In a so difficult moment for Spanish economy, the Government has arranged a consultation with the so called “organizaciones de acciòn social”, in order to collaborate with them and contain the crisis.
The “Programa Nacional de Reformas 2011”, focused on Spanish economic problems, expresses the need of a direct involvement of Third Sector for the achievement of set goals. On 14 June, Leire Pajín, Minister of Health, Equality and Social Policy, met the most important exponents of Spanish social economy (ONCE, CERMI, Caritas, Red Cross and some representatives of NGOs) in order to prepare a memorandum of understanding and obtain their support to the Programme. The meeting also dealt with the creation of a confederation of non profit organisations, acting as sole interlocutor with the Government, and the need of approving an outline law concerning Third Sector. Naturally, the meeting focused namely on the emergency measures to be implemented in the labour market, regarding women and disabled people.
As for the protest organised by the so called “indignados”, significant developments have occurred in Santiago where, at the end of June, young protesters gathered the representatives of local associations in order to propose and analyse a model of collaboration.
European Union
The role played by the EU in defining some guidelines for social economy remains quite marginal. In 1992 the Commission proposed a Statute for a European Co-operative Society, a Statute for a European Mutual and a Statute for European Associations (EA). Ten years later, in 2003, only the Stature for a European Co-operative Society was adopted (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2004:067E:0179:0179:en:PDF), while the other two Statutes were withdrawn in 2006 by the Commission because of the slowness of the legislative process.
At the beginning of 2009, through a specific resolution concerning social Economy (http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&reference=P6-TA-2009-0062&language=en) the European Parliament restated the importance of this sector for the development of the EU and asked the Commission to complete the legal framework that formally recognises the different components of social economy. Thereafter, last April the Commission presented the “Single Market Act” defining twelve levers that should boost European growth and the faith in “Single Market” after this crisis. Among these levers there also is social economy (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2011:0206:FIN:EN:PDF). The Commission undertakes to propose a new statute for European foundations and to raise the profile of social companies in the Single market. It also underlines the need to create special investments funds financing social initiatives on the national level. In 2011, the Commission intends to present the “Social Business Initiative” and a communication regarding Corporate Social Responsibility. In such a context, the proposal made by the European Parliament in 2007 to designate the year 2011 as the European Year of Voluntary Activities acquires greater importance. Moreover, within the Parliament the social economy intergroup has been created.
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