Brussels, 11/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - Under the patronage of the Luxembourg Presidency of the EU Council, the Grand Duchy's Social Economy Platform has organised a conference to be held on 11 and 12 March in Luxembourg on the theme “social economy, key player in social cohesion and the Lisbon strategy”, with the participation of Luxembourg Ministers Jeannot Krecké (economy and trade), Marie-Josée Jacobs (family, integration and equal opportunities), François Biltgen (employment and labour) and Anne-Marie Sigmund, president of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). The work will cover the themes: - strengthening social cohesion; - governance in partnership; - social economy and competitiveness; - and the stakes of globalisation. The conference is organised with the European Standing Conference of Cooperatives, Mutual Societies, Associations and Foundations (CEP-CMAF) and with the Local Economic and Employment Development programme (LEED/OECD).
According to a press release, the social economy represents 8% of European enterprises. Employing around 9 million workers, it covers 7.9% of paid employment with the involvement of a considerable part of the civil society: 25% of EU citizens joining as producers, consumers, savers, tenants, insurance holders, students and volunteer workers (Information: http://www.cepcmaf.org ).