Transcript Document

Social entrepreneurship: pathways towards
a sustainable and cohesive Europe
The Concepts and the EU Policy Agenda
Business and Start-Ups Sub-Committee
Brussels 2015-06-16
The EESC, social economy and social entrepreneurship
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Key EU policy expert  social economy category group, GECES member
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Significant expertise and opinion work, such as:
 Diverse Forms of Enterprise
 Social Enterprise and Social Entrepreneurship
 Social Business Initiative
 European Funds for Social Entrepreneurship
 Social Impact Measurement
 Social Impact Investment
 Financial Eco-System for Social Enterprises
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The EESC social enterprise project
 Bridging social economy stakeholders and policy makers  local to EU & Strasbourg to Luxembourg
 Project report with reflections and recommendations
 Networking, communication and dissemination
The backdrop - a new societal landscape emerging
 Aftershocks of an unprecedented crisis
 Facing complex societal challenges  globalisation, demographic
development, climate change, migration…
 New social risks emerging  widening inequality gaps, social exclusion,
poverty, unemployment…
 Indicating a paradigm shift and need for systemic change
 Urgent need to mobilise all resources and stakeholders in society
Social enterprise - a solution, historically and now
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Feature of the European social model  smart, sustainable and inclusive growth
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Mission to meet unmet needs or tackle social/societal issues
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Often members/users and/or general interest focused
Produce social and economic outcomes
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Social cohesion/inclusion and business creation/employment
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Play key democracy function  link to civil society creating social capital
Catalyst for social innovation  demand-led, user-centred, flexible, bottom-up
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Increase diversity and supply of services
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Innovate social (and other) policies
Proven more resilient but still underdeveloped
Diversity, but shared concept and characteristics
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Economic and social actors - active across sectors
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Primary social mission
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Surplus a means to fulfil social mission  reinvesting
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Inclusive governance  voluntary and open membership and democratic control
Business and legal models vary due to national contexts
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Social economy = associations, mutuals, cooperatives, foundations
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But social economy also includes new legal forms based on shared principles
Independence from public authorities
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Close link to civil society  key driver of social entrepreneurship
Mixed revenue streams  public and private
The European Commission description
COM Social Business Initiative (SBI), 2011:
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the social/societal objective primary reason for the commercial activity
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profits are mainly reinvested towards the social objective
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the method of organisation or ownership system reflects its mission
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Thus are enterprises:
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providing social services and/or goods and services to vulnerable persons
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with a method of production of goods or services with a social objective
Further…
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Are economic actors producing goods and services
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Is not CSR  but connections can exist
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Some terms used: social economy, social market economy, social enterprise, social entrepreneurship, civil society
enterprise…
Social economy and social enterprise in Europe
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Limited accurate data due to Member State diversity
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EU mapping study – a step
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Satellite accounts only in 4 MS
Social economy paid employment 14.5+ million 2012 (vs. 11 in 2008)
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6.5% of the working population of the EU
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In Belgium, Italy, France, Spain and the Netherlands accounts for between 9%-11.5% of working population
75% of social enterprise active in:
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Social services, employment and training, environment, education and community development
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20/29 (EU + Switzerland) countries have national definitions
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21/29 (EU + Switzerland) have no policy framework for development
Sources: European Commission “Social Europe Guide Vol 4”, EESC/Ciriec Study 2012, COM Mapping Study 2014, Third Sector Impact 2015
EU policy support
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EU2020  Single Market Act  Social Business Initiative 2011
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SBI key starting bringing policy areas together and key actions:
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Other interesting initiatives
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Funding – structural fund priorities, private financing
Visibility – social impact measurement, mapping
Legal environment - public procurement provisions
Strasbourg Declaration
Rome Strategy – letter to Juncker
EP reports; such as “Draft report on social entrepreneurship and social innovation combating unemployment”
EESC opinions
EESC project findings 2014-2015
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There is a genuine interest but concepts needs to be further clarified
Pieces of ecosystem exist must be in a coherent policy framework
Lack of full MS implementation
The EU policy continues to play a central role, despite national diversity
To unleash the potential – direction from EESC project
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Political will, ownership and keeping the momentum  launch SBI 2.0 and action plan for
social economy
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Call on MS to implement at MS/regional/local levels  EU to guide, monitor and support
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Safeguard the concept and recognise the specificities and need for tailored support
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Mainstream in enterprise (and other) policies and connect policies frameworks
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Develop a tailored eco-system
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Continue building awareness, visibility and recognition  measure social impact, report in statistics, research
models and added value, recognise specificities
Improve access to markets  guide to apply favourable conditions in public procurement
Improve access to finance  hybrid capital, full lifecycle
Launch development and capacity building programmes
Support and facilitate contributions to employment
Promote social entrepreneurship in education at all levels
The future – renewed commitment and cooperation
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EESC prioritises and actively engaged
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European Commission
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New team for SBI announced
Awaiting policy direction and leadership
GECES continues, EESC observer
European Parliament
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Final project event July 10
Opinion financial eco-system September 17
Continue to disseminate, communicate and support
Bridging local stakeholders to EU policy
Intergroup for social economy re-launched
EU Presidencies
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Italy – Rome Strategy
Latvia – Parliamentary Committee
Luxembourg – Presidency priority, event December 3-4
The Netherlands…
Thank you for your attention
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