and that of 24 June 2021 on European regulatory fitness and subsidiarity principle.
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Believes, that concrete strategies and follow-up measures for achieving the objective set out in the SEAP need to be laid out taking into account national law and practices; underlines that the interlinkages between the SEAP and other EU initiatives such as the Action Plan of the European Pillar of Social Rights, the European Disability Strategy or the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness need to be further detailed; considers it necessary to establish a calendar for all actions included in the SEAP as well as for their monitoring and evaluation, with a view to guiding the relevant authorities in the implementation of the SEAP and ensuring policy coherence;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Reminds the Member States that the Public Procurement Directive (Directive 2014/24/EU) allows contracting authorities to use public procurement to pursue environmental and social objectives, and, in particular, allows for reserved tender procedures for organisationsentities that respond to quality criteria and whose main aim is the integratclusion of persons with disabilities or other disadvantaged groupsgroups at risk of social exclusion into the workforce; invitescalls on public authorities to considerrecognise socially and environmentally responsible public procurement as an investment in the socio- economic fabric with a great potential to combine social and competitive objectives; points out that the inclusion of environmental and social requirements in tenders can be essential in the development of the social economy sector, calls on the Commission to further promote socially responsible public procurement and good practices to boost socially responsible business practices and encourages Member States to aim at making all public funding disbursed in the form of public procurement contracts, conditional on their compliance with applicable obligations in the fields of environmental, social and labour law established by Union law, national law, collective agreements or by the international environmental, social and labour law;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the social economy encompasses diverse types of private entities, independent of public authorities, as cooperatives, mutual benefit societies, associations (including charities), foundations, social enterprises, and other legal forms, all characterised by different operating and organisational principles and features such as the primacy of people as well as social purpose over profit, the reinvestment of most profits/surpluses, and democratic or participatory governance;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Encourages the Member States to systematically adopt strategies aimed at developing socially responsible public procurement, thus establishing a link across policy areas between the delivery of services and products and the contribution to social objectives; considers that the transposition of the Public Procurement Directive must be coupled with initiatives to increase knowledge about the relationship between public spending and its contribution to achieving the SDGs, and to build capacity among public procurement officers and social economy organisationentities; encourages public procurement officers to carry out pre- market consultations before drawing up tender documents, with a view to better understanding the existing needs and how social economy organisations could meet themwhat social economy entities can offer and how they can meet the tender requirements; calls on procurers not to award contracts based solely on the lowest price but on best value, thus incorporating quality criteria and social impact considerations; calls on the Member States to enhance transparency and prevent corruption in public procurement; highlights the need for the relevant authorities to explore cooperation and partnerships in the access to public procurement by social economy entities, as is the case in some Member States;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Highlights that a workers’ buyout processes can be one possible solutions toprevent the loss of jobs arising from a restructuring; Welcomes existing initiatives in Member States to provide workers interested in the buyout process and cooperatives emerging from workers’ buyouts with business support structures, including legal counselling, financial support, supporthelp in the preparation of business plans, and data needed for external investors and business support structures; encourages other Member States to implement similar initiatives and to include this topic in the 2023 Council rRecommendations in order to further support these initiatives at regional and national level; highlights the role of workers’ representatives, including trade unions, in the support to and link up with the federations of cooperatives assisting workers’ buyouts in order to enhance the chances of success;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Stresses the need for the Commission to keep on working closely with the Member States to identify tools and solutions to remove obstacles and speed up legal procedures to transfer the ownership of an enterprise to the employees through worker cooperatives or other forms of worker-owned social economy entities; calls on the Commission to set up an EU platform for exchange of best practices between Member States, local and regional authorities and social economy networks;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7 b. Underlines the importance of promoting the cooperative model and its principles of workers’ participation/democracy; encourages Member States to create a favourable legal environment for the establishment and functioning of cooperatives, including worker’s cooperatives;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the announced report on the possible extension ofHighlights the current work done by the EU to extend the EU Ttaxonomy for Ssustainable Ffinance to social objectives; considers that the EU taxonomy needs to cover social factors, without creating an excessively disproportionate burden on businesses, as it can be a driver for investment in the fieldbe relevant from a social perspective, while at the same time taking the situation of micro-enterprises and SMEs into account, as it can be a driver for investment in the field of the social economy if said investment is properly aligned with the principles and features of the social economy;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Highlights the importance of strengthening the business planning, implementation and evaluation skills of social economy entities, as well as relevant media literacy, management skills, participatory leadership, lifelong learning, resilience and skills required by ongoing transitions, including the green and digital ones, by supporting the Social Economy and Proximity Skills Alliance; looks forward to the forthcoming “Pact for Skills for the Social Economy” to invest in such skills; and calls on the social economy stakeholders to fully align with the targets of the EPSR by making sure that at least 60% of their employees receive training every year by 2030;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Considers it regrettableRegrets that social economy organisationentities do not feature to the same extent as more conventional businessesenough in the curricula of mainstream school education and higher education enterprise and business education14 ; in light of this, invites sector-representative bodies and relevant public authorities, in partnership with the relevant stakeholders, to review and evaluate the curricula and put forward policy recommendations for academic institutiont all educational levels, from primary to higher education, including vocational and educational training and put forward policy recommendations; underlines the necessity to promote social economy among young people; asks the Commission to ensure continuous collaboration between the ‘European Competence Centre for Social Innovation’ and higher education institutions in all Member States with the goal of developing joint projects and raising awareness of the possibilities that the social economy offers to future young entrepreneurs and underrepresented groups such as persons with disabilities, women, older persons and socially vulnerable groups; __________________ 14 Eurofound (2019), Labour market change. Cooperatives and social enterprises: work and employment in selected countries.
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Highlights that social economy entities have for decades been leaders in implementing circular business models, especially in reusing, repairing and recycling activities, thus accelerating the transition to the circular economy and reinforcing the focus on positive social impact1a, supports the Commission’s initiative to strengthen the capacity of the social economy to further develop greener services and products; __________________ 1a OECD/European Union (2022), Policy brief on making the most of the Social Economy’s contribution to the Circular Economy.
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11 b. Highlights the distinctiveness of renewable energy cooperatives in the social economy, as part of energy communities, in the energy system as they promote sustainable energy production and consumption practices, strengthen community ownership and social innovation, generate widespread benefits and can be used to satisfy security of supply in remote locations and on certain islands;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)
Paragraph 11 c (new)
11 c. Highlights the fundamental role played by social economy entities, including mutuals, in the care sector and underlines the important growth potential social economy has in this area to respond to the increased demand for care services and to address ongoing challenges such as demographic ageing; calls on the European Commission and Member States to support a quality care sector with adequate policies and to ensure that the upcoming revision in the area of state aid ensures greater flexibility to social economy entities providing social and health care services;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 d (new)
Paragraph 11 d (new)
11 d. Highlights the importance of attaching greater attention to social impact measurement methodologies and practices; calls on the Commission, with the support of European social economy stakeholders, to carefully assess the development of social impact measurements methodologies, which can suit the diversity of social economy entities and further attract social investments;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 e (new)
Paragraph 11 e (new)
11 e. Underlines the importance of the social economy in promoting gender equality and in providing employment opportunities for women, in particular in vulnerable situations, and that it can be an entry point to transition from informal to formal employment; notes that women often make more than 60% of the workforce in the social economy, and gaps in pay and leadership have been reported to be lower; calls on the Commission and the Member States to remove all barriers for women in order to achieve gender equality; calls for the strengthening of the gender dimension in policies and access to funding for women engaged in social economy entities given the greater difficulties experienced by women in accessing finance compared to men; asks the Commission to identify a clear role for social economy in the upcoming European care strategy;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 f (new)
Paragraph 11 f (new)
11 f. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to set up national, transnational and interregional capacity- building partnerships and formal agreements with social economy networks and their representative organisations; points out that it is necessary to ensure the conditions for the further development and professionalisation of social economy entities, which can be done through the provision of advisory services such as tailor-made mentoring and coaching, financing capacity-building, training and education, skilling and up/re-skilling, incubating services as well as access to legal counselling;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 g (new)
Paragraph 11 g (new)
11 g. Highlights the key role that new technologies and artificial intelligence, when accessible to all, can play in creating jobs and developing and scaling up social economy; stresses the importance of giving social economy entrepreneurs and employees, with a specific focus on vulnerable workers, enhanced access to training programmes on digital skills and advanced technologies, both at Union and national level, and calls on the Commission and Member States to explore how mainstream businesses, the public sector and social economy entities can cooperate in that regard; notes that the digital transition in the social economy should be encouraged, inter alia, through taxation, public procurement and state aid;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 h (new)
Paragraph 11 h (new)
11 h. Calls on the Member States to provide targeted funding for social economy entities and to make full use of existing Union funds to promote the social economy sector and to step up their efforts to absorb the funds that are made available to them in the social economy field;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 i (new)
Paragraph 11 i (new)
11 i. Welcomes the proposal to launch a new single EU Social Economy Gateway in 2023; underlines that this initiative has the potential to support social economy entities in providing important information and guidance on relevant Union funding, policies, networks and platforms as well as related initiatives;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes the possibilities offered under InvestEU to support the social economy; urges the Commission and the implementing partners to design financial products tailored to the needs of social economy enterprises under the Social Investment and Skills window and to allocate sufficient resources to these products with an emphasis on projects concurrently dealing with digital transformation and the green transition; notes that sound eligibility criteria should be developed to target financial intermediaries that specifically support the social economy and considers that advisory services should be made available under the InvestEU Advisory Hub in order to maximise the potential of these financial intermediaries to tap into the InvestEU programme; calls on the Commission to ensure that other InvestEU financial products such as those targeting SMEs are made accessible to social economy organisationentities, most of which are micro, small and medium-sized organisaentities in order to allow for the development of a pipeline of projects on key topics and improve the long-term economic sustainability of social economy entities as well as their uptake of innovative solutions;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Notes in particular the key role of Cohesion Policy Funds, including the European Social Fund (ESF+) and the European Regional Development- Cohesion Fund, in financing social economy projects; recalls the specific objectives of the ESF+ in improving access to employment for all jobseekers, in particular young people, as well as through the promotion of self- employment and the social economy; reminds the Member States that ESF + funding can be used by public authorities in public procurement to fund the set up of “facilitators of social clauses”, i.e. professionals in charge of promoting and supporting the implementation of social clauses at local level, and to advise public authorities on the drafting of tender specifications that are accessible to the social economy;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12 b. Acknowledges the great potential that the social economy has in the creation of quality jobs and internships for the youth, which can accelerate their integration into the labour market; encourages Member States to use funds available under the reinforced Youth Guarantee to boost social economy among the young generation as it can enhance the integration of young people into the labour market; welcomes the Commission’s initiative to launch a Youth Entrepreneurship Policy Academy in 2022 under the ESF+ to foster youth entrepreneurship and calls on the Commission to devote particular attention to social entrepreneurship and to develop targeted initiatives to help other underrepresented entrepreneurs in the social economy;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Calls on the Member States to promote access of social economy entities to Next Generation EU funding, in the context of their Recovery and Resilience national plans, in particular for the promotion of quality employment, of social inclusion and of an inclusive digital and green transition for all;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the social economy has played an important role in mitigating and addressing the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on the EU’s social market, society and economy and has driven and contributed to social and economic resilience thanks to theits long- term orientation of the European Pillar business model and the nature of social rights and the targets and activities of the social economy12 ; _________________ 12 OECD (2020), Social economy and the COVID-19 crisis: current and future roles.
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14 b. Invites the Commission, on the occasion of the next revision of the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER), to widen the scope of the Regulation and adequately take into account the specific needs of social economy entities in terms of access to finance and market development; calls on the Commission to better include social considerations in the area of State Aid such as the promotion of the recruitment of disadvantaged workers, including persons with disabilities, especially in the context of the post-COVID-19 recovery, to explore different evidence-based options, after consulting relevant stakeholders, to support the development of social economy entities and to provide clarity and guidance to national authorities on the legal basis to be used to support social economy entities via state aid;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14 c. Urges the national, regional and local authorities to better tap into the potential of existing rules regarding the specific provisions offered to services of general economic interest (SGEI) to access public finance support in the EU state aid regulation, not least by making full use of the possibility to recognise social economy entities carrying out an economic activity as SGEI where relevant;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)
Paragraph 14 d (new)
14 d. Welcomes the idea of launching a new initiative under the Single Market Programme 2022 to support the creation of partnerships between social economy entities and mainstream businesses, enabling a “buy social” business-to- business market that can strengthen- the social economy;
Amendment 43 #
14 e. Believes that existing labels and certifications for social economy entities could serve as an inspiration to Member States; welcomes the commitment in the SEAP to launch a study on national social economy labels and certification systems with a view to increasing the visibility of the social economy and enabling a well- functioning single market, and, based on the results, exploring the possibility of laying the ground for a more standardised system at Union level; underlines that this study should build on previous findings and involve social economy stakeholders;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Strongly welcomes the proposal of a Council recommendation on social economy framework conditions to be approved in 2023; believstresses that it should serve as a compass tothe recommendation should provide a common definition of the social economy at Union level based on its main principles and features as presented in the SEAP and that both the Recommendation and definition need to take into account the diversity of social economy entities within and across member states; highlights that the Recommendation shall have the primary objective of strengthening the social economy legal and policy frameworks, especially in Member States where the social economy ecosystem is less developed, and; believes that the Recommendation should clearly highlight the support instruments made available by the EU and provide guidance in relation to specific policies such as suitable legal frameworks for different social economy entities, public procurement, state aid employment and, social and health policies, taxation, education, skills and training and the importance of linking the circular economy andongoing transitions with the social economy agendas;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Underlines the importance of workers’ participation and democratic governance, principles recognised in the SEAP, in achieving the objectives of the social economy; stresses that all workers in the social economy must have decent working and employment conditions and career progression perspectives, ideally, based on collective agreements; highlights in this context that social economy entities have to respect trade union rights, social dialogue and collective bargaining; calls on the Commission to ensure that all EU financial support to social economy entities should be made conditional on their compliance with the applicable working and employment conditions and/or employer obligations set by law and/or resulting from collective agreements; stresses that social economy entities, due to the characteristic of their model based on workers’ participation, and are well-placed to promote social dialogue and collective bargaining; stresses therefore the need to further develop social dialogue, both at national and European level, and collective bargaining in the social economy;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15 b. Calls on the Commission and the European External Action Service to promote the social economy at international level and to increase the visibility of the sector in the external dimension of Union policies, inter alia, by acknowledging and including its specific nature in future association agreements and providing information and training on social economy to the staff working in EU delegations, and by assessing how such actions can contribute to the development of social economy in third countries;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Considers it regrettableRegrets that Parliament’s past calls on the Commission to submit proposals allowing mutual societies, associations and foundations to act on a European and cross-border scale did not lead to any legislative changes, thus undermining the European social model and hindering the completion of the single market; reiterates Parliament’s call to introduce common minimum standards for non-profit organisations throughout the EU and establish a statute for a European association and calls on the Commission to publicly explain the reasons why the Parliament’s calls have not been heard, suggests, in view of the window of opportunity opened by the SEAP, as well as the activities of the Monitoring Committee of the Luxembourg Declaration, which comprises a majority of Member States, that enhanced cooperation, including cross-border activities, be explored as a tool to overcome the aforementioned decades-long deadlocks;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes that the full potential of the social economy sector for addressing socio-economic challenges requires a clear identification of social priorities by public authorities and social economy entities; highlights that social economy projects do generallyoften require a close partnership with public entities, and calls therefore on the Commission and Member States to develop, within the macro- economic governance framework provided at EU level, a new social investment strategy where social priorities are clearly identified, in line with the EPSR, and which can provide a framework for cooperation between public authorities and social economy organisationentities;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the announced launch of a new study to collect qualitative and quantitative information on the social economy across all Member States; calls for this study to cover the different types of social economy entities and disaggregated data on workers, notes that detailed, standardised, comparable and reliable data on the scale and impact of the social economy need to be generated with a view to facilitating evidence-based policy decisions, future-proofing the development of the social economy and contributing to EU economic and social goals; calls on the Commission, as part of this work, to update the 2012 study on mutuals in the Union to identify opportunities and barriers for their development, particularly in the area of healthcare and insurance; and calls on the Commission and national statistical authorities to work with Eurostat to collectstandardised data and to regularly update and analyse it;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Welcomes the Commission’s work on a transition pathway for the social economy and proximity industrial ecosystems, notes, however, that additional information is required to understand how it will interact with other regional and local initiatives and ensure an effective implementation on the ground;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the Member States to designate social economy coordinators and to set up local social economy contact points with a view to raising awareness of and facilitating access to support and funding, including EU funding; calls on the Commission to set up a single online EU platform for exchange of best practices between Member States, local and regional authorities and social economy networks, underlines that this platform needs to be managed in cooperation with European social economy networks and the Commission Expert group on social economy and social enterprises (GECES); considers that there is a need to ensure a close coordination between the national coordinators, the local contact points, the EU online platform and the EU Social Economy Gateway in order to maximise knowledge exchange and synergies as well as the visibility of opportunities for social economy actors and avoid possible duplication of work;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Commission to further collaborate with GECES and to set up an implementation taskforce for the SEAP including the GECES as well as national coordinators in charge of monitoring and regularly reporting to the European Parliament, the Council and the relevant stakeholders, including social partners, and to disseminate its composition and timeline for action;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas social economy organisations have a long history in the majority of Member States, most of which have adopted specific laws in this field, and have established themselves as crucial market players; whereas regulatory frameworks must ensure that social economy enterprises can compete effectively in all economic sectors;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas social economy organisations strengthen the sense of community and social capital, especially at the local level;1a _________________ 1a https://www.oecd- ilibrary.org/docserver/e9eea313- en.pdf?expires=1643295376&id=id∾cna me=guest✓sum=BF1226E6C5CBB1858A 3F36DBF5F48577
Amendment 73 #
Cc. whereas the social economy contributes to a well-functioning welfare state as it focuses on social and labour needs; whereas, however, it is the State and public authorities at large which have the ultimate responsibility for ensuring universal and equal access of citizens to a high standard of welfare, and as such, social economy organisations should play a complementary role, not a replacement of, first-line, state/regional-based provisions;2a _________________ 2a European Economic and Social Committee Milan declaration, cited in the Council conclusions of 7 December 2015 on ‘The promotion of the social economy as a key driver of economic and social development in Europe’.
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Cd. whereas social economy organisations operate in key sectors such as health, long-term care, pensions, education, culture, tech for good, housing, leisure and circular economy, renewable energy and waste management, and by virtue of their local anchoring and their social and integrative character, are an intrinsic part of the European social model;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C e (new)
Recital C e (new)
Ce. whereas a legal and policy framework that adequately protects and promotes worker cooperative enterprises, a set of policy measures aimed at facilitating business transfers to employees and a high level of organisation and consolidation of worker cooperatives in organisations/federations contribute to successful business transfers to employees;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C f (new)
Recital C f (new)
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C g (new)
Recital C g (new)
Cg. whereas social economy organisations are perceived by investors as high risk due to the information asymmetries in the market or the investors’ limited understanding of this model;5a _________________ 5a European Commission, Directorate- General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Hayday, M., Varga, E., A recipe book for social finance : a practical guide on designing and implementing initiatives to develop social finance instruments and markets, Publications Office, 2017
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C h (new)
Recital C h (new)
C h. whereas social economy organisations and enterprises have traditionally played an important role in the employment and service provision for persons with disabilities, including through UNCRPD-abiding Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISE);
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes, however, that concrete measures and follow-up measures for achieving each objective need to be laid out and the interlinkages between measures and other EU-level initiatives further detailed; considers it necessary to establish a calendar for all actions included in the SEAP, with a view to guiding the relevant authorities in the implementation;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Reiterates its call13 for the ‘think small first’ principle to be set as a guiding principle in the drafting of future legislation and the adoption of policies, so as to make the Union’s ecosystem more competitive and supportive of micro, small and medium-sized organisations both within and outside the social economy and ensure that its role is strengthened to support the development of social economy; _________________ 13 In, inter alia, its resolution of 16 December 2020 on a new strategy for European SMEs and that of 24 June 2021 on European regulatory fitness and subsidiarity principle.
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Reminds the Member States that the Public Procurement Directive (Directive 2014/24/EU) allows contracting authorities to use public procurement to pursue environmental and social objectives, and, in particular, allows for reserved tender procedures for organisations whose main aim is the integration of persons with disabilities or other disadvantaged groups into the workforce; invites public authorities to considerrecognise socially and environmentally responsible public procurement as an investment in the socio-economic fabric with a great potential to combine social and competitive objectives;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Reminds the Member States that the Advisory Platform for Social Outcomes Contracting created by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank Group can provide expert advice and technical support to public sector organisations wishing to address key social inclusion challenges through outcomes-based approaches;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes existing initiatives in Member States to provide workers interested in the buyout process and cooperatives emerging from workers’ buyouts with legal counselling, financial support, support in the preparation of business plans, data needed for external investors and business support structures; encourages Member States to include this topic in the 2023 Council recommendations in order to further support these initiatives at regional and national level and to work closely with workers' representatives to support and link up with the federations of worker cooperatives in assisting workers’ buyouts ; also urges the Commission to keep on working closely with the Member States to identify tools and solutions to remove obstacles and speed up legal procedures to transfer the ownership of an enterprise after its closure to the employees through worker cooperatives or other forms of worker-owned social economy enterprises; invites the Member States to share and exchange best practices in this regard;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. highlights that social economy organisations have for decades been leaders in implementing circular business models, especially in reusing, repairing and recycling activities, thus accelerating the transition to the circular economy and reinforcing the focus on positive social impact;3a supports the Commission's initiative to strengthen the capacity of the social economy to further develop greener services and products; _________________ 3a OECD/European Union (2022), Policy brief on making the most of the Social Economy’s contribution to the Circular Economy
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Calls on the Commission to encourage social impact investing and to assess existing measures to increase citizens’ participation in social impact finance initiatives with a view to increasing the funding of social economy entities and the visibility thereof;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8c. Highlights the importance of attaching greater attention to social impact measurement and management methodologies and practices; calls on the European social economy stakeholders to carefully assess the development, together with the support of the Commission, of social impact measurement methodologies apt for the diversity of social economy organisations, as well as a strategy to further access and attract social investments;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 d (new)
Paragraph 8 d (new)
8d. Invites the European Commission to examine carefully together with social economy stakeholders and academics the feasibility and practicality of social impact bonds;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to set up capacity-building partnerships and formal agreements with social economy networks in order to provide social economy organisations with advisory services such as tailor-made mentoring and coaching, financing capacity-building, training and education, incubating services and networking for capacity-building; in this regard, brings to the attention of regional and local authorities committed to initiating or upgrading their capacity building measures for the social economy the Guidelines for Local Governments on Policies for Social and Solidarity Economy published by the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development in 2021;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to set up national, transnational and interregional capacity- building partnerships and formal agreements with social economy networks and their representative organisations in order to provide social economy organisations with advisory services such as tailor-made mentoring and coaching, financing capacity-building, training and education, incubating services and networking for capacity-building; welcomes concrete projects such as the European Business School on Social Economy promoted by the Smart specialisation platform partnership on social economy, formed by six European regions and supported by European Social Economy Networks;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the social economy stakeholders to fully align with the targets of the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan by making sure that at least 60% of social economy employees and relevant public authorities' officials receive training every year by 2030;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to make sure that social economy organisations and enterprises comply with the relevant legislation against discrimination at work and ensure decent working conditions, fair remuneration and career growth perspectives;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Highlights the key role that new technologies, if accessible to all, can play in developing and scaling up social economy projects and, as well as the importance of giving social economy entrepreneurs priorityenhanced access to training programmes on digital skills and advanced technologies, both at EU and national level, and calls on the Commission and Member States to explore how mainstream businesses and social economy organisations can cooperate in that regard;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Highlights the importance of strengthening the support to cooperatives in the field of digital transformation, access to finance, test-before-invest and training, capacity building; notes that the digital transition in the social economy should be encouraged, inter alia, through taxation, public procurement and state aid;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Highlights the distinctiveness of renewable energy cooperatives, as part of energy communities, in the energy system, as they promote sustainable energy production and consumption practices, strengthen community ownership and social innovation, generate widespread benefits and can be used to satisfy security of supply in remote locations and on certain islands;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Highlights the importance of strengthening the business planning, implementation and evaluation skills of social economy organisations by setting up a Social Economy and Proximity Skills Alliance; looks forward to the forthcoming “Pact for Skills for the Social Economy”;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Underlines the importance of promoting the cooperative model among young people in various training systems; notes that workers' cooperatives can create quality jobs and boost youth entrepreneurship;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Urges the national, regional and local authorities to deepen their knowledge of existing rules regarding the possibility offered by services of general economic interest(SGEI) to access public finance support and to make the most of the margin of discretion in the definition and organisation of SGEI, while exploring the possibility of recognising social economy organisations as SGEI;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Welcomes the idea of launching a new initiative under the Single Market Programme 2022 to support the creation of partnerships between social economy entities and mainstream businesses, enabling a “buy social” business-to- business market;
Amendment 261 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Invites the Member States to promote the access of social economy organisations and enterprises to Next Generation EU funding, through the Recovery and Resilience national plans, in particular for the promotion of employment, socioeconomic inclusion and the adaptation to the digital and green transitions of disadvantaged groups, such as persons with disabilities;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14c. Invites the Member Sates to exchange knowledge and experience on social economy entrepreneurship through the EU Mutual Learning Programme;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)
Paragraph 14 d (new)
14d. Highlights the importance of obtaining data and information on the challenges and experiences faced by the social economy in partner countries; regrets that non-EU social economy organisations are not always eligible for EU programmes; invites the Commission to explore how to overcome those barriers;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Strongly welcomes the proposal of a Council recommendation on social economy framework conditions to be approved in 2023; believes that it should provide a common definition of the social economy based on its principles and features -as per the SEAP-, a definition that, taking into consideration the diversity of the social economy, applies to all policies, programmes and measures that the European Commission develops and operates for the social economy7a,as it would also ensure that support measures are granted to all social economy organisations and enterprises; notes that the Council Recommendation should serve as a compass to strengthen the social economy legal and policy frameworks, especially in Member States where the social economy ecosystem is less developed, and should clearly highlight the support instruments made available by the EU and provide guidance in relation to specific policies such as public procurement, employment and social policies, taxation, education, skills and training and the importance of linking the circular economy and the social economy agendas; _________________ 7a The approach to follow could be the one followed for the SME Recommendation.
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Strongly welcomes the proposal of a Council recommendation on social economy framework conditions to be approved in 2023; believes that it should serve as a compass to strengthen the social economy legal and policy frameworks, especially in Member States where the social economy ecosystem is less developed, and should clearly highlight the support instruments made available by the EU and provide guidance in relation to specific policies such as public procurement, state aid, employment and social policies, taxation, education, social and care services, skills and training and the importance of linking the circular economy and the social economy agendas;
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Considers it regrettable that Parliament’s past calls on the Commission to submit proposals allowing mutual societies, associations9a and foundations to act on a European and cross-border scale did not lead to any legislative changes, thus undermining the European social model and hindering the completion of the single market; suggests, in view of the window of opportunity opened by the SEAP, as well as the activities of the Monitoring Committee of the Luxembourg Declaration, which comprises a majority of Member States, that enhanced cooperation be explored as a tool to overcome the aforementioned decades-long deadlocks; _________________ 9a Resolution on non-profit making associations in the European Communities of 13 April 1987
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Supports the setting up of national competence centres for social innovation aimed at social economy entrepreneurs, as well as a European competence centre for social innovation; looks forward to the launch of the Youth Entrepreneurship Policy Academy to be developed together with the Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development; calls on social economy organisations to support the emergence of Youth Social Economy Entrepreneurs; believes, however, that the Commission, together with the Member States, should launch targeted initiatives to help other social economy entrepreneurs from underrepresented and disadvantaged groups;
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls on the Commission to update the 2012 Study on the current situation and prospects of mutuals in Europe to identify opportunities and barriers for their development in Europe, particularly in healthcare and insurance;
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the announced launch of a new study to collect qualitative and quantitative information on the social economy across all Member States; notes that detailed, standardised, comparable and reliable data on the scale and impact of the social economy need to be generated with a view to facilitating evidence-based policy decisions, future-proofing the development of the social economy and contributing to EU economic and social goals; reminds the Member States of the 2015 Council conclusions’ invitation for national statistical authorities to develop and implement social economy satellite accounts;
Amendment 308 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Welcomes the Commission’s work on a transition pathway for the social economy and proximity industrial ecosystems; notes, however, that additional information is required to explain how such a pathway will be implemented on the ground and how it will interact with other regional and local initiatives;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Urges the Commission and the European External Action Service to provide information and training on the social economy to the staff working in EU delegations and to increase the visibility thereof in EU external action;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18c. Calls on the Commission to promote the social economy in the external dimension of EU policies, inter alia, by acknowledging and including its specific nature in future association agreements and the revision of the current ones, and by assessing how it can contribute to its development outside EU borders;
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the Member States to designate social economy coordinators and to set up local social economy contact points with a view to facilitating access to funding, including EU funding; invites the Commission and the social economy organisations to also use the announced Social Economy Gateway to raise awareness of the funding opportunities at EU level; calls on the Member States to properly and effectively implement the SEAP in collaboration with the social economy stakeholders;
Amendment 320 #
19a. Reiterates Parliament’s support to the fact that the components of the social economy should be recognised in the EU sectoral and inter-sectoral social dialogue and suggests that the process should be encouraged by both the Member States and the Commission9a; and calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen the mechanisms and instruments to support the European, national and regional representative organisations of the social economy as they are crucial for the creation of favourable ecosystems for the social economy; _________________ 9a European Parliament Resolution of 19 February 2009 on Social Economy
Amendment 323 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Commission to set up an implementation taskforce for the SEAP, which regularly reports to the European Parliament, the Council and the relevant stakeholders, and to disseminate its composition and timeline for action;