Social Economy Europe, which represents social economy enterprises, and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) welcomed the presentation of the Social Economy Action Plan on Thursday 9 December, although the trade unions would have liked to see a little more ambition.
“The European Commission has proposed a modest set of initiatives (see EUROPE 12850/15, EUROPE 12849/11) that should help promote and even grow the social economy”, the ETUC said in a press release. ETUC believes that the Commission should act on public procurement rules.
Social Economy Europe’s reaction is much more positive, welcoming a “new chapter beginning” and the 38 “concrete” actions of the nine-year action plan, which includes the association’s main recommendations.
Contacted by EUROPE, French MEP Claude Gruffat (Greens/EFA) and former President of the Biocoop association, welcomed the EU proposal, particularly with regard to State aid. However, he regretted the lack of clarity on the budget. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)