News of the European Social Economy
SEN#45November 2025
Bordeaux 2025: The SSE Aims to Shake Up the Global Economy
By Pierre Hurmic, Mayor of Bordeaux and President of the Global Social Economy Forum (GSEF)
Excerpt from the speech delivered at the reception of the Bordeaux City Hall (France), prior to the inauguration of the Global Forum on Social and Solidarity Economy (GSEF) 2025, held from October 29 to 31. CIRIEC International and GSEF organized a joint session on Wednesday, October 29, to close the 10th International Research Conference on Social Economy of CIRIEC International and to inaugurate the GSEF Forum.
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CIRIEC and GSEF sign a Protocol of Agreement promoting the social and solidarity economy in local and regional economies
The 10th CIRIEC International Research Conference on the Social Economy, held from 27 to 29 October 2025 at Sciences Po Bordeaux, marked a turning point in international cooperation around the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE). As part of the GSEF 2025 Global Forum, which took place immediately afterwards from the 29th to 31stOctober in the same city, a protocol of agreement was signed between CIRIEC and GSEF aimed at strengthening research, dialogue and joint action in support of local and regional economies and the socio-ecological transition.
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Bordeaux hosts the 10th CIRIEC International Research Conference on Social Economy and the 'Global Social Economy Forum'
The 10th CIRIEC International Research Conference on Social Economy, held on October 27–29 in Bordeaux, and the GSEF Bordeaux 2025 (Global Social and Solidarity Economy Forum), held from October 29–31, made the French city the world capital of the Social and Solidarity Economy.
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Bordeaux Declarations GSEF 2025: A Global Roadmap for the Social and Solidarity Economy
The 7th edition of the Global Social and Solidarity Economy Forum (GSEF 2025) concluded with the publication of three documents marking a new horizon for the international SSE movement: the Bordeaux Declaration, the Declaration for Lasting Peace, and the International Youth Declaration for SSE. All three convey a unified message: in the face of ecological, social, and political crises, the Social and Solidarity Economy stands as a concrete alternative for justice, sustainability, and cooperation among peoples.
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New Book Release: No alternative? Spotlight on the Social and Solidarity Economy Planet
On the occasion of the Global Social Economy Forum (GSEF 2025) held last October in France, the Jean-Jaurès Foundation, the city of Bordeaux, and Upcoop invite readers, through this book, to discover the actors, ideas, places, and practices that are building every day, on all five continents, an alternative that is as important and more alive than ever through the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE). A unique work in its genre, a true treasure trove of information and analysis on SSE worldwide.
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European citizens demand greater support for the social economy, according to a special Eurobarometer by the European Commission dedicated to this sector
The European Commission, following the Social Economy Action Plan, has carried out a special Eurobarometer dedicated to the social economy in the EU. According to its main findings, the social economy — which includes cooperatives, mutual societies, social enterprises, foundations and associations — plays a prominent role in the lives of Europeans. The study, conducted in May 2025 through more than 26,000 interviews across the 27 Member States, shows that people not only know about this economic model, but also actively participate in it and demand a stronger commitment from public institutions to support and promote it.
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Commissioner Mînzatu Announces New Initiatives to Support Cooperatives and the Social Economy in the European Union
This was announced by the Commissioner during her participation in Brussels in the dialogue “Cooperatives Build a Better World,” organized by the news agency Servimedia (Grupo Social ONCE, Spain) at the headquarters of Euractiv, together with representatives from Social Economy Europe and the European Parliament.
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Cooperativism, a Key Player at the World Summit for Social Development
The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) played a prominent role at the United Nations World Summit for Social Development held in early November in Doha (Qatar). Its presence was especially notable during the high-level round table titled “Strengthening the Three Pillars of Social Development: Poverty Eradication, Full and Productive Employment, Decent Work for All, and Social Inclusion,” held on 4 November. The session brought together more than forty Heads of State and Government, 170 ministerial representatives, leaders of international organizations, youth, and civil society, totaling 14,000 delegates from around the globe.
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UN Social Development Summit in Doha hosts the closing ceremony of the International Year of Cooperatives 2025
The United Nations Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) and the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) co-hosted on 4 November the official closing ceremony of the International Year of Cooperatives 2025 (IYC 2025), as part of the UN World Summit on Social Development in Doha. Representatives from the global cooperative movement participated in the ceremony to mark the end of a year centered on the theme “Building a Better World.”
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New edition (2025) of the World Cooperative Monitor: Ranking of the Top 300 Largest Cooperative and Mutual Enterprises
The World Cooperative Monitor 2025, produced by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) in collaboration with Euricse, offers an updated and comprehensive snapshot of the global cooperative movement. Now in its thirteenth edition, the report carries particular weight as it coincides with the United Nations’ International Year of Cooperatives, providing an in-depth look at how cooperatives are helping transform the global economy toward more sustainable, fair and democratic models.
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COGECA celebrates the excellence of 11 cooperatives at the 6th Edition of the European Award for Cooperative Innovation
The European confederation of agricultural cooperatives (COGECA) held the award ceremony for the 6th edition of the European Award for Cooperative Innovation on 19 November at the European Parliament. During the event, it recognised 11 cooperatives and organizations for their innovative contributions to sustainability, digitalisation, community empowerment and economic development within the European agri-food cooperative sector.
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The European Young Cooperators Network consolidates its work with its General Assembly in Porto
The European Young Cooperators Network (YECN) held its General Assembly in Porto from 5 to 7 November, an event marking a historic milestone, as the network formalised its structure ten years after its creation and three years after its relaunch in Cardiff (Wales).
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The European Parliament hosts the first Day of Action Against Poverty, promoted by EAPN Europe
On 5 November, the European Parliament in Brussels celebrated the first Anti-Poverty Day, an event co-organised by the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) with representatives from the Greens/EFA, S&D, The Left, Renew and EPP parliamentary groups, and supported by the Intergroup on Fighting against Poverty [IG10-12]. The day ended with the message that the fight to eradicate poverty ‘is also a fight for democracy’.
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Slovenian National Assembly approves the ‘Employee Ownership Cooperative Act’
The Act sets out the legal framework for acquiring shares of a parent company through an intermediate legal entity, the ownership cooperative, with the aim of ensuring stable, long-term employee participation in the ownership of the companies where they work. Slovenia becomes the fourth country in the world to introduce dedicated legislation on employee share-ownership plans, following the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.
Read moreSocial Economy Schedule
The Mont Blanc Meetings 2026 will be held on 29 and 30 January in Geneva
The 12th Mont Blanc Meetings will be held again in Geneva in 2026. These meetings are the flagship event of the International Forum of the Social and Solidarity Economy (ESSFI). They bring together SSE leaders from around the world to discuss global challenges and share solutions. The 11th edition, in January 2025, also took place in Geneva, Switzerland, at the ILO headquarters, under the theme ‘SSE facing the role of finance and economic pluralism, supporting the SDGs and social development’.
+infoEuroPhilantopics 2025 – Philanthropy and the EU: Shaping What’s Next
EuroPhilantopics 2025 will take place on 3 December in Brussels, Belgium. EuroPhilantopics 2025 will address the ways in which philanthropy can and must be a vital partner of European institutions in shaping a resilient and democratic future. This year’s edition will introduce a more focused format combining a high-level exchange with Commissioner Lahbib, off-the-record conversations with selected contributors and a plenary panel; “Philanthropy and the EU: Shaping what’s next”.
+info35th CIRIEC International Congress – Montreal 2026
From October 5 to 8, 2026, CIRIEC International and CIRIEC-Canada invite you to Montreal to participate in a collective reflection on the theme “Taking Care of the World: the Vital Contribution of the Social Economy and Public Enterprises”. This edition will bring together researchers, public policy-makers, practitioners and representatives of public enterprises and the social economy from around the world. This major international event will provide a space for reflection and exchange with players on the fundamental role of the social economy and public enterprises in ecological transition, social justice and democratic governance. Save the date!
