1. ESF Social Economy Network
State of Play Social Economy Policy European Commission
Karel Vanderpoorten
DG Grow
Clusters, Social Economy and Entrepreneurship
16 October 2017
Madrid .

2. European social Policy
"The wind is back in Europe’s sails"
President Juncker's State of the EU
New evolutions on social policy:
- White paper on the future of Europe
- Reflection paper on the social dimension of Europe
- Public consultation on the European Pillar of Social Rights
- September 2017 a Roadmap for a More United, Stronger and More Democratic Union.
- November 2017: Social Summit for Fair Jobs and Growth

3. Social Economy Policy
• Communication on a Social Business Initiative (2011)
From 2015, new engagements were made:
• Council Conclusions on the Social Economy (2015) together with: EP resolutions, EESC opinions, CoR opinions;
• GECES report and recommendations (October 2016);
• "Start up and Scale-up" Initiative (October 2016);
Series of actions coordinated by the launch of an Internal Task Force between different services (January 2017).

4. Social Economy and Social Enterprises going forward

5. Five pillars of the GECES Report
• Implementation of actions scheduled for by the scale up and start-up initiative.
• Five pillars to be developed:
1. Access to finance;
2. Access to markets;
3. Improving framework conditions;
4. Social innovation, technologies and new business models;
5. International dimension.

6. Pillar 1: Access to finance
To implement this pillar the Commission used the EFSI & EaSI program to develop and stimulate the use of different financial instruments and grands such as:
Guarantee schemes
Capacity building investments
Equity for social impact pilots
Projects grants to develop markets (social finance intermediaries)
Operating grants for EU-level networks;
Grants to reduce transaction costs of financial intermediaries for small investments / microfinance.

7. Pillar 2: Access to markets
Improve market conditions:
Implementing the revised rules on qualitative public procurement
Reinforcing the cooperation between traditional enterprises and social economy enterprises
 Study on best practices, a high-level conference on the topic mid-2018.
Identifying entry points for social enterprise/social innovation in Corporate Social Responsibility policy and related actions.
Stimulating cross-border activities for social economy and social enterprises.

8. Pillar 3: Improving framework conditions
Support building regulatory frameworks such as:
Guidelines, policy tools and mapping studies to assist Member States in developing regulatory frameworks;
Promoting social economy clusters & statistics in different Member States;
Two Pilot Projects towards cooperatives:
- "Transfer of businesses under form of cooperatives";
- "Reduction of young unemployment and the setting up of cooperatives".

9. Pillar 4: Social innovation, technologies and new business models
Initiate social innovation and new business models:
Reflecting on the use and impact of new technologies regarding:
'Sharing Economy Start-up initiative – Financing the future of European Entrepreneurship;
Support for social innovation (Social Innovation Challenge Platform (matchmaker + re-granting for projects)
May 2017: Stakeholders conference "New technologies and digitalisation: opportunities and challenges for the social economy & social enterprises".
Followed by a study trough a tender: ”New technologies and digitalisation: opportunities and challenges for the social economy & social enterprises". October 2017

10. Pillar 5: International dimension
Promoting social economy and social enterprises in:
- neighbourhood/enlargement policies and programmes;
development policies and SDG's (sustainable development goals)
International Finance Organisations and Donor Communities
Including the role of social economy and social enterprises in our Economic Diplomacy
P.e.: UNTFSSE, ILGSSE, G20, G7, ILO …

11. New technologies and digitalisation
A matter of opportunities…
The Commission wants to encourage the social economy sector to embrace new markets and technologies, such as ‘sharing or collaborative’ and ‘circular’ economies, …
Social Economy can demonstrate the establishment of these new technologies and markets according to their values.
 EC: Tender New technologies and digitalisation: opportunities and challenges for the social economy & social enterprises".

12. Thank you! Follow us on Twitter! @SocEntEU #EU4SocEnt
And an invitation:

13. "What role for SOCIAL ECONOMY in the future of work?"
- Potential of Social Economy to create growth and sustainable jobs, and achieve social resilience.
- Role of cooperative societies and on how to create favourable ecosystems for Social Economy
Side event to the European Social summit - 16 November 2017
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