Commissioner Andor published an article on cooperatives in the Hungarian newspaper Népszava
26 Jul 2012
Position paper
On the occasion of the International Day of Cooperatives, Laszlo Andor, the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, published an article dedicated exclusively to cooperatives in the Hungarian newspaper Népszava. In his text, the Commissioner calls for a clear support to cooperatives and states that "without their recognition by the State and without a support for cooperatives, increasing economic growth and job creation would be impossible. The promotion of cooperatives could be one of the fundamental elements to find a path out of the crisis".
The Commissioner also mentioned the success of the MONDRAGON Cooperative Group and the European Fair of Social Enterprises and Cooperatives of Persons with Disabilities for which he gave an opening speech in March in Bulgaria.
He says that cooperatives have "advantages that can be seen more clearly during long economic and financial crises".
He emphasizes the established history of the cooperative movement in Central and Eastern Europe and expresses the hope that "misunderstandings and prejudices are disappearing, and that the concept and practice of the co-operative movement, based on voluntary and democratic decision-making, can be restarted".
