Social function of co-operatives, mutual insurance companies and associations, which form the basis of Europe's social economy

3 February 1993

Doc. 6757

1403-2/2/93-6-E

MOTION FOR A RECOMMENDATION

on the social function of co-operatives, mutual insurance

companies and associations, which form the basis of

Europe's social economy

presented by Mr FOSCHI and others

1. Rooted in Europe's social history, especially since the 19th century, co-operatives, mutual insurance companies and non-profit-making associations, the three branches of the "social economy", freely bring together tens of millions of people in Europe who have opted for participation, joint responsibility and solidarity as a means of building humane responses to the social and economic development of the old continent.

2. A few steps have already been taken. In 1985 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted its first recommendation (1004) on the future of co-operatives in Europe and took part in the European Conference of the European Economic and Social Committee. This provided the opportunity for a first assessment, preceded in 1983 by the European Parliament's statement of its position. In 1989 the French Government held the first European conference and appointed a Minister of State for the Social Economy. In 1990 the Italian Minister of Labour and Social Affairs organised the second conference in Rome. A third conference was held by the Portuguese Government in 1992 and a fourth will take place in Brussels in September 1993 on the initiative of the Belgian Government.

The EEC has asked a commissioner to monitor social economy matters and has set up a division for the social economy as part of DGXXIII. The Economic and Social Committee in Brussels has approved three opinions on the fundamental role of the social economy in the situation of the Europe of the Twelve.

3. The social economy will have to make a name for itself and gain recognition not only among the national and supranational authorities, but above all among the people of Europe. Initiatives should not be confined to the twelve members of the EEC, but should also involve the Council of Europe.

4. The Assembly therefore recommends that the Committee of Ministers:

i. support and promote the initiatives and activities required to publicise the experience of the various sectors more widely by setting up training schools and a social economy databank which would be constantly updated, as well as a European Centre for research on Eastern Europe;

ii. recognise the importance of co-operatives, mutual insurance companies and associations in helping to build a people's Europe, a prerequisite for the cohesion of society essential to the prospect of Greater Europe;

iii. support social economy initiatives in the new East European democracies in response to the defeat of the collective economy and state co-operatives;

iv. facilitate participation in the Council of Europe's activities by European bodies representing the branches of the social economy, including those working on a transfrontier basis and those wishing to work in cooperation with similar bodies in the third world;

v. consider that, at a time when the welfare state is in crisis and undergoing profound changes in Europe, the most humane response for tens of millions of European families is not privatisation of the social security system and the health service, but the prospect of direct management of resources via the fifty million members and four million paid employees already ACTIVE IN non-profit-making associations, the thirty million families and more who cover mutual insurance companies and the ten million members of jointly managed provident institutions, with a turnover of fifty billion Ecu - not to mention the fifty million members of mutual provident funds and the eighty million members of co-operatives who will soon account for a turnover of more than 400 billion Ecu;

vi. establish a European legal framework - not only among the Twelve - to preserve the specific features of European co-operatives, mutual insurance companies and associations by safeguarding, in particular, the principles of freedom of association, solidarity, democratic management structure, fulfilment of members and promotion of the general interest.

Signed: Foschi, Jung, Diaz de Mera, Bolinaga, Columberg, Agnelli, Trabacchini, Manisco, Colombo, Oehry, Leccisi, Berti, Vella, Bloetzer, Lopez Henares, de Puig, Koehl.