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CONFEDERACION EMPRESARIAL ESPAÑOLA DE LA ECONOMIA SOCIAL

CEPES

La Confederación Empresarial Española de Economía Social (CEPES), constituida en 1992, es una confederación empresarial, de ámbito estatal, cuyo carácter intersectorial la convierte en la máxima institución representativa de la Economía Social en España, constituyéndose como una plataforma de diálogo institucional con los poderes públicos.

Lobbying Activity

Response to EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) – performance of the EU budget

12 Nov 2025

The Spanish Confederation of Social Economy Enterprises (CEPES), as the leading representative organisation of the social economy in Spain, welcomes the Commissions proposal for a Regulation establishing a budget expenditure tracking and performance framework and other horizontal rules for the Unions programmes and activities under the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). This Regulation is of strategic importance, as it will define how the EU measures, reports and values the impact of its budget beyond 2027. CEPES considers that it provides an opportunity to ensure that the contribution of the social economy to Europes competitiveness, social and territorial cohesion and strategic autonomy is fully recognised and properly assessed within the EUs performance and accountability system. The social economy represents over 4.3 million enterprises and organisations, 11.5 million jobs, and 6.3% of total EU employment, contributing 810% of EU GDP and 13% of SME employment (EISMEA, 2024; Annual Report on European SMEs, 2025). It forms part of Europes industrial fabric and plays a key role in strengthening regional value chains, promoting innovation, and sustaining employment in all territories. CEPES proposals pursue three main objectives: 1. Broaden entrepreneurship indicators to include the social economy (Annex I, Intervention Field 447). CEPES proposes to explicitly include social economy enterprises in the performance indicator on self-employment and business start-ups. This ensures that the EU performance framework recognises all entrepreneurship models including social ecoomy enterprises as drivers of competitiveness and social cohesion. This proposal is built on the Regulation with the Social Economy Action Plan (2021), the Council Recommendation on Developing Social Economy Framework Conditions (2023) and the Transition Pathway for the Proximity and Social Economy Ecosystem (2023). 2. Strengthen the Social Economy indicator to better capture its impact (Annex I, Intervention Field 484). CEPES recommends improving the existing indicator Support for the social economy and social enterprises by explicitly referring to social economy enterprises in both output and result indicators. This will allow for coherent and comparable data collection across Member States and programmes, improving the visibility and measurement of the social economys contribution to employment, inclusion and sustainable growth. 3. Promote inclusive and participatory governance (Article 14). CEPES proposes (in line with Social Economy Europe) to extend the European Code of Conduct on Partnership (Delegated Regulation EU 240/2014) to all EU programmes covered by this horizontal Regulation not only those under shared management. Embedding the partnership principle would ensure meaningful participation of regional and local authorities, social partners, civil society and social economy organisations throughout the design, implementation and evaluation of EU programmes. This would reinforce policy coherence, transparency and ownership, and improve the performance and impact of EU spending. In addition, CEPES suggests a technical improvement to Intervention Field 446 (Adaptation of workers, enterprises and entrepreneurs to change) by including a result indicator measuring actual adaptation outcomes for example, enterprises implementing organisational, technological or social innovations as a result of support. Overall, CEPES proposals aim to ensure that the new performance framework reflects the diversity of Europes entrepreneurship models, strengthens evidence-based policymaking, and integrates the social economy as a recognised component of the EUs productive and social fabric. This approach will enhance the effectiveness, visibility and accountability of EU programmes, contributing to a more competitive, inclusive and resilient European Union.
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Response to EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) – EU funding for competitiveness

12 Nov 2025

The Spanish Confederation of Social Economy Enterprises (CEPES) welcomes the proposal for a Regulation establishing the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) and submits the following proposals to ensure that the Fund fully integrates the Social Economy as a key driver of European competitiveness, innovation and sustainable growth. With more than 4.3 million enterprises and organisations, generating 900 billion in turnover and 11.5 million jobs, the Social Economy represents 6.3% of EU employment and a significant share of the industrial base. According to the Annual Report on European SMEs (2025), the Proximity and Social Economy ecosystem contributes around 810% of EU GDP and 13% of SME employment, showing strong growth and resilience. The ECF should build on this potential to strengthen Europes industrial and territorial resilience, support innovation across all ecosystems and enhance the Unions strategic autonomy. Social economy enterprisesmostly SMEsare part of Europes productive fabric, combining technological, organisational and social innovation, and reinvesting surpluses in local value chains, quality jobs and regional development. CEPES therefore proposes targeted amendments to: 1. Define the Social Economy (Article 2): Introduce a reference to the Council Recommendation of 27 November 2023 on developing social economy framework conditions, ensuring consistency across EU legislation and policies. 2. Recognise the Social Economy among the ECFs objectives (Article 3): Expand the scope of the Fund beyond social enterprises to include the entire Social Economy ecosystem, in line with the Social Economy Action Plan (2021) and the Transition Pathway (2023). 3. Include innovative Social Economy models in the Clean Transition and Industrial Decarbonisation objectives (Article 3): Acknowledge the contribution of Social Economy enterprises to renewable energy, circular economy and sustainable local production, as recognised in the Transition Pathway (2023). 4. Integrate the Social Economy into the Digital Leadership objectives (Article 3): Ensure support for the digitalisation and innovation capacity of Social Economy enterprises, aligned with the Digital Decade 2030 goals and the Social Economy Action Plan. 5. Introduce a territorial dimension of competitiveness (Article 3): Promote place-based industrial ecosystems and regional innovation networks, reinforcing territorial resilience and balanced development across the Union, with special attention to rural, remote and outermost regions, consistent with the Letta Report (2024) and EESC opinions. 6. Ensure access to finance and business support (Articles 2728): Integrate Social Economy enterprises into the EU for Business Network and Business Support measures, alongside SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups, ensuring equitable access to finance, advisory services and investment instruments under the ECF. These amendments aim to guarantee that the European Competitiveness Fund reflects the diversity of the EUs productive base and supports all enterprises contributing to competitiveness, innovation and sustainability. The Social Economy combines competitiveness with inclusion, innovation with responsibility, and growth with cohesion. Its enterprises strengthen Europes value chains, reduce external dependencies, and anchor industrial activity in local territories. Their inclusion in the ECF would reinforce the Unions capacity to pursue a competitiveness model that is not only technologically advanced, but also fair, resilient and aligned with the European Social Model.
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Response to EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) – implementing EU funding with Member States and regions

31 Oct 2025

The Spanish Confederation of Social Economy Enterprises (CEPES) welcomes this public consultation. CEPES proposals aim to ensure that the new Regulation a cornerstone of the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 20282034) fully integrates the social economy as a key driver of sustainable and inclusive development across all EU territories. To achieve this, CEPES calls for: a) The explicit inclusion of social economy actors in priorities, partnership, governance, and funding mechanisms; b) Continuity and coherence of financial instruments that have supported the social economy, notably the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+); and c) Embedding the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) in the design and implementation of EU funds, as ovet the EPSR the whole EU social economy ecosytem has been built on. The 11 amendments to the draft Regulation and the accompanying general proposals, all developed by CEPES in coordination with Social Economy Europe (SEE), are structured around three strategic axes: 1. Industrial and entrepreneurial transformation: recognising social economy enterprises as key drivers of Europes industrial system and social model, and as central actors in the green and digital transitions. 2. Social and territorial cohesion: strengthening the role of the social economy in generating quality employment, social inclusion, and community-based innovation across all regions including rural, coastal, and disadvantaged territories. 3. Participatory and multi-level governance: reinforcing the partnership principle and ensuring the meaningful involvement of social economy organisations, together with local and regional authorities and intermediate bodies, in the preparation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs). This includes clarifying the legal nature and role of intermediate bodies to guarantee coherence and transparency across the Regulation and in all funds under shared management between the European Commission and the Member States. The proposed amendments address the following articles and annex of the Regulation: a) Article 3: Include social economy enterprises, together with SMEs, as key drivers of a sustainable, resilient and inclusive industrial transformation in line with the EU social economy ecosystem. b) Article 3: Ensure coherence across EU policies and strategies promoting the social economy as a driver of fair, inclusive and sustainable labour markets throughout all Member States and regions. c) Article 3: Promote social economy entrepreneurship as a priority to strengthen the Unions societies and social model. d) Article 4: Define the role of intermediate bodies in shared management. e) Article 6: Include social economy organisations among the economic and social partners in the partnership and multi-level governance framework. f) Article 6: Reinforce the monitoring and corrective mechanism for the Partnership Principle and Multi-Level Governance. g) Article 7: Embed the European Pillar of Social Rights and the social economy within the Regulations horizontal principles. h) Article 10: Guarantee a minimum allocation for social objectives and social inclusion in the next MFF. i) Article 21: Strengthen transparency and accountability in partnership and multi-level governance. j) Article 75: Ensure transparent and inclusive multi-level governance in the preparation of Plans. k) Annex VI: Integrate the social economy into the Regulations social objectives framework. CEPES key proposals further call for "Guaranteeing continuity and coherence of support for the social economy within the Multiannual Financial Framework (20282034)"; and "Recognising the social economy as a key driver within the European Social Fund, through amendments to COM(2025) 558 final (ESF proposal for a Regulation)". All these proposals are detailed and fully justified in the attached document.
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Response to General revision of the General Block Exemption Regulation

6 Oct 2025

In line with Social Economy Europe proposals, CEPES (Spanish Confederation of Social Economy Enterprises) considers the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER) a key driver for ensuring that State aid is granted efficiently while maintaining fair competition. Its revision should explicitly recognise and adapt to the specific characteristics of social economy entities, which represent over 4.3 million enterprises and 11.5 million jobs in Europe. 1. Incorporate a definition of the social economy. The future GBER should include, as a horizontal provision, the definition of social economy established by the Social Economy Action Plan and the Council Recommendation (2023). This would strengthen legal certainty, ensure consistent application across Member States, and avoid exclusion based on legal form. The EESC (2025) supports this inclusion, stressing that social economy entities do not aim to maximise profit but to reinvest surpluses in social and environmental goals. 2. Facilitate aid and tax incentives for members investing in social economy enterprises. Articles such as 21a(4) currently exclude cooperative and worker-owned enterprises because their capital structure does not involve ordinary shares. The GBER should explicitly allow financial and tax incentives for investment by members and workers in these participatory models, consistent with EU policies promoting employee ownership and collective entrepreneurship. 3. Broaden the concept of innovation. Aid to small and innovative enterprises should include not only technological innovation but also social, organisational, and environmental innovation, in line with the EUs Transition Pathway for Proximity and Social Economy. This would recognise social economy enterprises as innovators in areas such as inclusion, circular economy, and renewable energy. 4. Extend wage subsidies for disadvantaged workers. For integration enterprises, the current 12- or 24-month limit is insufficient. CEPES proposes extending eligibility to 36 months, aligning with national legislation (Law 44/2007, Spain) to ensure continuity in training and social inclusion pathways. 5. Increase aid intensity for integration enterprises. The aid intensity for the recruitment of disadvantaged workers (currently 50%) should rise to 6080%, reflecting the real costs of training, mentoring, and support in enterprises where most employees are in integration processes. 6. Increase aid intensity for workers with disabilities. For Social Initiative Special Employment Centres, where profits are fully reinvested in social inclusion, the maximum intensity should increase from 75% to 80%, acknowledging the higher structural costs of accessibility, training, and support. 7. Improve the framework for support staff (Art. 35). Aid intensity should exceed 50%, the exclusivity requirement should be replaced by more flexible criteria, and the role of support staff in integration enterprises should be explicitly recognised, reflecting their essential function in social inclusion and support. 8. Include aid for affordable housing projects. The GBER should include aid for housing cooperatives and other social economy entities developing affordable housing, beyond narrow definitions of social housing, to respond to growing demographic and affordability challenges. 9. Recognise energy communities as eligible beneficiaries. Energy cooperatives and citizen-led renewable energy communities should be explicitly mentioned as eligible under Articles 41 and 43, ensuring legal certainty and alignment with Directives (EU) 2018/2001 and 2019/944. 10. Harmonise GBER with the SGEI Decision. To ensure coherence and effectiveness, the GBER should be harmonised with the 2011 SGEI Decision, allowing for higher aid intensities for social economy enterprises providing services of general interest, while avoiding overcompensation.
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Response to European Innovation Act

2 Oct 2025

CEPES (Spanish Confederation of Social Economy Enterprises) is the leading representative organisation for Spanish Social Economy Enterprises. In Spain, the Social Economy plays a significant socio-economic role, encompassing over 74,600 enterprises and entities that generate 10% of the national GDP and provide employment to 2.5 million people (CEPES, 2024). In response to the European Commission's call for evidence, CEPES presents its proposals in line with the ones made by Social Economy Europe. Social Economy Europe (SEE) is the voice of the 4.3 million social economy enterprises and entities operating across the EU with at least 11.5 million people employed, representing 6.3% of total EU employment (European Commission, 2024 ). Social Economy is recognised as key driver of both economic and social development that generates a turnover of EUR 912.9 billion (2021), while also mobilising more than 53 million volunteers and over 230 million cooperative and association memberships, reflecting its deep societal anchorage. By providing innovative solutions to evolving societal challenges, the social economy has earned growing recognition from EU institutions as a cornerstone of Europes future . The European Social Economy Action Plan (2021) of the European Commission together with the EU Council Recommendation on developing social economy framework conditions (2023) form the main pillars of a favourable ecosystem for the growth of the social economy. These instruments strengthen its contribution to EU objectives and strategies including those related to innovation. CEPES is committed to supporting with SEE the EUs efforts to foster innovation, recognising it as essential not only for Europes competitiveness but also for its sustainability and social progress. The forthcoming European Innovation Act is a unique opportunity to shape Europes innovation landscape so that it is not only globally competitive but also equitable, resilient, and sustainable. CEPES believes that EU innovation policies must enable all actors including social economy enterprises to participate fully in and benefit from innovation processes. In this context, CEPES puts forward the following proposals in response to the European Commissions call for evidence on the European Innovation Act: 1. Promote an inclusive concept of innovation, ensuring that it strengthens competitiveness while also delivering tangible social and environmental impact. 2. Explicitly recognise social economy enterprises as key drivers within EU innovation policies. 3. Include enabling conditions for social economy enterprises to flourish as drivers of innovation, through access to programmes, finance, infrastructures, and supportive regulatory frameworks. Please, find attached the rationale behind these proposals.
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Response to 28th regime – a single harmonized set of rules for innovative companies throughout the EU

30 Sept 2025

The Spanish Confederation of Social Economy Enterprises (CEPES), representing over 74,600 social economy enterprises and 2.5 million jobs in Spain, responds to the European Commissions call for evidence on the 28th Regime. In line with Social Economy Europe, CEPES stresses that the regime must embrace the full diversity of the EU business ecosystem, including social economy. Combining entrepreneurial activity with long-term societal impact, social economy enterprises and entities are deeply rooted in Europes territories, contribute to resilience, and foster innovation that responds to social, environmental and economic needs. Key Messages: 1. Promote an inclusive concept of innovation Innovation should not be narrowly limited to technology or R&D. The regime should also recognise organisational, social, environmental, digital, and business model innovations. This broader approach is consistent with EU frameworks (Innovation Scoreboard, Transition Pathway for Proximity and Social Economy, Social Economy Action Plan, EU Council Recommendation on social economy framework conditions). Such recognition would ensure that SMEs and social economy actors pioneering in technological and social innovation can benefit from the simplified EU-wide framework. 2. Open the 28th regime to all businesses that wish to opt in While convergence around limited liability companies may simplify procedures, restricting the regime to this single form risks excluding social economy enterprises. Europes entrepreneurial strength lies in its diversity of ownership and governance models, many of which contribute to resilience, sustainability and long-term value creation. An open, opt-in regime would foster inclusivity, policy coherence, and sustainable growth across all business types. 3. Ensure that the 28th regime integrates social economy enterprises/entities and their principles. The 28th Regime should explicitly recognise social economy enterprises and organisations cooperatives, mutuals, associations, foundations, and social enterprises as innovative companies within its scope. Their principles (primacy of people and purpose over profit, reinvestment of surpluses to achieve a social purpose, democratic governance) align with safeguards debated in the European Parliament, including employee participation, mission protection, resilience against hostile takeovers, and long-term stewardship models. CEPES proposes a modular regime with adaptable variants for different legal forms, ensuring also access to tailored financing tools that fit collective ownership and societal missions. Conclusion: By embracing an inclusive definition of innovation, keeping the regime open to all enterprises, and integrating social economy entities, the 28th Regime can strengthen Europes competitiveness, the diversity of enterprise models existing in the Single Market, our strategic autonomy, and social cohesion. Social economy enterprises rooted in territories and communities already act as incubators of innovation and are uniquely positioned to combine economic performance with social and environmental impact.
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Response to The new Action Plan on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights

9 Sept 2025

CEPES (Spanish Confederation of Social Economy Enterprises) is the leading representative organisation for Spanish Social Economy Enterprises (www.cepes.es). In Spain, the Social Economy plays a significant socio-economic role, encompassing over 74,600 enterprises and entities that generate 10% of the national GDP and provide employment to 2.5 million people (CEPES, 2024). In response to the European Commission's call for evidence for the new Action Plan to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights, CEPES presents the following proposals in line with the ones made by Social Economy Europe: 1. Maintaining the European Social Economy Action Plan (SEAP) as a Core Priority for the implementation of the New EPSR Action Plan. This implies: 1.1. Fully implement the SEAP within the framework of the new EPSR Action Plan, aligning it with updated EU social, political, and economic priorities. 1.2. Reinforce the role of the social economy as a driver of quality jobs, inclusion, and delivery of all 20 EPSR principles. 1.3. Specific priorities: 1.3.1. Encourage collective entrepreneurship (cooperatives and other worker-owned social economy enterprises) to boost democracy at work and local resilience. 1.3.2. Create employment opportunities for vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities. 1.3.3. Promote training, lifelong learning, and skills development for fair green and digital transitions. 2. Equip the Pillar with Adequate Budget and Finance, Including Tailored EU Funding. This implies: 2.1. Ensure sufficient, predictable, and accessible EU financial resources to achieve the 2030 employment, skills, and inclusion targets. 2.2. Strengthen the role of key financial instruments and programmes (ESF+, in particular, and ERDF, InvestEU, among others). 2.3. Support skills ecosystems combining digital, green, and social innovation. 2.4. Simplify access to funding and provide tailored instruments for social economy enterprises and their financial entities (cooperative and ethical banks, social finance actors). 2.5. Secure robust financial support in the 20282034 MFP, reinforcing ESF as a standalone Fund. 2.6. Give greater weight to social and skills dimensions within the InvestEU, and the European Competitiveness Fund. 3. Policy Coherence: Embedding the EPSR at the Core of EU Decision-Making 3.1. Integrate EPSR principles into all EU policies, from economic governance to industrial, climate, and digital strategies. 3.2. Align economic governance with social priorities by: - Strengthening EPSR indicators and benchmarks in the European Semester. - Requiring social impact assessments for major policies. - Establishing a high-level EU progress review of EPSR implementation. 3.2. Reinforce democracy and trust through participatory governance , citizen involvement, and transparent monitoring. - Explore structured participation of the social economy in social dialogue, following the 2023 Council Recommendation. 3.3. Ensure coherence of EPSR with other EU initiatives: Internal Market Strategy, Industrial Policy, public procurement directives, European Skills Agenda and Pact for Skills, and the next MFF.
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Response to Quality Jobs Roadmap

29 Jul 2025

CEPES (Spanish Confederation of Social Economy Enterprises) is the leading representative organisation for Spanish Social Economy enterprises (www.cepes.es). In Spain, the Social Economy plays a significant socio-economic role, encompassing over 74,600 enterprises and entities that generate 10% of the national GDP and provide employment to 2.5 million people (CEPES, 2024). In response to the European Commission's call for evidence for the future "Quality Jobs Roadmap", CEPES presents the following proposals to ensure that the contribution of Social Economy enterprises to quality employment in Europe is fully recognised and harnessed. Main proposals 1. Recognise Social Economy enterprises as key drivers in the implementation of the Quality Jobs Roadmap, given their proven contribution to the creation of inclusive, stable employment with greater equity and social value. 2. Align the future measures of the European Social Economy Action Plan with the Quality Jobs Roadmap, ensuring that EU employment policies leverage the transformative potential of Social Economy enterprises to enhance job quality. 3. Promote the formal and structured involvement of Social Economy representative organisations in EU employment governance frameworks, recognising the Social Economy as a strategic and permanent actor in the design, implementation and monitoring of initiatives related to employment. The rationale for these proposals is included in the attached document.
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Response to Mid-Term Review: Social Economy Action Plan

16 Jul 2025

Summary of CEPES' key proposals for the mid-term review of the Social Economy Action Plan (20262030). Since its adoption in 2021, the SEAP has played a transformative role in establishing a shared strategic framework for an enterprise model that delivers social, economic, environmental and territorial value. The SEAP plays a pivotal role in establishing the social economy as a key stakeholder in achieving the EUs primary objectives of competitiveness, quality employment, sustainability, innovation, and democratic societies. CEPES (the Spanish Confederation of Social Economy Enterprises) presents the following proposals to reinforce and expand the implementation of the Plan between 2026 and 2030. 1. Strengthen the institutional framework and governance. CEPES is calling for the establishment of a dedicated interdepartmental structure within the European Commission. This robust, cross-cutting architecture would ensure policy coherence and the full integration of the social economy across EU strategies. The plan must be aligned with the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and include stable, earmarked funding for social economy priorities within the ESF+, ERDF, InvestEU and Horizon Europe programmes. 2. Integrate the social economy into the EU Single Market framework. The next phase should include a strategic initiative to explore how the specific principles of social economy enterprises can be embedded in EU law, covering state aid rules, public procurement, company law, and internal market norms. This would enhance legal certainty, facilitate the mutual recognition of social economy legal forms and promote full market access. 3. Improve access to EU finance and investment tools. Social economy projects should clearly be eligible under InvestEU and future EU investment platforms. Simplified access to EU funding is essential, for example through reduced pre-financing requirements, tailored guarantee schemes, and bespoke risk-sharing instruments. These tools must be co-designed and implemented by social economy financial actors (cooperative and ethical banks).. 4. Fostering skills, entrepreneurship and innovation capacity The SEAP should promote social economy entrepreneurship hubs and incubators, particularly at a local level. Skills partnerships should address the green and digital transitions alongside the promotion of social and technological innovations. In order to ensure inclusive participation in emerging sectors, it is crucial that the social economy is integrated into the Pact for Skills, the VET Strategy and STEM education. 5. Ensure the social economy is positioned at the heart of key EU strategies and rights frameworks. In line with the European Pillar of Social Rights, the social economy must be fully recognised as a driver of quality employment. Furthermore, the social economy should be fully integrated into EU macroeconomic and industrial strategies, including the European Semester and the updated EU industrial policy. This would recognise its structural role in delivering inclusive growth, resilient ecosystems and strategic autonomy. 6. Reinforce participation and dialogue mechanisms. Inclusive governance and continuous dialogue are essential for realising the potential of the Plan. Social economy actors must be given a stronger role in shaping EU policy. This includes reinforcing the role of the GECES, ensuring full participation in the upcoming Civil Society Platform and exploring structured involvement in social dialogue. 7. Enhance visibility and statistical measurement. CEPES proposes developing harmonised national satellite accounts and a common EU statistical framework coordinated by Eurostat. These tools would provide reliable data for tracking the social economys impact and evaluating the results of the Action Plan. A unified methodology should be adopted in the review of the 2025 Council Recommendation.
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Response to EU Start-up and Scale-up Strategy

15 Mar 2025

CEPES' contribution (see attached document) aligns with the EU's strategic initiatives to promote entrepreneurship in the Social Economy, which the European Commission and the Council of the EU, in collaboration with Member States, are advancing within the framework of the European Social Economy Action Plan until 2030. The Council Recommendation of 27 November 2023 on the development of framework conditions for the social economy highlights as a priority the promotion of Social Economy entrepreneurship, including through start-ups. To this end, the Recommendation calls on Member States to: (...) promote the start-up culture within the social economy, skills development for start-ups, and the establishment of start-up-friendly framework conditions, as well as the inclusion of social economy models as a relevant tool in start-up policies. On the other hand, the Transition Pathway of the European Commission's Social Economy and Proximity Economy industrial ecosystem is enhancing the visibility and fostering the growth of Social Economy enterprises in emerging sectors, particularly those linked to the green and digital transitions. At the same time, it promotes greater coordination among key ecosystem actors. This reinforcement of the European Commissions efforts builds on previous initiatives, such as "Europe's Next Leaders: The Start-up and Scale-up Initiative" of 2016 . The Social Economy is currently a leading social and economic reality not only in Spain but also at the European level. At least 11.5 million people - 6.3% of the employed population - are occupied in the Social Economy. Across the 27 Member States, the social economy includes more than 4.3 million entities . CEPES' responses to the questions raised in the consultation are directed to: 1. Position the Social Economy entrepreneurship model as a key player in the EU start-up strategy, ensuring alignment with the European Commission's initiatives and reinforcing the European support ecosystem for Social Economy enterprises. 2. Incorporate in the start-up strategy, key elements of the Social Economy entrepreneurship model based on collective entrepreneurship and worker participation in the management of the enterprises.
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Response to Evaluation of the Public Procurement Directives

6 Mar 2025

The attached document is a response from CEPES (Spanish Confederation of Social Economy Enterprises) to the European Commissions consultation on the evaluation of the Public Procurement Directives, focusing on Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014. CEPES aligns its assessments with Social Economy Europe's proposals, highlighting the significant socio-economic role of the Social Economy in Spain, which includes over 74,600 enterprises contributing 10% of GDP and providing employment to 2.5 million people. The document presents four key messages: a) Maintain and strengthen measures related to strategic public procurement, particularly to ensure the supply of essential services for European citizens, including through Socially Responsible Public Procurement. b) Acknowledge the Social Economy as a key player in EU public procurement initiatives, ensuring consistency with the priorities of the European Social Economy Action Plan and the 2023 Council Recommendation on Social Economy. This involves embedding the Council Recommendations definition of the Social Economy into public procurement rules to strengthen its role within the Single Market. c) Develop inclusive and proportionate criteria for small and medium-sized enterprises, including Social Economy SMEs and entities, to increase their participation in public procurement. d) Enhance awareness among public authorities of the Social Economys role as a key player in public procurement and offer support to Social Economy enterprises in accessing public procurement opportunities. The document points out some relevant challenges and proposals to address them on the basis on the above mentioned ke messages.
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Response to Single Market Strategy 2025

31 Jan 2025

CEPES (Spanish Confederation of social economy enterprises www.cepes.es ) is the highest representative organisation of 74,600 social economy enterprises and entities that employ 2.5 million people in Spain and represent 10% of the national GDP. As representative social partner of the Spanish social economy, CEPES makes the following proposals: 1. Explicitly include Social Economy enterprises in the European Commission's Strategy for the Single Market for 2025. 2. Incorporate the Social Economy into the initiatives to be promoted in the Action Plan resulting from the Single Market Strategy. 3. Establish a mutual recognition mechanism among Member States for existing Social Economy enterprises and entities in each EU country. The Social Economy is a key driver of EU competitiveness, reinforcing the Unions unique social market economy. As highlighted in the Communication A Competitiveness Compass for the EU , Europe must leverage all available assets to remain a global economic leader; this includes fostering innovation-driven productivity. Social Economy enterprises directly contribute to this goal by integrating inclusive economic models, sustainable industrial practices, and social innovation into economic activity. Their focus on people over profit, reinvestment of surpluses, and participatory governance foster resilient enterprises that drive long-term productivity, ensuring that economic growth goes hand in hand with social and territorial cohesion. Recognizing the Social Economy as an engine of prosperity and competitiveness will enable the EU to achieve economic progress that is both inclusive and sustainable. To fully unlock the potential of the Social Economy in strengthening Europes standing, it is crucial to address structural barriers that hinder its growth. The Competitiveness Compass underscores the need to remove regulatory obstacles and foster an environment where all enterprise models can compete on equal footing. Social Economy enterprises represent a significant socio-economic reality within the EU, forming an integral part of the European business landscape, with over 4.3 million Social Economy enterprises employing more than 11.5 million people (EISMEA, 2024) . For the Single Market to serve as a true enabler of prosperity and competitiveness, it must ensure equal opportunities for all enterprise models, including Social Economy ones. Embedding the Social Economy in the EUs competitiveness agenda will help transform the Single Market into a more dynamic, inclusive, and resilient economic space, one that is better equipped to address both internal and global challenges, ensuring that economic progress benefits businesses, workers, and citizens across Europe.
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Meeting with Santina Bertulessi (Cabinet of Commissioner Nicolas Schmit) and Social Economy Europe and Fédération Européenne de Finances et Banques Ethiques et Alternatives

17 Jul 2023 · Social Economy Recommendation

Response to State aid – revision of rules on exemptions for small compensations to services of general economic interest

9 Jan 2023

1. Support to increase the amount of the SGEI de minimis ceiling. CEPES considers 500,000 to be too low a ceiling below which no State aid control is required. This threshold is not adapted to the needs to cover the operation of SGEIs and this fails to reflect the current costs and economic conditions. CEPES therefore considers that the existing thresholds are not in line with the importance the EU attaches to these services in its commitment to ensure greater levels of social cohesion and inclusion for all people in Europe. CEPES proposes that this ceiling should reach at least 800,000 over a period of three fiscal years and considers that this threshold should be raised up to 1 million for those undertakings which are obliged, according to their statutes and by law, to reinvest their results in accordance with the social purpose they pursue, as is the case of social economy enterprises. The European Commission states that social economy enterprises must reinvest "most of the profits and surpluses to carry out activities in the interest of members/users (collective interest) or society at large (general interest), as provided by the European Social Economy Action Plan (hereinafter SEAP) adopted by the Commission. 2. The rules on exemptions for small amounts of aid to SEIGs should take into account the specific characteristics of social economy enterprises as providers of such services. The European Parliament urges national, regional and local authorities to better tap into the potential of current rules on the specific provisions for services of general economic interest (SGEI) to access public finance support in under EU State Aid Regulation, not least by making full use of the possibility to recognise social economy entities carrying out an economic activity as an SGEI where relevant . This demand of the EP is in line with the Commission's call on Member States to make better use of their margin of discretion in defining a SGEI wherever appropriate, with a view to allowing qualifying activities carried out by social enterprises to be covered as outlined by the SEAP. In this regard, CEPES supports the EESC's call for the de minimis rules applicable to SEIGs to take account of the obligation of social economy enterprises to reinvest their results: When defining the concept of "a reasonable profit", the EESC points out that account should be taken of the characteristics of the undertaking in question, particularly when that undertaking keeps ploughing the profits back into its own activities and describes itself as a social economy entity or enterprise . CEPES therefore proposes raising up the de minimis ceiling to EUR 1 million over a period of three fiscal years when such services are provided by social economy enterprises as defined in the SEAP. This would respond to the EESC's call for the need of a "more decisive regulatory intervention (), including through soft law, to clarify access requirements and the amount of support available under state aid for social economy entities, particularly with regard to the SGEI sector (...)" Public registries and public accreditation systems are available to the authorities in charge of State aid management when identifying the social economy enterprises and entities to be considered SEIG providers and eligible for a specific ceiling of 1 Million euro.. 3. CEPES supports the introduction of a mandatory public register for control of aid granted, and also considers it necessary to launch accompanying and advisory measures to support public authorities in applying the de minimis ceiling of state aid for SGEI to social economy. Please, find the completed CEPES proposals in the attached document (3 pages).
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Response to Strengthening social dialogue

20 Oct 2022

In view of the great socio-economic significance of social economy enterprises and entities in the EU and the Member States, CEPES (Spanish Confederation of social economy enterprises - www.cepes.es - ) considers that the chapeau communication on strengthening social dialogue in the EU and the proposal for a Council recommendation on the role of social dialogue at national level should introduce social dialogue mechanisms for the participation of social economy in cross-sectoral Social Dialogue. Rationale Social economy is a major socio-economic player in the EU and the Members. CEPES is a business organisation representing 43,000 Spanish social economy enterprises that contribute with 10% of national GDP and employ 2.2 million people. Social economy enterprises and entities associate more than 22 million people at national level. There are more than 2.8 million enterprises (10% of the total EU businesses) employing 13.6 million people. Social Economy Europe (https://www.socialeconomy.eu.org/) is the institutional representative organisation of the before the European Institutions. Social economy enterprises are recognised by EU Institutions as key drivers of economic and social development (EPSCO Council Conclusions; December 2015) which "create and retain quality jobs, contribute to social and labour-market inclusion of disadvantaged groups and equal opportunities for all, drive sustainable economic and industrial development, promote the active participation of citizens in our societies, play an important role in Europe’s welfare systems, and revitalise Europe’s rural and depopulated areas" (European Commission, COM(2021) 778 final, Building an economy that works for people: an action plan for the social economy). Social economy ranges from micro-enterprises to SMEs and large business groups that operate in all economic sectors. As social economy interests are not represented by traditional social partners, there are no mechanisms for participation of social economy enterprises in cross-sectoral social dialogue processes as a social partner despite its significance. However, "developing coherent frameworks for the social economy entails considering its specific nature and needs with regard to numerous horizontal and sectoral policies and provisions such as those relating to taxation, public procurement, competition, social and labour market, education, skills and training, healthcare and care services, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) support, circular economy, etc." as the European Commission states. (COM (2021) 778 final) Social economy participation in cross-sectoral Social Dialogue will contribute to the full implementation of the Action Plan of the European Pillar of Social Rights (COM/2021/102 final) when it states that “new opportunities will also stem from the social economy, which creates jobs while addressing key societal challenges in a wide range of sectors”. Social economy involvement in social dialogue will also contribute to accomplish guidelines for the employment policies that entitle Member States to “actively promote the development of the social economy” (Guideline 5 “Boosting the demand for labour”. Council Decision (EU) 2021/1868). CEPES’ proposal strengths a more plural social dialogue that promotes “consensus (…) and democratic involvement among the main stakeholders in the world of work” as pointed out by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). This is in line with ILO Resolution concerning decent work and the social and solidarity economy (2022) that calls for mutual recognition and dialogue between social partners and representative organisations of the social economy, while inviting Members to integrate the social economy "into national development, recovery, and employment strategies to support pro-employment macroeconomic, tax, industrial, social, environmental and other policies for promoting just digital and environmental transitions and reducing inequalities".
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Response to Developing social economy framework conditions

30 Sept 2022

CEPES (Spanish Confederation of social economy enterprises is the highest representative organisation of 43,000 Spanish social economy enterprises that contribute with 10% of national GDP and employ 2.2 million people. Taking into account the main issues to be addressed by this initiative , CEPES welcomes the approach taken by the Commission on the Social Economy Recommendation. Firstly, the approach strengthens the EU Member States' initiative and government action in favour of social economy in regulatory and policy areas where they have shared competences with the EU (employment, single market, social affairs, economic, social and territorial cohesion, among others) or where the EU supports the action of member countries (industry, education or training, among others) . The Commission's approach also makes the Recommendation a key pillar of a European social economy ecosystem that ensure complementarity and coordination among competent European, national, regional and local authorities empowered to regulate and promote social economy in accordance with the objectives set out in the SEAP at EU level. Bearing in mind that the European Social Economy Action Plan (hereinafter SEAP) sets out a strategy until 2030, the Recommendation should lay down the institutional structure for a long-term social economy policy to be implemented by European and national Administrations, as well as - where appropriate - regional and local authorities, entitled to regulate, develop, and implement the SEAP measures. In this sense, CEPES considers that the Recommendation should:: - PROPOSAL 1. Establish an operational and common concept of social economy at EU level . Invite Member States to: • PROPOSAL 2. Develop and adopt laws or legal frameworks for social economy as a whole . • PROPOSAL 3. Strengthen policies and favourable ecosystems for legal entities that comply with the social economy principles such as cooperatives, mutuals, associations, foundations, social enterprises, as well as other specific social economy entities under the law of the Member States . • PROPOSAL 4. Adopt strategies and/or plans for the promotion of the social economy as a whole • PROPOSAL 5. Set up consultative committees for the evaluation and monitoring of strategies and policies related to the promotion and growth of the social economy • PROPOSAL 6. To invite the Member States to foster the participation of social economy representative organisations in instances of Social Dialogue and in the consultative bodies with the social partners. Invite the European Commission to: • PROPOSAL 7. Launch a mutual learning process among Member States to share initiatives and good practices to support the full implementation of the Action Plan measures at national level • PROPOSAL 8. Adapt the legal framework for State aid - within the EU competition law - to consider the specificities of the enterprises that are obliged by law to reinvest their profits and surpluses to achieve their social purposes • PROPOSAL 9. Enlarge and enhance the social economy industrial ecosystem • PROPOSAL 10. Strength its inter-departmental coordination system and the expertise of its staff on the relevance of the social economy in Europe through visibility and training - PROPOSAL 11. To invite the European Commission and the Member States to include a general common principle to consider the specificities of the social economy enterprise in the regulations and initiatives for enterprise and socio-economic development, as well as for green and digital transitions - PROPOSAL 12. Invite the EU social economy institutional representation to the informal meetings of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council configuration (EPSCO) The rationale of each of these can be found in the attached document.
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Response to Review of the de minimis aid Regulation

25 Jul 2022

CEPES (Spanish Confederation of social economy enterprises – www.cepes.es) is the highest representative organisation of 43,000 social economy enterprises that employ 2.2 million people in Spain and represent 10% of the national GDP. As representative social partner of the Spanish social economy, CEPES makes the following contributions based on a positive assessment of the proposals put forward in the consultation and in line with the European Social Economy Action Plan (Communication “Building an economy that works for people: an action plan for the social economy” (COM (2021) 778 final): 1. CEPES considers it necessary to increase the current general minimis threshold for any kind of undertaking set at 200,000 € over three fiscal years in accordance with the Commission Regulation (EU) Nº 1407/2013. The minimis threshold for enterprises providing services of general interest should be proportionally increased from the current 500,000 € over three tax years as set out in the EU Regulation (EU) Nº 360/2012. There is evidence (EESC Study “How State aid rules affect access to finance for SMEs and enterprises”, 2019) of the positive impact of de minimis aids in their full compatibility with the EU competition law and fostering competitiveness of the EU industry. The new ceilings are justified by the need to update them in line with the current economic situation. This measure will contribute to tackling the economic consequences caused by the conflict in Ukraine and relaunching growth in line with the European priorities of a sustainable, digital and green transition. CEPES considers that the new thresholds should be increased in proportion to the growth of inflation. 2. CEPES proposes that the rules governing de minimis aids establish a specific threshold aimed at enterprises which, by law, reinvest their profits in accordance with the social purpose they pursue, such as the social economy enteprises. Social economy enterprises are characterised by “the reinvestment of most of the profits and surpluses to carry out activities in the interest of members/users (“collective interest”) or society at large (“general interest”)” (Social Economy European Action Plan). There are more than 2.8 million social economy enterprises and organisations of all sizes acting in all activity sectors. Undertakings that seek to maximise their profits cannot be treated in the same way as the social economy enterprises which, according to the regulations that govern them, are required either to reinvest their profits completely in the entity itself (e.g. in the case of Spain: mutual benefit societies, special social initiative employment centres for disabled people or fishermen's guilds) or to set up reserved funds that cannot be distributed and are intended for the consolidation, development and guarantee of the enterprise (e.g. cooperatives). Besides, recent studies confirm that social economy values and principles have a greater social impact in terms of quality employment, territorial development and social cohesion at local level than other business actors. CEPES proposes to set a higher threshold than the one established at general level (currently €200,000 over three tax years) and lower than the one for enterprises providing services of interest (currently €500,000 over three tax years). This proposal is based on the Commission's European Social Economy Action Plan which states that market regulations, including state aid, should take into account social economy enterprise management models. A new threshold of EUR 1 million over three tax years might be incorporated in the new de minimis aid rules for social economy enterprises as they reinvest their profits and surpluses by law. 3. CEPES supports the creation of a mandatory public register of entities covered by the de minimis rules- It will effectively facilitate administrative controls by Member States and aid granting authorities. Full reply, attached document.
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Response to Social Economy Action Plan

25 Apr 2021

CEPES highly values and strongly supports the European Commission's initiative for a European Action Plan for the Social Economy. This is an unprecedented step forward to unlock the potential of this enterprise model that contributes to the sustainable development in the EU and is playing a key role in Europe's recovery. CEPES joins the proposals to the Action Plan made by Social Economy Europe (the voice of the social economy in the EU) in its position paper "Co-designing the Action Plan for the Social Economy. For an economy that works for people and the planet" (Please, find it enclosed). In line with these proposals, CEPES highlights: 1. The Action Plan should contribute to strengthen the cooperation between the different public authorities (European, national, regional and local) involved in the development of social economy in order to support the existing measures and enlarge its impact. The Action Plan is a very valuable initiative that should contribute to strengthening the conductive ecosystem in favour of the Spanish Social Economy that has been built up over the last decades. There are more than 43,000 Social Economy enterprises in Spain. They represent 10% of the national GDP and 2.2 million direct and indirect jobs. Spain was the first Member State to pass a Social Economy Law and a national Strategy. The Government's commitment to this enterprise model is shown by the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy. The regional governments (Comunidades Autónomas) are also committed to social economy through specific strategies supporting these enterprises, especially at territorial level. The Action Plan should therefore create synergies with the Member States - such as Spain - to ensure the success and full implementation on the ground of EU initiatives in particular those related to social and territorial cohesion through the Structural Funds, to create and save jobs, specially by promoting “workers-buy-outs” under cooperatives and other societies owned by workers, to improve access to funding through the INVEST-EU program and other EU financial instruments and to foster business competitiveness in key areas for social economy such as digitalisation, green transition and its full access to the Single Market 2. The Action Plan should include a clear and inclusive definition of social economy to be applied by all the EU Institutions and Member States in order to develop an EU coherent policy in favour of this enterprise model. When drawing up this common concept, the existing Social Economy laws in various States, such as Spain, should be taken into account, so that the European definition is consistent with the national regulatory frameworks, as in the case of Spain, and strengthens them in those countries where they do not exist. 3. The Action Plan is a great opportunity to strengthen the contribution of the Social Economy to the recovery plan, complementing national initiatives and accompanying other major priorities such as the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and Agenda 2030. Social Economy is already in the agenda of the Spanish Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan being designed by the Government. 4. Taking into account the weight of social economy (10% of enterprises in the EU; more than 6% of the active population) and its socio-economic contribution, the Action Plan should promote the role of social economy representative organisations as partners in the European social dialogue. Likewise, the fora for dialogue between among social economy organisations and the European Institutions (European Parliament's Social Economy Intergroup, EESC's Social Economy Category and the European Commission's GECES group of experts) and with the Member States should be strengthened. For instance, the Monitoring Committee of the Luxembourg Declaration involves representatives of 20 Member State governments that are committed to Social Economy policies.
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