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European Confederation of Workers' Cooperatives, Social Cooperatives and Social and Participative Enterprises

CECOP-CICOPA Europe

- Represent the interests of our members to the EU institutions, other European-level policy makers, national governments, and the wider cooperative movement - Support our members through networking, mutual learning, designing common strategies and agreeing collective positions - Develop industrial and service cooperatives across Europe, and support their capacity to cooperate with each other – building new national organisations where they don’t yet exist - Increase the visibility of cooperatives in industry and services, in the forms they are mainly organised - worker cooperatives, social cooperatives and cooperatives of self-employed producers - Carry out research and contribute to knowledge about industrial and service cooperatives

Lobbying Activity

Response to Revision of the Rescue and Restructuring Guidelines

14 Nov 2025

Please find our proposal to enlarge the definition of "Undertaking in Difficulty" to Include Enterprises Facing a Succession Crisis in the attached document.
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Response to EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) – EU funding for competitiveness

10 Nov 2025

CECOP, the European Confederation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives, welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback to the European Commission on the Regulation establishing the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), under the post 2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). CECOP represents approximately 43,000 cooperatives across Europe, being mainly worker cooperatives, social cooperatives and cooperatives of autonomous workers. In turn they employ over 1.3 million people. These are democratically owned and managed enterprises that contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth by combining economic performance with social progress. Cooperatives also play an important role in industry, particularly in decarbonisation, innovation, and reindustrialisation. In terms of environmental sustainability, cooperatives are guided by the seven cooperative principles and values including environmental consciousness. Due to industrial and service cooperatives commitment to circularity, they constantly innovate both in terms of technological development and cooperation with public or private partners. Furthermore, as cooperatives are deeply embedded in the local economy and are accountable to the community, they are committed to the sustainable development of their environment and local community. In terms of reindustrialisation, the cooperative model often saves businesses from closing or relocating via workers buyouts, i.e., business transfers to the employees under the cooperative model . Besides deindustrialization, the EU is also facing social challenges, including Europes aging society, growing inequalities, labour and skills shortages, which the proposal for the Regulation must take into account. As Mario Draghi stated in his report, The Future of European Competitiveness, A European approach must ensure that productivity growth and social inclusion go hand-in-hand. He astutely pointed out that in order to increase our competitiveness, we must also preserve our values of equity and social inclusion, while growing our productivity. However, the proposal for the next MFF does not heed his call, placing less emphasis on the social dimension than in the past and than is necessary within the current socioeconomic context. To ensure that people are not left behind as the EU increases its competitiveness and that industrial and service cooperatives contributions are duly recognised, CECOP calls on the Commission to consider the below recommendations: 1. Recognise cooperatives under the EU Preference (Art. 10) 2. Explicitly integrate the social economy in the Regulation 3. Recognise workers buyouts as a way to fight deindustrialisation 4. Strengthen cooperatives access to the ECF InvestEU instrument 5. Earmark financing for small and medium enterprises 6. Invest in the people Please find our detailed response in the attached document.
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Response to Circular Economy Act

6 Nov 2025

CECOP, the European Confederation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives, welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback to the European Commission on the Circular Economy Act (CEA). CECOP represents approximately 43,000 cooperatives across Europe, being mainly worker cooperatives, social cooperatives and cooperatives of autonomous workers1. In turn they employ over 1.3 million people. These are democratically owned and managed enterprises that contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth by combining economic performance with social progress.Cooperatives play a strategic role is Europes circular economy. Sustainability is not just a practice for cooperatives, but a defining characteristic: cooperatives are guided by the seven cooperative principles and values including environmental consciousness. Among the cooperatives affiliated with CECOP, many operate in key circular sectors, including waste management, including waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), reuse and recycling, and the construction sector. CECOP welcomes the proposal for a Circular Economy Act, as it is vital to strengthen the green transition, and address regulatory and market failures, particularly in terms of the supply and demand for secondary raw materials. The CEA has the potential to truly incentivise circularity in the EU, thus contributing to mitigating the climate crisis and creating a just transition, while decreasing the EUs reliance on third-country suppliers for raw materials and thereby increasing European competitiveness. But to achieve this, the Circular Economy Act must have a holistic perspective. To achieve this, the below recommendations must be taken into account: 1. Recognise and support cooperatives active in the circular economy 2. Provide financial support to cooperatives active in recycling and reuse 3. Support training opportunities 4. Ensure social and environmental criteria in public procurement Please find our full response in the attached file.
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Response to EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) – implementing EU funding with Member States and regions

30 Oct 2025

CECOP, the European Confederation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives, welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback to the European Commission on the Regulation establishing the European Fund for economic, social and territorial cohesion, agriculture and rural, fisheries and maritime, prosperity and security under the post 2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). CECOP represents approximately 43,000 cooperatives across Europe, being mainly worker cooperatives, social cooperatives and cooperatives of autonomous workers . In turn they employ over 1.3 million people. These are democratically owned and managed enterprises that contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth by combining economic performance with social progress. To ensure that social objectives are not left behind and that industrial and service cooperatives contributions are duly recognised, CECOP calls on the Commission to consider the below recommendations: 1. The Social Economy must be recognised in the specific objectives of the Fund (Art. 3) 2. Recognise workers buyouts as a way to ensure sustainable prosperity (Article 3 1.(a)) 3. Cooperative organisations should be recognised as key partners (Art. 6) 4. Social inclusion must be added to the horizontal principles (Art. 7) 5. Increase the spending target for social objectives Please find our full response in the attachment.
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Response to EU Anti-Poverty Strategy

24 Oct 2025

CECOP, the European Confederation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives, welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback to the European Commission as it is developing its first EU Anti-Poverty Strategy. CECOP represents approximately 43,000 cooperatives across Europe, being mainly worker cooperatives, social cooperatives and cooperatives of autonomous workers . In turn they employ over 1.3 million people. These are democratically owned and managed enterprises that contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth by combining economic performance with social progress. Worker and social cooperatives provide quality, inclusive employment opportunities, reaching those furthest from the labour market, and they provide affordable and accessible services, particularly for vulnerable populations and in disadvantaged areas. Industrial and service cooperatives are at the forefront of providing socially inclusive employment opportunities, providing support for the local economy and local community in which they are deeply embedded, and promoting the fair distribution of wealth. The Anti-Poverty Strategy must: 1. Recognise worker cooperatives as key partners in eradicating poverty. 2. Recognise social cooperatives as key partners in eradicating poverty. 3. Ensure coherence with the Social Economy Action Plan. 4. Provide targeted support to cooperatives to expand their training programmes. 5. Improve access to finance for cooperatives committed to eradicating poverty. 6. Reform tax policies to recognise the value cooperatives bring vis-à-vis the eradication of poverty. Poverty and inequalities will remain as long as we continue to celebrate profit as an end and not as a means to increase quality of life. At a time when the European union is focused on increasing its global competitiveness, it is essential that it does not forget about its citizens. Cooperatives have been successful in demonstrating that by putting people before profit, inequalities can be lessened, inclusive jobs and services can be provided, and thriving communities built on solidarity can be created. Please find our full contribution to the call for evidence attached.
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Response to General revision of the General Block Exemption Regulation

6 Oct 2025

CECOP, the European Confederation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives, welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback to the European Commission for the review of the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER). CECOP represents approximately 43,000 cooperatives across Europe, being mainly worker cooperatives, social cooperatives and cooperatives of autonomous workers. In turn they employ over 1.3 million people. These are democratically owned and managed enterprises that contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth by combining economic performance with social progress. The industrial and service cooperatives represented by CECOP belong to the wider social economy family. As the Council Recommendation on developing social economy framework conditions states, social economy enterprises share the common principles of reinvesting all or most of their profits to pursue their social or environmental purposes and practicing democratic of participatory governance. Cooperatives are collectively owned and democratically managed by their members, and the profits generated are reinvested in the cooperative. Social cooperatives in particular promote social inclusion and work integration of persons with disabilities and other disadvantaged persons into the labour market. Despite the contribution of cooperatives to social progress and sustainable and inclusive growth, access to finance remains the greatest challenge they face. While the GBER is well-positioned to support cooperatives, its uptake is modest, particularly compared to other state aid measures, such as the de minimis threshold.As public authorities often cite the lack of knowledge of the EU rules on State aid, the complexity of the GBER and other administrative difficulties as reasons for not applying the GBER, it is imperative that these key issues are addressed by the European Commission. In fact, es Enrico Letta pointed out in his report, Much more than a market, adapting the GBER is a key step for facilitating access to finance for social economy actors, including cooperatives. In order to ensure not only better uptake of the GBER, but wider-reaching positive impact, please find our recommendations in the attached document.
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Response to European Innovation Act

3 Oct 2025

CECOP, the European Confederation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives, welcomes the European Commissions consultation on the European Innovation Act. As the EU strives for increasing the competitiveness of Europe and creating an enabling environment for innovation, the European Innovation Act has the opportunity to contribute to these goals. Please find attached our feedback.
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Response to 28th regime – a single harmonized set of rules for innovative companies throughout the EU

30 Sept 2025

CECOP, the European Confederation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives, welcomes the European Commissions consultation on the 28th regime. innovative cooperatives face many challenges specifically in the startup and scaleup phases, such as lack of access to finance due to many financial tools not being adapted to the characteristics of cooperatives, lack of visibility, and small and medium cooperatives also face the same challenges that all SMEs face. The 28th regime may be able to provide some relief for them and address these challenges, however, it is essential that the European Commission takes into account the following points as it develops this new initiative: 1. Recognise cooperatives 2. Promote cooperatives business model 3. Expand the definition of innovation. 4. Diversify the types of available financial support. 5. The 28th regime must work towards upwards convergence 6. To prevent killer acquisitions or the relocation of European innovation, Member States should promote business transfers to the employees under the cooperative form, also known as Workers Buyouts (WBOs). Further details are included in the attached document.
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Response to The new Action Plan on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights

10 Sept 2025

CECOP, the European Confederation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives, welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback to the European Commission in developing its new Action Plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR). CECOP represents approximately 43,000 cooperatives across Europe, being mainly worker cooperatives, social cooperatives and cooperatives of autonomous workers . In turn they employ over 1.3 million people. These are democratically owned and managed enterprises that contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth by combining economic performance with social progress. The European Pillar of Social Rights is a crucial initiative with the potential to ensure a strong social Europe. At the same time, Europe is experiencing worsening inequality, an ageing society, political polarisation, the climate crisis and geopolitical uncertainty. It is now more important than ever to build a robust Action Plan to recognise the importance of a solid social foundation necessary to tackle the crises faced by the EU. As the EU faces new crises, it is imperative that the new Action Plan is more ambitious, takes into account all 20 principles of the Pillar, and puts social policy back on the EU agenda. To this end, CECOP calls on the European Commission to consider the following recommendations for the new Action Plan: 1. Recognise and promote cooperatives as providers of quality jobs and services 2. Improve access to finance for cooperatives committed to implement the EPSR 3. Maintain the Social Economy Action Plan as a core priority for the implementation of the new EPSR Action Plan 4. Promote workers buyouts as a way to protect jobs 5. Ensure policy coherence with other EU initiatives
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Meeting with Amaryllis Verhoeven (Head of Unit Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs)

18 Mar 2025 · 1. Raising Awareness of Cooperatives 2. Cooperative experience with the CSRD 3. Alignment with Commission Priorities 4. Recognising Cooperatives as competitive actors

Response to Evaluation of the Public Procurement Directives

4 Mar 2025

CECOP, the European Confederation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives, welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback to the European Commission in evaluating the Directives on public procurement. Cooperatives are people-centred enterprises owned, controlled and run by and for their members, who share equal voting rights and reinvest the profit generated in the enterprise. Cooperatives are locally rooted and are protected by some specific mechanisms against delocalisation. They support, serve, and play a significant role in retaining wealth in their local communities, making them the ideal partners in ensuring European preference when allocating public funds. Public procurement is fundamental for supporting cooperatives, and access to public procurement is vital for cooperative enterprises active in industry and services. A significant number of cooperatives in CECOPs network provide goods or services for public authorities, such as in construction, energy, social services, transport, waste management, education, care, and more. The 2014 revision of the public procurement Directive (Directive 2014/24/EU) brought significant improvements to public procurement rules, but issues persist. It is imperative that the upcoming revision ensures that future public procurement not only creates a level playing field for cooperatives but also embraces the principles of environmentally friendly and socially responsible public procurement, taking into account the problems related to the current rules listed below and elaborated in the attached file: 1. Price remains a deciding factor when awarding contracts 2. Reserved contracts (Article 20) play an important role in facilitating work integration of disadvantaged persons 3. Reserved contracts for certain services (Article 77) does not ensure continuity of services 4. Price-revision clauses are used only on a voluntary basis 5. The rules of grounds for exclusion (Article 57) are vague and cause uncertainty 6. High administrative burden discourages SMEs from bidding Due to these issues persisting, the revision of the public procurement rules is a critical initiative. While the 2014 revision made great strides towards ensuring better procurement practices, there is a need to further improve them and guarantee environmentally friendly and socially responsible procurement. By emphasising quality over price, the revised rules will enhance social economy enterprises, including cooperatives, access to public procurement.
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Response to Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation (BEFIT)

23 Jan 2024

CECOP supports the Commission's BEFIT proposal to develop a single European corporate tax law based on the fundamental principles of a common tax base. However, it draws attention to elements that risk leading to unequal treatment of cooperative enterprises: a. profits generated by cooperatives and allocated to the statutory activity or assets and never distributable to the members, not even after the dissolution of the cooperative (so called indivisible reserves) b. cooperative benefits or dividends, also provided by Article 66, Council Regulation (EC) 1435/2003 of 22 July 2003 (The statutes may provide for the payment of a dividend to members in proportion to their business with the SCE, or the services they have performed for it) As to the treatment of the cooperatives profits that are definitively destined to the statutory activity or to the patrimony (and that can never be distributed to the members, not even after the dissolution of the entity = indivisible reserves) the law of some Member States recognises this speciality in the regulation of corporate income tax. The income (or a part of it) is exclusively earmarked for the activity carried out by the entity and the proprietary shareholders may never take possession of it, either during the life of the company or upon its dissolution or transformation. The absolute and definitive non-distributability is guaranteed by the obligation to devolve the residual assets upon dissolution to the State, to non-profit organisations or to the cooperative mutualistic funds. The obligation to reinvest the wealth produced in the social activity and the impossibility for members to take possession of it, even after the death of the enterprise, results in a limited tax capacity, i.e. a reduced ability to contribute to public expenditure through the tax system. For these reasons, co-operatives are treated differently for corporate tax purposes in some member states. The exemption schemes for cooperatives' profits were also recognised under the so-called Pillar 2. The tax deductibility of the dividends from corporate income tax has been considered compatible with the Treaty by both the European Commission (Communication of 18 June 2008, State aid infringement procedure E1/2008) and the Court of Justice (judgment of 8 September 2011, cases C-78 to C-80/08). This treatment (deduction of reversions from the cooperative's income), since it corresponds to an operating principle of the tax system, must also be recognised in the BEFIT proposal (provided that the deductibility is also provided for in the Member State's tax law). Therefore, with regard to the COM/2023/532 final proposal, CECOP urges the Commission to adapt and amend the rules on the regime of non-distributed profits and that on deductible expenses (Art. 48) in order to take into account the specific nature and particular objectives pursued by cooperatives, distinguishing them appropriately from multinationals and other profit-making enterprises (as was already done when drafting directive 2523/2023 on the global minimum tax). Therefore, in order to ensure the necessary coordination between the BEFIT and the specific tax rules applicable to cooperatives in different Member States, and not to frustrate the aims of the EU Commission Communication of 9 December 2021 and the EU Council Recommendation of 27 November 2023, no. 1344, the following amendment is proposed: In Article 48(1), after subparagraph (h), add the following: h-bis) earnings retained to a reserve by cooperatives and cooperatives consortia, provided that the reserve is not distributable to the members even after the extinction of the company, as well as the benefits or dividends granted by the same subjects to their own members in proportion to their mutualistic relationships, whenever the exemption or the deductibility are allowed by national rules;
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Meeting with Santina Bertulessi (Cabinet of Commissioner Nicolas Schmit)

29 Nov 2023 · Social Economy/ Workers Buyouts

Response to Revision of EU rules on late payments (Late Payments Directive)

15 Mar 2023

CECOP supports a revision of the Late Payments Directive. Late payments remain a problem both in business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) relations. The gravity of the situation is different across the EU. Worker and social cooperatives in CECOPs network are mostly SMEs, which suffer from late payments by public administrations and large companies. Large companies in particular use the imbalance of power in relations with SMEs by pushing SMEs to accept late payments, which for large companies is an additional way to finance their operations. Liquidity problems caused by being on the receiving side of late payments sometimes also lead SMEs to be late payers themselves. We overall support the suggestions made by the Commission. CECOP would like to highlight the following specific points: 1) All policy measures suggested by the Commission to prevent late payments must apply not only to private businesses but also to public law entities. 2) Public authorities and primary contractors in the framework of public procurement contracts must be held responsible for timely payments down the chain, to their subcontractors. This is one of the key measures for preventing late payments. Laws with this objective have been adopted in Spain and Italy. In Italy in particular, the subcontractor can obtain direct payment for their services from the contracting public authority, in case the primary contractor has defaulted or where the nature of the contract allows it. 3) Unfair practices and clauses must be clearly defined. 4) Introduction of a strict limit on maximum payment terms in both B2B and B2G transactions is important. 5) Automatic withdrawal of unpaid invoices will facilitate VAT refund to the seller. Currently, it can happen that a company has to pay VAT for an invoice that has not been paid by the buyer yet. 6) It is useful to promote modern digital payment tools that will help to ensure timely payment and monitor the entire payment cycle, including at the aggregate level. 7) We support facilitating availability and access to credit management training and financial literacy (digital as well) for SMEs; laying down common minimum criteria for prompt payment schemes; and rewarding prompt payment in public procurement procedures. 8) Enforcement is important, in particular, for malicious late payers. Introduction of administrative penalties is to be supported. 9) In Italy, a new law foresees direct liability of directors in all cases of improper management of payments to creditors by a private company, but this is not the case for directors of public law entities. 10) More widespread use of mediation and out-of-court dispute management mechanisms is welcome. Currently, these tools are not always effective or trusted, and sometimes can be used maliciously for delaying the process of dispute resolution. Malicious and obstructive behaviour by debtors must be sanctioned. 11) In addition to the measures listed by the Commission, the problem of late payments requires improved access to financing including long-term crediting. As mentioned above, the cause of late payments is often lack of liquidity. Improved access to financing would favour SMEs which have more difficulties in accessing credit lines than large companies.
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Response to European Year of Skills 2023

14 Dec 2022

CECOP supports European Commissions proposal for the European Year of Skills 2023 and its overall objective to further promote a mindset of reskilling and upskilling thereby boosting competitiveness of European companies, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises, realising the full potential of the digital and green transitions in a socially fair, inclusive and just manner. CECOP welcomes the fact that the activities of the Year will promote both skills policies and investments, as low level of investment is one of the main barriers to skill development. CECOP particularly welcomes the recognition that The social economy can play a decisive role as it is an important proponent of socially fair and inclusive digital and green transitions and a key driver of social innovation, including in the field of reskilling and upskilling. It is commendable that the Year will build on the Action plan for the social economy and the Proximity & social economy transition pathway. In addition, policies for skills development should be coordinated with the various Skills partnerships established under the Industrial Strategy, such as the Skills partnership for Proximity & Social Economy in which CECOP is a partner. In addition, we would like to highlight the following: - Upskilling and reskilling must be available to all sectors and workers including vulnerable categories of workers. Social economy enterprises including worker and social cooperatives must receive special support and policy attention as inclusive and effective training providers. Provision of education and training to their members, elected representatives, managers, and employees is one of the key cooperative principles. A recent study (attached) shows the significant investment of Spanish and Italian cooperatives in training, whereby they invest in training significantly more than organisations with other legal forms. Work integration social cooperatives are specifically created to assist vulnerable workers with integration in the labour market. - While it is true that SMEs, especially those located in remote and rural areas, face some of the most serious challenges in attracting skilled workforce, the challenges are often even higher for cooperative SMEs. - We commend the proposal to promote cooperation among companies and training providers, among other stakeholders. In addition, education curricula should include information on social economy business models, in particular cooperatives, which currently remain relatively unknown to people receiving business education. - It is important both to develop skills for digital jobs, and to raise the overall level of digital literacy in the workplaces. - Specific attention should be given to digital and platform economy. While these businesses may already attract a digitally educated workforce, the workers data management and work conditions remain a concern. The cooperative governance model ensures open and transparent data management and high quality of employment in the digital platforms. Measures on supporting the use of digital technologies, including financing mechanisms, should favour the cooperative governance model. - Cooperative entrepreneurs must be able to benefit from support schemes in relation to the green and digital transition, notably via the Digital Innovation Hubs. - We encourage European Commission to implement a study on barriers and obstacles for business transfers to employees and workers buyouts at national level and stress that in addition to saving economically viable activities, they save jobs and sometimes very local skills. - Trainings in relation to cooperative management and democratic governance should be supported also with a specific focus on women, youth and other underrepresented groups. - Measures should be implemented to support SME support structures, including the cooperative ones, since they often act as training providers for skills development.
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Response to Developing social economy framework conditions

30 Sept 2022

Priority actions on the national level: 1. Legal framework MS should - ensure recognition of cooperative business model throughout all policies - create/adjust legislation to facilitate creation and functioning of worker and social cooperatives - put in place legal framework to facilitate worker buyouts and remove barriers thereto - promote platform cooperatives (sustainable, worker-friendly); provide them with level playing field, also in implementing the platform work directive 2. Cooperatives as key actor in labour market policies MS should - recognise worker ownership as an independent industrial relationship, where workers are also owners who democratically manage their cooperative - recognise worker owned cooperatives’ contribution to quality employment, incl. for disadvantaged groups - promote establishment of cooperatives among self-employed and freelancers (they combine security and flexibility, offer social rights) 3. Services of general interest MS should adopt favorable legal and policy frameworks for cooperatives providing SGI such as care, social or essential services 4. Public-private partnerships MS should - develop PPP with cooperatives (this enables innovation, maximises social impact) - keep support to cooperatives complementary to public services 5. Competition, taxation, public procurement MS should develop and fully use legislation to support worker and social cooperatives, as enterprises with high social relevance: - raise de minimis threshold for state aid, offer preferential conditions for cooperatives providing care, health and social services. Ensure full eligibility of cooperatives for state aid and full use of state aid provisions incl. those for SGEI, regional aid, risk financing aid, or aid for hiring disadvantaged workers - MS should be allowed to implement financial schemes which help cooperatives to attract capital without this being considered violation of state aid rules and the internal market - make fiscal rules (incl. VAT and tax exemptions on retained benefits) favourable to development of cooperatives; recognize the specificity of cooperative reserve funds - in public procurement, prioritize quality criteria over lowest price, include social and governance criteria; allow reserved contracts for cooperatives; create European system of Socially Responsible Public Procurement 6. Access to funding and finance Worker and social cooperatives’ needs for finance are often unmet by private markets and public funding programmes. MS should - create / adjust specific investment support tools for cooperatives, make other tools fully accessible (eg funds for SMEs) - promote patient capital and social impact finance - fund cooperatives’ innovation, incl. social innovation, twin transition - ensure full participation of cooperatives in national and EU funding programmes - leverage EU funds to supplement existing cooperative financial instruments - offer specific support for cooperative startups - ensure cooperatives’ representation on the boards of relevant investment instruments Access must be enshrined in objectives, implementation, and monitoring indicators 7. Education, skills, labour market - support worker and social cooperatives in re-/upskilling of workers and offering labour market inclusion - support managerial skills, especially for newly created worker cooperatives - include information on cooperatives in mainstream education curricula - promote collaboration between higher education institutions, training centers and the cooperative movement 8. Capacity-building Cooperatives must be able to access support instruments such as those for SMEs, helpdesks, Digital Innovation Hubs and others, and to get appropriate support MS should support creation of cooperatives support structures if not yet in existence 9. Crisis measures - offer specific support to cooperatives in energy intensive sectors - give cooperatives access to any emergency measures available for enterprises
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Response to Enabling factors for digital education

16 Sept 2022

1. CECOP would like to highlight the key role of social economy, and in particular cooperatives, in “an effective and inclusive digital education ecosystem” aspired to by the Commission. The fifth principle of cooperative identity, “Education, Training, and Information”, posits that “Cooperatives provide education and training for their members, elected representatives, managers, and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their co-operatives.” Indeed, investment in reskilling and upskilling an integral part of the cooperative business model which is worker-focused. To illustrate, a recent study from Spain showed that 99.35% of cooperatives in the sample have developed measures to encourage the training of their employees and 57.14% of the cooperatives provide training to workers during their working hours and cover additional costs, meaning they invest in training significantly more than organisations with other legal forms. In an Italian sample, social cooperatives provided average of 520 hours of training to 26% of their human resources. Study: https://cecop.coop/works/new-publication-lasting-impact-measuring-the-social-impact-of-worker-and-social-cooperatives-in-europe-focus-on-italy-and-spain Some examples of cooperatives providing training on digital skills: - Mondragon University in Spain is a cooperative university providing higher education in the digital field among others; - Italian cooperative federation Legacoop Produzione et Servizi which has organized Industry 4.0 Academies across Italy, launched a cooperative Digital Innovation Hub and other tools for technology transfer in order to allow workers to navigate the digital transition; - CERCINA cooperative in Portugal is an example of a cooperative that provides training in digital skills to young people with disabilities. Moreover, work integration social cooperatives assist vulnerable workers offering apprenticeships and integration in the labour market. Adequate support measures toward social cooperatives will ensure a more inclusive adoption of digital skills across the workforce. A specific attention should be given to digital and platform economy. While they might already attract a digitally educated workforce, the workers data management and work conditions remain a concern. The cooperative governance model ensures open and transparent data management and high quality of employment in the digital platforms. Measures on supporting the use of digital technologies, including financing mechanisms, should favour the cooperative governance model. 2. CECOP would also like to highlight the importance of assisting the SMEs with establishing digital transition plans which must include upskilling / reskilling of their workers in digital skills. Digital transition is highly resource-consuming and requires external technical assistance. Support should also be provided to support SME support structures, including the cooperative ones.
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Response to Improving the provision of digital skills in education and training

16 Sept 2022

CECOP supports the Commission’s intent to provide a strategic and comprehensive framework for developing digital skills. We would like to highlight the following points: • Formal education in universities should seek synergies with the world of work. • Along with providing education at school and university level, it is essential to invest in upskilling and reskilling of the current workforce. This must be one of the focus areas of the intended Council recommendation. Upskilling and reskilling of workers are essential for an inclusive digital transition. • Digital skills are necessary not only for the digital professions but for the workforce as a whole. It is important to raise the overall level of digital literacy in the workplaces. • Provision of digital skills must be inclusive and targeted across regional, gender, income and other gaps. All workers must be able to benefit from it, including the vulnerable workers. • Accessibility of professional training programmes must be increased radically, especially for SMEs. • Policies for digital skills development should in particular be coordinated with the various Skills partnerships established under the Industrial Strategy, such as the Skills partnership for the Proximity & Social Economy ecosystem in which CECOP is a partner.
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Response to Review of the de minimis aid Regulation

15 Jul 2022

CECOP, the European confederation of industrial and service cooperatives, supports European Commission’s proposal to increase the amount of the de minimis threshold for state aid, in view of the constantly increasing cost of life. Additionally, we see de minimis state aid as an important tool through which Member States can support cooperatives, important providers of social, health and care services. These services are by their nature local and do not have an impact on competition and trade in the internal market. Moreover, they serve an essential public and general interest role through increasing social cohesion. As recognized by the Social Economy Action Plan, “The social economy complements Member States’ action in delivering quality social services in a cost-effective manner.” For this reason, we request the Commission to introduce a higher de minimis threshold for cooperatives providing social, health and care services. Given their essential role in promoting social cohesion, this threshold should also be higher than the ceiling for SGEI generally allowed under Regulation 360/2012 (EUR 500 000). We refer additionally to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee INT/981 on “State aid / health and social services”.
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Response to Proposal for a Council Recommendation on long-term care

29 Mar 2022

Thousands of cooperatives across EU provide care to citizens at all stages of life: childcare, specific care for youth, care to vulnerable groups (people with disabilities, migrants, ethnic minorities etc), elderly. We can find kindergartens, schools or elderly residences managed by cooperatives, or receiving services provided by cooperatives. Part of the bigger family, called social economy, they are private, democratically managed enterprises which reinvest the profits, ensuring quality, effectiveness and affordability of the service provided. Because they involve workers in governance and ownership of the cooperative, they provide quality working conditions (stable contracts, decent pay, work life-balance, training etc) and are characterised by equal opportunities (women and other underrepresented groups in management positions, equal pay etc). Problems identified by cooperatives providing care: - Overall pressure on health and care sector mainly because of population ageing and lack of care professionals - The need for upskilling & reskilling of care workers - Use of cheapest price criteria in public procurement which drives down quality of services and care workers’ wages - Lack of use of other legal forms for the partnership between public administration and cooperatives in care sectors; need to change the paradigm “local administration asks, cooperatives carry out” towards a joint process of planning and spending - Lack of financing and investment in care and social infrastructure for care - Digital transition - Challenges in digitization, data management, data sharing and interoperability, including in cross-border situations Undeclared and unformal care - Insufficient legal framework for cooperatives providing care in some EU member states - Disparities among member states’ awareness about cooperative model in care sector We believe that cooperatives make a valuable contribution to quality care: - Usually based on multistakeholder governance, they involve all parties concerned by the service: workers, beneficiaries and other actors (public authorities, other cooperatives, NGOs etc) which increases the quality of service provided - By engaging workers in governance of the enterprise, they guarantee quality working conditions. - They engage care beneficiaries in governance, ensuring they have an active role in design of the service - They fight gender inequality at work: the proportion of women in management positions in care sector is superior to national average - They reinvest profits to ensure long-term dimension and uninterrupted functioning of the service - The accumulation of capital (reinvestment of profits) ensures their financial longevity and autonomy and makes them less dependent on subsidies - Tailor made financial instruments and support provided by the cooperative movement (mutualised funds) guarantees their long-term dimension and resilience in time of crisis - Grouping in consortia and cooperative groups allows cooperatives to have a wider impact and take part in substantial public contracts - They are often the only care provider in remote and rural areas - They are deeply embedded in their communities and thus contribute to promoting community-based care models - They are regular partner with public authorities, in particular through public procurements - New forms of collaborations are emerging between cooperatives and public administration in planning public policies on care, especially at local level. Cooperatives and local authorities can be allies in the shared mission of analysing community needs and setting up long term solutions and assistance - Platform cooperatives as a quality employment model to care workers working through platforms - There is a growing interest of private funds in engaging in social impact finance. Cooperatives can stimulate public administration and social impact finance actors in integrating resources and accelerating the development of care in EU
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