The potential of the social economy to create jobs and at the same time to provide much needed services has been recognised for some time. In 1999, the European Employment Guidelines highlighted this potential and the importance of realising it (Exploiting new opportunities for job creation, Guideline 12), while in 2001, the Guidelines for the National Action Plans for Employment emphasised the need to develop the social economy under the entrepreneurship pillar. Co-operatives, mutual societies and social enterprises in general have, therefore, come to be regarded as important sources of entrepreneurship and jobs in areas where traditional `investor-driven' enterprise structures may not always be viable. Recent figures indicate that approximately 9 million people are at present employed in the social economy in the EU.

Host Country : Belgium

Place and date : Brussels, 12. - 13.6.2008

Peer countries : Austria - Cyprus - Czech Republic - Greece - Slovakia - Slovenia - Sweden

Stakeholders : CECOP, ENSIE, FEANTSA

The Peer Review is concerned with the social economy from the perspective of active inclusion or, in other words, as a means of providing employment opportunities for disadvantaged groups. The aim is to have an exchange of views on the experience and practices of Member States in developing the social economy and in exploiting its potential in this regard. The intention is also to use the Peer Review as an opportunity for increasing the visibility of the sector and of making public authorities at all levels aware of the possibilities which it offers.

Peer Review manager

Ms Katja Korolkova (ÖSB Consulting GmbH)