Notes from the launch of the EU transition pathway for the proximity and social economy

On 14 November 2022 the European Commission launched the transition pathway for the proximity and social economy ecosystem at an event at the Résidence Palace in Brussels. The pathway is one of the co-created plans that follow the EU industrial strategy: it sets out what the social economy needs for the green and digital transitions and invites organisations to commit to actions of their own. The Observatory attended the launch. These are the messages we noted:

1. The social economy works across all industrial ecosystems, carrying solidarity, fairness and equality into them.
2. The most common barriers for social economy actors are funding and skills.
3. Several initiatives are in preparation: better legislation for the social economy, easier cross-border cooperation, and frameworks that help adapt policies at every level of government.
4. The transition depends on measurement and indicators, new opportunities, skills, socially responsible public procurement, and networking.
5. EU funding for social economy development is set to increase; a figure of 2.5 billion was cited at the event.
6. The digital ecosystem needs attention, including support for social tech entrepreneurs.
7. A platform on social economy business models is being developed.
8. More open data should be available for research and for social economy actors themselves.
9. A Council Recommendation is needed to bring all three EU institutions behind social economy development and to link it to the recovery and resilience plans.
10. The social economy should be included in investment programmes for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Point 9 has since been settled: the Council adopted its Recommendation on developing social economy framework conditions on 27 November 2023. Point 4, measurement, is the gap the Observatory works on through the Social Entrepreneurship Index.