The issue of social services is particularly important to the enterprise model based on worker ownership, not only because social services offer an important growth potential for it, but also because they are directly linked to the issue of the services of general interest.
The latter in turn constitute a very substantial part of the service sector, in which our enterprise model is experiencing, by far, its largest expansion. Furthermore, the question of the general interest is a fundamental one for cooperatives and the social economy in general.
During this seminar, we will define the EU normative framework for SGI/SSGI, reflect upon the specific contribution of the cooperative and social economy sector in this field, provide a few examples of entrustment of social services by enterprises of the “worker ownership” model. We will explore how we can better work together, within the CECOP network and with other partners of the social economy and among social NGOs, in promoting SGI/SSGI (in particular within the framework of the Service Directive) and we will try to propose specific normative provisions on SGI/SSGI within the framework of the European internal market.
