CICOPA Rainer SCHLÜTER President of CICOPA INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION OF INDUSTRIAL, ARTISAN AND SERVICE PRODUCERS’ COOPERATIVES a sectoral organisation of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) Rainer SCHLÜTER President of CICOPA ICA AMERICAS XIII Regional Conference “Integración Cooperativa Igualdad, Riqueza Social y Trabajo” Buenos Aires 22-26 November 2004

WHO ARE WE CICOPA is the only organisation in the world uniting worker cooperatives CICOPA groups 57 cooperative organisations in 39 countries OUR MISSION Promotion and representation of workers’ and producers’ cooperatives at the world level

Worker cooperatives have been gradually expanding over the last 150 years First registered worker cooperative: 1831, Paris Worker cooperatives multiply during the 20th Century, first in France and Italy, then in China during the war (Gung Ho movement), then in many European countries and in India At the end of the 20th Century, they multiply all over the world, with sometimes growth rates of 2 figures.

In the Mercosur region (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay), they are estimated to be at least 5,000 enterprises and 500,000 workers In China and India, they are tens of thousands and employ several million workers In Europe, they are 85,000 enterprises with a total of 1.5 million workers

EUROPE REGION KEY FIGURES CICOPA-EUROPE (CECOP) SOCIAL ECONOMY 8,9 millions jobs 9 % jobs CO-OPERATIVES 300,000 enterprises 4.2 million jobs CECOP members 58,248 enterprises 1,262,002 million jobs 10,5% annual growth

EVOLUTION OF CICOPA-EUROPE (CECOP) ENTERPRISES

COOPERATIVE DISTRIBUTION BY SECTORES

REASONS FOR SUCESS Employment - Exclusion Economic Crisis – WBO - Sucession Problems New Welfare mix social cooperatives CSR Increasing importance of social & human capital Economic democracy Fair trade & production

A KEY DIFFERENCE CO-OPERATIVE PRIVATE ENTERPRISE AIM MEANS ACTIVITY BENEFIT MEANS AIM

Social Enterprises & Social Cooperatives The concept of social enterprises & Social Coops as a bridge between 2 traditions Co-operatives Non-profit organisations Social Enterprises & Social Cooperatives

POLITICAL ACQUIS OF CECOP & COOPERATIVES IN EUROPE 2000-2004 ECS – Statute of the European Cooperative Society (06/2003) Communication from the Commission “Promotion of the Cooperative Societies in Europe” (02/2004) Social Cooperatives Transmission WBO – The cooperative solution New Social co-operative legislation in 10 EU countries References to Co-operatives & Market Social Economy & Participative democracy within the new European Union Constitution (2004)

CECOP – EUROPEAN Cases of Excellence ENTERPRISES: Mondragon – MCC, CGM, ECG ENTERPRISE CREATION: Coopérer pour entreprendre, WBO INCLUSION: 42 forms of WISE (work integration social enterprises) EMPLOYMENT: village co-operatives, community coops SOCIAL INNOVATION: social audit, social fund raising SOCIAL FINANCE; OASIS, NETWORKS: REVES, EMES, UCE.