Council gives final approval to measures to promote the social economy
Today, the Council adopted a recommendation on promoting enabling frameworks for the social economy, to support its role in fostering social inclusion and access to the job market.
After technical discussions within the Council, ministers for employment and social affairs reached a political agreement on the recommendation on 9 October 2023. After legal-linguistic revision, the recommendation was adopted today and will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Measures to foster the social economy
The recommendation aims to boost the role of the social economy in supporting social inclusion and integration into the labour market of disadvantaged groups, by recommending that member states take measures to:
- facilitate access to funding, to markets and to public procurement for social economy entities
- make best use of state aid rules and develop a favourable taxation environment
- increase the visibility and recognition of the social economy
Main changes introduced by the Council
The main changes to the Commission’s initial proposal reflect requests from member states for the role of the social economy in fair digital and green transitions and social cohesion to be further highlighted. The Council also recognises the role that the social economy can play in international cooperation.
Next steps
Member states will have two years to adopt or update their national strategies for the social economy. They will then monitor and evaluate the steps taken to achieve the objectives of the recommendation, and report to the Commission on their progress within four years of its adoption.
