EUROPEAN REGION OF ICA

COMMUNIQUÉ
10 March 2010.

CO-OPERATIVES WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUCCESS

OF THE EU2020 STRATEGY
COOPERATIVES EUROPE welcomes the EU2020 Strategy document published on 3 March by the
European Commission, and supports the view that Europe needs a sustainable economy,
putting people and responsibility first with a sustained fight against exclusion and a transition
to a green economy.

The targets are ambitious putting emphasis on the implementation and follow-up. All
stakeholders, including co-operatives organizations at European and national levels must be
included in the process. Co-operatives are determined to contribute to the achievement of
the EU2020 Strategy’s targets.

Regarding employment, initiatives for the creation of new jobs should be accompanied by
efforts to maintain existing jobs. Co-operatives have proven successes through business
transfers to employees (worker buy-outs), ensuring the saving of the company and jobs.

COOPERATIVES EUROPE welcomes the intention to promote technical and technological

innovation, but also insists on the need for social and managerial innovation. Enterprise
support services should be promoted and should integrate the specificities of co-operative
societies and employee and member-owned forms of enterprise. Among the various business
support services needed, a key one is management consultancy and training.

COOPERATIVES EUROPE welcomes the fact that the Commission is willing to renew the EU
strategy to promote Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Co-operatives by their very nature
integrate CSR and put a lot of effort into promoting it; acting for local employment, social
inclusion, economic stability and participative governance.

However, COOPERATIVES EUROPE regrets that Co-operatives, and even the plurality of forms of
doing business, are not mentioned into the EU 2020 strategy.

In the current economic climate, cooperatives show their stability and sustainability,
representing a model of enterprise particularly fit to tackle and overcome the present crisis.
Defending and promoting them is necessary for the achievement of the Single Market and
the maintenance of the European Social Model, as is stated in Article 54 of the Treaty on the
functioning of the European Union.

ENDS

COOPERATIVES EUROPE – the European region of the International Co-operative Alliance – is the
biggest membership organization in Europe promoting the co-operative model of enterprise
for sustainable economic progress with social objectives. It represents a force for economic
growth and social change of 163 million member co-operators owning 250.000 co-operative
enterprises and giving jobs to 5,4 million European citizens.

COOPERATIVES EUROPE ASBL ◊ COOPERATIVE HOUSE EUROPE ◊ AVENUE MILCAMPS 105 ◊ BE - 1000 BRUSSELS
TÉL. (32/2) 743 10 33 ◊ OFFICE@COOPSEUROPE.COOP