News of the European Social Economy
SEN#42July 2025
Why we must defend the social economy model in the EU: a social rights perspective from Social Platform
By Sanna Honkaniemi and Ana Luiza Hannotte, from Social Platform, European Platform of Social Action NGOs
"In the midst of current debates of the new European Commission’s agenda priorities, including the midterm of the Social Economy Action Plan (SEAP), the future of the social economy in Europe is at stake. At Social Platform, we work towards ensuring that social economy actors, including cooperatives, work integration social enterprises (WISEs) and not-for-profit social service providers, are recognised and empowered in the EU".
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European Social Economy Calls for a Stronger ESF+
As the EU’s main tool for investing in people, the European Social Fund (ESF) must continue to play a central role in the next EU budget. This is the demand made in a manifesto signed by 45 organizations and networks, including Social Economy Europe (SEE), Social Platform, the European disability movement and of public interest services, through a declaration calling for a strengthened European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), in order to fully address the needs of European citizens.
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Social Economy Europe reaffirms the importance of the social economy in Europe at its 2025 General Assembly in Italy
Social Economy Europe (SEE), the representative organisation for the Social Economy in Europe, held its 2025 General Assembly on 17 June in Padua, Italy. Hosted and organised by Banca Etica, the event brought together representatives of cooperatives, mutual societies, associations, foundations and social enterprises from across Europe, reaffirming their commitment to the Social Economy—a people-centred, sustainable, democratic, and inclusive economic model.
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At the Seville Summit on Development Financing, the UN Recognizes the Key Role of the Social Economy as a Driver of Inclusive, Equitable and Sustainable Development
The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), held from June 30 to July 3 in Seville, brought together representatives from over 150 countries with the goal of closing the annual financing gap — estimated at around $4 trillion — necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. During the event, the ‘Seville Commitment’ was adopted, a plan that includes 130 measures such as the creation of an Action Platform to promote tax reforms, sovereign debt restructuring, and levies on the aviation sector or large fortunes.
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Global Coalition for Social Justice recognises the key role of the social economy for making the human rights economy a reality
On 12 June 2025, the ILO-led Global Coalition for Social Justice held its annual forum in the margins of the 113th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC). One of the key topics addressed at this year’s Forum was the Human Rights Economy (HRE). A high-level partners’ conversation explored how the HRE can provide a framework and operational approach to embed human rights into economic and social policymaking. The social and solidarity economy (SSE) was highlighted as a critical lever for making the HRE a reality.
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CIRIEC-Spain and GEAccounting offer new seminar on “Monetizing the Social Value Generated by Social Economy Entities”
CIRIEC-Spain and GEAccounting present a new training course titled “Monetizing the Social Value Generated by Social Economy Entities”, with registration now open, directed by professors José Luis Retolaza (Deusto Business School) and Leire San José (University of the Basque Country). The course, which will be delivered online, aims to develop a social accounting system that allows monetizing the social value generated by an entity, breaking down the different types of value and the transfers to the various stakeholders. The training will begin on October 9.
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The United Nations commemorates the 2025 International Day of Cooperatives with an event in New York
The United Nations commemorated the 2025 International Day of Cooperatives (Coop’s Day) with an event at its headquarters in New York, bringing together global leaders under the theme “Driving inclusive and sustainable solutions for a better world”. The meeting included policymakers, cooperative and social leaders to recognize the essential role of cooperatives in building more inclusive, democratic, and sustainable societies.
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ICA approves a new global strategy to empower cooperatives at its General Assembly in Manchester
The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) brought together over 400 delegates on July 2 in Manchester for its General Assembly, where a new strategy for the global cooperative movement was approved. It will run from 2026 to 2030 and aims to give a boost to cooperatives worldwide.
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The second CM50 meeting advances its commitment ahead of the World Summit for Social Development in Doha
As part of the ICA General Assembly, leaders from the 50 most influential cooperatives and mutuals in the world met on July 4 in Manchester to continue advancing the commitment plan that will be presented this coming November at the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha. The meeting was held at the Co-op Group headquarters in Manchester and marked the second in-person meeting of the CM50, following the one held this past May in Madrid.
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The “EU Civil Presidency” event in Poland seeks to restore democratic trust amid growing current challenges
The “EU Civil Presidency” event, held on June 17 at the Stefan Batory Foundation office in Warsaw, brought together professionals from across Europe and the host country to address the growing need to rebuild democratic trust in the current climate of geopolitical, social, and environmental challenges. Forum participants shared their concern that the EU is prioritizing defense and competitiveness while offering less support for democracy, the rule of law, fundamental rights, social issues, and the civil society actors.
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Morocco held its 5th Conference on Social and Solidarity Economy, focused on public policies
The Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Benguerir hosted the 5th National Conference on Social and Solidarity Economy on June 17 and 18. The event brought together more than a thousand representatives from Morocco’s Social Economy network, the African Social Economy, international experts, and delegations from numerous countries. These 5th Assises featured strong institutional presence from the Moroccan government and were chaired by the Prime Minister, Aziz Akhannouch, alongside the Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts, and Social and Solidarity Economy, Fatim Zahra Ammor, and the Secretary of State for Handicrafts and Social and Solidarity Economy, M. Lahcen Saadi, who demonstrated the Kingdom of Morocco’s firm commitment to promoting the Social Economy.
Read moreSocial Economy Schedule
2nd CIRIEC-Spain Legal Congress - Barcelona, 29-30 September 2025
The 2nd CIRIEC-Spain Legal Congress will take place on 29 and 30 September 2025 at the Barcelona Bar Association (ICAB), under the slogan “Legal challenges of the social economy: sustainability and efficiency”. The Congress is being held at a historic moment for the social economy, which is facing significant challenges at all levels. The aim of this major event, organised by CIRIEC in collaboration with Tecnocampus (Mataró) - Pompeu Fabra University, is to arouse interest in this economic and social field among lawyers from all branches and orientations. The final programme and registration form are now available.
+infoEuropean Social Economy Week will take place from 15 to 19 September in Murcia, Spain
At the heart of this major gathering will be the European Conference on the Social Economy Action Plan (SEAP) taking place on Wednesday 17 September. This high-level, in-person political event will bring together key institutional and ecosystem actors including speakers from European institutions, Member States, and local and regional authorities to assess the implementation of the SEAP and explore future policy directions. The European Social Economy Awards ceremony will take place in the afternoon of the same day.
+infoUN Second World Summit for Social Development, Doha, Qatar, from 4 to 6 November 2025
The United Nations General Assembly, through its resolutions 78/261 and 78/318, decided to convene the “World Social Summit” in 2025, under the title “the Second World Summit for Social Development.” Convening at the level of Heads of State or Government, the summit aims to address the gaps and recommit to the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the Programme of Action and its implementation and give momentum towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Stakeholders are invited to apply to host a side event during Summit.
+infoThe Mont Blanc Meetings will be back on January 29 and 30, 2026, in Geneva
The Mont Blanc Meetings are organised by ESS Forum International with the aim of bringing together the main leaders and actors of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) from around the world, promoting debate, collaboration and political impact. Since its creation, 11 editions have been held. Save the date!
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