Co-operatives in Europe and the Social Economy Presentation to P2P Study Group Klaus Niederländer, Director Brussels, June

1.Brief on Cooperatives Europe & 2012 Activities 2.Co-operatives and the Social Economy Today 2 Content of the presentation

3 Cooperatives Europe Definition of a Co-operative « A co-operative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically- controlled enterprise. » Statement of the Co-operative Identity - Source: ICA

4 One member One vote Active in all sectors of the economy Owned by producers, employees or users Local Character Owned by its members C O - OPERATIVE E NTERPRISE Optimisation, not Maximization Based on Principles Cooperatives Europe What is a Co-operative

5 Cooperatives Europe Example of Co-operatives M EMBERS =O WNERS E MPLOYEES I NDUSTRY CO - OPERATIVES P RODUCERS A GRO - FOOD CO - OPERATIVES C USTOMERS C O - OP R ETAILERS OR B ANKS C ITIZENS C O - OP ENERGY PRODUCERS

6 The European region of the International Co-operative Alliance 90 co-op member organisations and enterprises from 34 European countries, including 6 European sectoral organisations THE European Representative Organisation of Co-operative Enterprises The voice of 123 million member co-operators owning 160,000 co-operative enterprises and giving jobs to 5.4 million European citizens 6 Cooperatives Europe Key figures

Financial Economic Social Political Enviromental We are stuck! The Current Crisis

A way out of the crisis… A Million Times put into Practice By co-operative enterprises since the 1850s

Co-operatives: a People-centered Business Model Meeting Members’ Needs Economic Social Environmental Cultural Economic Social Environmental Cultural S USTAINABILITY THROUGH OPTIMISATION, NOT MAXIMIZATION

T HE C O - OPERATIVE W AY OF O PERATING A BUSINESS Self-Help via Ownership of co-operative Self-Control via Democratic Governance Autonomy through Local Roots EMPOWERMENT OF CITIZENS

Co-operative Solutions in Europe Preserving EMPLOYMENT (coop industry & services) COMPETITIVE local infrastructure (cross-sector co-operation) RESILIENCE in financial crisis (coop banking) People driven INNOVATION (social and energy coops) Co-operative Development Model

A CTIVITIES & T IMEFRAME Introduction of Social Economy and Rehabilitation of the Co-operative System supporting Rural Development in Montenegro This project is co-funded by the EU Activities (3 Components): 1.Legislative Reform 2.Capacity Building 3.Visibility & Promotion Final Conference – 3 July Development of Action Plan Timeframe: 1 September 2011 – 31 July 2012

R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES Introduction of Social Economy and Rehabilitation of the Co-operative System supporting Rural Development in Montenegro This project is co-funded by the EU Legislative Reform of Agricultural Sector Law: 1. Definition & Preparation 2. Audit & Revision 3. Final Draft Nota Bene: The law is currently in the hands of the Montenegrin Parliament, undergoing analysis and revision, as well as a process of assessment for policy coherence with other Montenegrin legislation. Partners: Junior Legal Expert – COSV Montenegro Legal Expert – Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development President – Union of Co-operatives of Montenegro Legal Expert – Parliamentary Committee on Tourism, Agriculture, Environment, and Spatial Planning Legal Expert – DGRV Legal Expert – Euricse

R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES Introduction of Social Economy and Rehabilitation of the Co-operative System supporting Rural Development in Montenegro This project is co-funded by the EU Capacity Building: Junior Experts – Recruited, Selected, and Trained (at Confcooperative in Italy) Trainings held in Montenegro at macro, meso & micro levels Partners: Junior Economist Expert – COSV Montenegro CECOP Confcooperative FNCuma

R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES Introduction of Social Economy and Rehabilitation of the Co-operative System supporting Rural Development in Montenegro This project is co-funded by the EU Visibility & Promotion: Flyers created and distributed in national newspapers Brochure created and printed, distributed at trainings and available at UCM, Ministries, Business Development Centers, etc. Promotional TV advertisement created and aired on national Montenegrin television Final Conference prepared – 3 July 2012 in Podgorica

R EVIEW OF A CTIVITIES Introduction of Social Economy and Rehabilitation of the Co-operative System supporting Rural Development in Montenegro This project is co-funded by the EU Action Plan: This final activity foresees the development of an Action Plan – including an analysis of challenges and opportunities for continued cooperative development in the future of Montenegro. The Action Plan will review the activities of the project and place these into the context of the medium- to long-term future highlighting strategies, recommendations, and next steps for continued cooperative development in Montenegro. The Action Plan will be largely drafted by the two Junior Experts, with the guidance of CECOP, Euricse, as well as Cooperatives Europe and COSV development staff.

H VALA ! T HANK YOU ! Introduction of Social Economy and Rehabilitation of the Co-operative System supporting Rural Development in Montenegro This project is co-funded by the EU