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Cooperatives Europe

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België
Schaerbeek / Schaarbeek
Cooperatives Europe

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The voice of cooperative enterprises in Europe Cooperatives Europe is the voice of cooperative enterprises in Europe.

On behalf of its 86 member organisations from 35 European countries across all business sectors it promotes the cooperative business model in Europe. Its members represent more than 140 million individual member cooperators owning 180,000 cooperative enterprises and providing jobs to 4,5 million European citizens - a force for economic growth and social change.

16/10/2026

Wrapping up the second and last diverse and rich panel dedicated to Making Resilient and Democratic Territories, this time focused on the social economy and public spending, with the voices of Isabelle Ferreras, Debbie Robinson and Giovanni Betti.

💡 AI offers great potential for the cooperative network, especially in terms of upscaling deliberation mechanisms

🔑 The Spanish government just developed “the cooperative democratic index” to rate any firm’s workforce access to voice and ownership.

🏦 cooperative banks respond to the EU Right to Stay by staying locally anchored to strengthen socio-economic development in territories where traditional banks closed their branches for bigger interests

🌱 the UK coop movement is committed to turning green: OurCoop pooled resources to purchase green certifications and started posing environmental conditions

A final wrap-up and open reflection: Today if you are small, you can be competitive, but you are not sovereign. Being integrated is fundamental for being sovereign. Cooperatives Europe and its members stand committed to working with national governments and European institutions to integrate the cooperatives’ business model and concern for community in the key policy and financing priorities.

🤝 In partnership with the EESC - European Economic and Social Committee

16/10/2026

Wrapping up the first of our two panels dedicated to Making Resilient and Democratic Territories

🍃 It featured the agri and energy cooperative voices of our members Copa-Cogeca and REScoop.eu and precious inputs from the European Commission (DG REGIO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on fostering an enabling environment for cooperative development.

⚖️ Legal frameworks matter more than access to finance. Without legal recognition, energy communities, like agri-cooperatives and producers’ organizations, simply cannot access the funding they need. Enabling legislation is the gateway to investment.

🔬 Research and innovation remain essential – the recent Stockholm COPA-COGECA Congress reflected on the use of inclusive AI and digitalization to modernise agricultural practices.

⚡️ Affordability and accessibility matter - Households can save between €700 and €1000 per year by joining an energy community, proving an immediate response to the ongoing energy crisis

📣 Awareness of civic engagement must improve. We need to communicate the accessibility and affordability potential of community energy and agri-food initiatives far more effectively

When it comes to the 🇪🇺 EU multi-annual budget negotiations, the National and Regional Partnerships plans proposed as enveloped led by the EU Member States threaten the co-design element of responsive investment that reflect the investment plans by energy and agricultural producers and consumers.

✅ The energy and agri-food sectors show that democracy and resilience go hand in hand when citizens and cooperatives are put at the heart of territorial development.

🤝 in partnership with the EESC - European Economic and Social Committee

16/10/2026

Economic democracy: a strategic asset for Europe's future and cooperatives 🇪🇺

Our plenary reflected on how to integrate economic democracy into the next EU programming and financing priorities, with coops as key partners and promoters 🤝

María Lourdes Márquez de la Calleja, member of the EESC Civil Society Organisations’ Group and spokesperson of the EESC Social Economy Category, stressed the importance of understanding the diverse social economy realities across EU Member States to identify the standing challenges and collectively address them.

She pointed to the key policy files where the social economy and coops must be present: the European Pillar of Social Rights and the Union of Skills Strategy, as well as State aid rules and the next MFF (EU budget). Investing in the social economy delivers investment in technology, industry, innovation, and productivity.

As she put it, "Europe must recognise cooperatives and the social economy as strategic players in shaping its economic future. Cooperatives and the social economy demonstrate that democratic participation, economic competitiveness and social cohesion can go hand in hand."

Professor Andrew Cumbers (University of Glasgow) took us beyond the micro-economics of economic democracy to ask: how do we democratise the economy — and rethink economic democracy for our times? Against the backdrop of the failed neoliberal project and the rise of the far right, he argued we need a new sense of democracy, pointing to progressive competition.

His research findings are compelling:
🔹 High levels of economic democracy are associated with greater social equality
🔹 Strong collective bargaining and cooperatives go hand in hand with more equal societies
🔹 Cooperatives have become broader players: good cooperatives with the right principles can scale up
🔹 Economic democracy is a tool to achieving public policy goals

But he was clear-eyed about the constraints: economic democracy remains geographically uneven, depending on institutions and structures. Our current political economy is different from the past - “cooperativism is not a universal solution: a democratic economy needs to be a diverse economy. Cooperativism is an essential part of that broader scheme”.

The key common message: Social cohesion, economic democracy and competitiveness can and should go hand in hand.

In partnership with the Civil Society Organisations' Group of the EESC

16/10/2026

“Not how should Europe choose one model over another, but how do we create conditions so that different forms of ownership can become viable, competitive and able to grow.” 🌱

Valere Moutarlier Deputy Director-General for European Industry and Decarbonisation at the European Commission’s DG GROW, took the floor at our anniversary event. He set out how Europe can make room for cooperatives and every form of business to thrive.

How? 5 main points
1️⃣ Doing business in Europe must be easier. It’s the message heard every time the Commission meets stakeholders.
2️⃣ Simplification won’t fix everything. Through the 28th regime and the “Terrible Ten” agenda, the aim is to ensure national rules don’t add unnecessary requirements or complexity when applying EU law.
3️⃣ Small businesses belong in pan-European value chains. As Europe rebuilds its industrial capacity, cooperatives in every sector are part of the story, which is why the Industrial Accelerator Act matters.
4️⃣ Public procurement must be more efficient and less cumbersome on administration.
5️⃣ Better access to finance. Give citizens more choice for their savings and make it easier for businesses to tap into them, with InvestEU mobilising public and private investment together. Access can be harder when ownership structures don’t fit conventional investor expectations.

And a reminder that economic democracy is also about resilience, continuity and strong local anchoring. 🏘️

He concluded: let’s build a Europe where the single market works for small members, where industrial policy safeguards the participation of SMEs, and where enterprises stay connected to the communities that sustain them. 🇪🇺🤝

Our anniversary event is organised in partnership with the Civil Society Organisations' Group of the EESC.

16/10/2026

An expert panel, committed cooperators and a reflection on the role of as promoters of , social cohesion and - perfect recipe for successful forward looking discussions to celebrate anniversary and its future 🤝🧡
EESC - European Economic and Social Committee

15/10/2026

And the winners are... 🏆🎉

The very first Cooperatives Europe Anniversary Awards have been handed out by our President, giuseppe guerini at the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels!

Six finalists from six countries pitched live this afternoon, and the room voted for the cooperatives that best show what our movement can achieve.

🏆 Award for Cooperative Stewardship
🥇 Winner: Ecopower (Belgium)

Congratulations to all three finalists:
⚡ Burgercoöperatie Ecopower (represented by Margot Vingerhoedt) (Belgium): Belgium's largest citizen energy cooperative, owned by more than 73,000 members and supplying green electricity to over 60,000 households
🔨 ORCAB (ARTISANS ARTIPÔLE) (represented by Stephane WINDSOR) (France): 40 cooperatives serving 9,600 independent building craftspeople, returning 85% of profit to members
🛒 OurCoop (The Midcounties Co-operative / Central Co-op) (United Kingdom): the UK's largest independent cooperative society, owned by more than a million members and saving other societies £30 million a year

🏆 Award for People and Community Impact
🥇 Winner: Genç İşi Kooperatif (Youth Deal Cooperative)

Congratulations to all three finalists:
🎓 Genç İşi Kooperatif / Youth Deal Cooperative (represented by Berkin Safak Sener (Türkiye): a worker-owned cooperative founded by young people in İzmir, which has trained more than 2,600 people
♻️ Humana Nova(represented by Karolina Kraljić) (Croatia): keeping more than 5,000 tonnes of textiles out of landfill, with 38 of its 62 employees persons with disabilities
🏡 SOLE Cooperativa (represented by Letizia Zuliani) (Italy): turning empty social housing flats in Bolzano into shared homes for single mothers, students and older residents

Choosing between them was never going to be easy. From citizen-owned energy and building crafts to circular textiles, collaborative housing and youth-led cooperation, all six show what the cooperative model can achieve for people, communities and the planet.

Twenty years after Cooperatives Europe was created to give cooperatives a stronger voice, these awards put the spotlight where it belongs: on cooperatives themselves. Democratic ownership is not a thing of the past. It is part of Europe's next chapter.

Thank you to our Award Committee, to everyone who applied, and to the audience for making their voices heard. Discover all six stories in our anniversary publication: https://lnkd.in/eQ4u5K7a

This event is organised in partnership with the Civil Society Organisations' Group of the EESC with the support of DGRV, Crédit Mutuel, Federcasse BCC and Febecoop Wallonie-Bruxelles / Febecoop Vlaanderen-Brussel

CoopAnniversaryAwards

15/10/2026

And we're off! 🚀

Day one of Cooperatives Europe's 20th Anniversary celebrations is well underway at the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels, and what a start it has been.

We were honoured to open the event with three interventions:
🔹 Raffaele Fitto Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reforms
🔹 Giuseppe Guerini, President of Cooperatives Europe
🔹 Antje Gerstein, President of the EESC Section for the Single Market, Production and Consumption (INT)

One message ran through all three speeches, and as Antje Gerstein pointed out, it was no coincidence that they all converged on the same idea: in times of disruption, cooperatives are part of the answer. They put democratic ownership into practice and prioritise long-term wellbeing over short-term profit. They offer what keeps our societies together: participation, ownership, and the ability to influence, create and shape. A sense of identity, belonging and cohesion that is much needed today.

Their words set the tone for two days of dialogue, ideas and collaboration, and gave us plenty to think about as we look back on 20 years of cooperation and ahead to what comes next.

Over the coming hours and days, we'll be sharing highlights and key takeaways from each of these interventions, so stay tuned and follow along.

A big thank you to the EESC for hosting us (this event is organised in Partnership with the EESC Civil Society Organisation's Group), to our members across Europe who make this movement what it is, to our sponsors DGRV, Crédit Mutuel, Federcasse BCC, Febecoop Wallonie-Bruxelles and to everyone joining us in Brussels.

Here's to the next chapter! 🥂

Civil Society Organisations' Group of the EESC International Cooperative Alliance

15/10/2026

"Coops form a key part of the backbone of the European economy and competitiveness, and ensure an inclusive territorial and social cohesion. They allow people to strengthen their community, where they have the Right to Stay"- R. Fitto, Vice-President, European Commission

29/09/2026

⏳ Last call: Registration for our 20th anniversary closes this Thursday, 1 October!

Haven't signed up yet? Do it now!

On 15 and 16 October, for European cooperators, Brussels is the place to be.

We will cover two days with:

🎉 Thursday: Reflections & Celebrations. A look back at how the European cooperative movement founded Cooperatives Europe, live pitches of some of Europe's most interesting cooperatives at our Anniversary Awards (where the audience picks the winners), and an evening celebration at Co-Hop Brewery with Coop music for our members.

💡 Friday: Economic Democracy. How can the EU use the cooperative model to build an economy that is both competitive and democratic in a time of many cross-sectional challenges? Keynotes, a study and panels on energy, agri-food, the social economy and public spending.

This event is an opportunity to meet cooperators from across Europe (already over 21 participating countries) and to learn more about the cooperative movement and its relation to timely issues.

👉 Register and all details here: https://coopseurope.coop/events/cooperatives-europes-20th-anniversary-whats-the-next-chapter-towards-economic-democracy/

👉 Register workshop 🌍 here: https://coopseurope.coop/events/360-approach-the-european-cooperative-contribution-to-sustainable-development/

Organised in partnership with the EESC Civil Society Organisations’ Group.

25/09/2026

Are you working on gender and inclusive circular economy? Interested in learning the cooperative approach?

📩 Then APPLY FOR our 3rd Gender & Diversity Focus Group “Towards a Gender-Inclusive Circular Economy: the cooperative take” – our dedicated platform for knowledge-sharing and action on gender equality and diversity in the cooperative movement and beyond.

This Focus Group will feature the work of two organisations:
🔸 RAPIV’s “WE.Circular” support of women entrepreneurs across circular economy models and value chains in the Danube region.
🔸 CoCosint’s work to promote employment and economic opportunities for women in vulnerable situations through circular textile initiatives.

Participants will then have the opportunity to share experiences and good practices, exploring how help bridge skills gaps, remove access barriers, and strengthen women’s empowerment in circular economy sectors.

🔗 EXPRESS INTEREST here to join! https://forms.gle/tpYXubQy6wCP6nR9A

The deadline is Friday, 2 October – don’t miss out! 🔔

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Adresse

Avenue Milcamps 105
Schaerbeek
1030

Heures d'ouverture

Lundi	09:00 - 18:00
Mardi	09:00 - 18:00
Mercredi	09:00 - 18:00
Jeudi	09:00 - 18:00
Vendredi	09:00 - 18:00

Téléphone

+32 2 213 00 80

Site Web

http://www.coopseurope.coop/

Notifications

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