Transition pathways: solutions for proximity economy and social tech

by sogaccelerator | 2 Jun 2022 | Editorial

Transition pathways: solutions for proximity economy and social tech

By splitting into four groups in this session, the audience of these first workshops discussed about the transition pathways with social economy stakeholders and heads of different commission departments.
As the transition pathways is made to enable to step up contributions in the green and digital transitions, it focuses on policy making influencing local and regional levels, where actors are anchored and need support the most.

Jeanne Bretécher intervenes @Transition pathways workshop

Jeanne Bretécher, the President and Co-Founder of the Social Good Accelerator, moderated one of the four workshops organised by the European Commission on 30 May 2022.

Source: Thomas Brisbart

The challenges for the ecosystem
Social Economy Europe, Diesis, Euclid Network and the Social Good Accelerator were animating separately four workshops focusing on social tech entrepreneurship, data management, platform shared economy and social tech. The Social Good Accelerator focused on the latter.

By being part of this group, the association and the associated organisations aimed to bring the key points of the transition pathways documents with the attendees. Indeed, a first draft of the document put in synthesis around 70 contributions, including the one that the Social Good Accelerator wrote with its community. The report explores the areas where social economy should take action, notably to accelerate the digital transition. The idea through these workshops was to bring simple words on complex topics, reduced to a certain amount.

First, the group discussed altogether on what does access to technology implies to us. The problems related to the digital tools is that some people think they are out of reach, mostly due to psychological barriers, resources challenge, but especially the skills related to it. The digital divide and the feeling of digital isolation are both real in this context.

Besides, with the pandemic, there was a brutal transition towards the use of tools in which many didn’t have the skills and the equipment related. Solving this issue is a matter of means public authorities allow to solve it, through levers such as economic resources and training.

Moving to solutions
A few examples of good practices were raised by the attendees, who brought different interesting contributions. For instance, some identified a necessity to support the creation and sharing of each industrial sector, enabled by the proper and adequate regulations. For instance, in Israel, accessibility is not only limited to the physical one, but has a broader definition in the law. It includes the digital prism within it.

On the other side of the scope, startup models are focused on hyper growth and are scale-up oriented. With such a different mindset, the impact also is. Besides, it is challenging to identify the good technology for a social organisation’s needs. Some tools have this scope in mind, such as Rogervoice.

« When working, all kind of different people are involved, and it’s quite an interesting but difficult bridge to go over », maintained a panelist. By those words, the exclusion of the elderly in the digital sphere was raised. Nonetheless, their exclusion is not only based on skills, but also on their own confidence and on the product designing. Like any new technology, the digital brings exclusion if it is not made properly. In other words, digital mean substituting, and multimodality is the key.

The workshop concluded that enabling a decentralised Internet would be the key for an efficient digital social innovation ecosystem. Besides, employability makes sure that new talents come to civic tech sector. Older people have a mistrust in the digital tools. A rapid prototypic or an iterative design is needed to continue on this way, paved with several challenges : access to tech, bringing skills or upskill people, and the challenges related to resources themselves.

Spreading Social Economy: with SOGA, AESIO sets an example for developing the digital social economy

by sogaccelerator | 23 May 2022 | Actualités de SOGA

Spreading Social Economy: with SOGA, AESIO sets an example for developing the digital social economy

AESIO Mutuelle is the second largest mutual insurance company in France, covering the needs of 2.9 million members throughout the country in terms of complementary health and provident insurance. Today we welcome Samira Sameur to discuss AESIO, social economy and digital transition.

Presentation of Samira Sameur

Graduate in Public Affairs from Sciences Po Paris, Samira Sameur has been working for fifteen years in institutional relations, network animation and programme management in the social and solidarity economy. A specialist in social affairs (health prevention, employment, vocational training), she has notably worked at the Union of Employers of the Social and Solidarity Economy (UDES) for 8 years, where she steered the influence and development strategies at the regional, national and European levels to defend the interests of these employers.

Samira joined AESIO Mutuelle two years ago as Head of Social and Solidarity Economy. Her mission consists in materializing and reinforcing the mutual’s belonging to the SSE with its different stakeholders on institutional, societal and corporate dimensions.

Tell us about AESIO, to what extent does this mutual inscribe itself in the circle of the social economy?

Our membership of the social economy is native because we are a not-for-profit company and our raison d’être is to enable our members to live in better health. Our entire organisation is structured around this mission with the member at the heart. At the heart of our governance first of all to involve them in meeting their needs. As a partnership, we have no shareholders to remunerate and can therefore focus our profits and the energy of our teams on meeting the health needs of our members.

How is AESIO Mutuelle organised?

Our original mutual was founded in 1838 and we have gradually grown to a national level by joining forces with several territorial mutuals. As a mutual health insurance company, our activity is regulated by the Mutuality Code, which stipulates that we develop solidarity actions and the provision of care. Hence the existence of AESIO santé, which manages our 200 health, social and medico-social establishments that offer care and services in a logic of financial and territorial accessibility to our members. We are also actively involved in public health issues, with more than 1,300 prevention actions deployed each year on subjects such as nutrition, prevention of loss of autonomy or cardiovascular diseases.

We also have a corporate foundation that supports socially useful projects, currently focused on mental health, a theme that we feel is essential to address in the post-health crisis context.

You talk about ESSisation, can you explain what this notion covers?

🔷 ESSisation, an economic vision

SSEisation is a movement that we hope and pray for. It is a movement of a social economy that is established in as many sectors of activity of our economy as possible in order to challenge but also to inspire other economic actors towards more virtuous practices in social and environmental matters.

🔷 A political call to develop the social economy

Addressed to both SSE enterprises… It is a call to social economy enterprises themselves to renew their spirit of conquest and continue to unearth unmet social needs, conquer new activities and remain at the forefront of social innovation.

…But also to the world. The message is also to say that at a time when we are talking about the world of the future and the economy of tomorrow, we believe that the answer already exists, that it is called social economy and that it is not sufficiently known and recognised. At a time when we are talking about rational capitalism, we would like to remind you that the social economy has the seeds of what we are doing today in terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and that we must continue in this direction to show that social and economic are not incompatible.

Can you tell me about a project that AESIO is undertaking in favour of ESSisation?

For example, we developed the ‘ESS relance’ campaign in partnership with French Impact. The idea was to better connect the measures of the Recovery Plan with social economy companies in the territories. This seemed obvious to us because the Recovery Plan advocates for more territorialized activities that are more in line with the ecological transition, and therefore naturally targete towards social economy in our opinion. However, we realised that, due to size effects in particular, most of these schemes and the funding attached to them did not reach social eocnomy enterprises. Hence this campaign, which made it possible to decipher the measures and promote information for enterprises in the field via several information webinars and contacts between entrepreneurs, economic advisors and administrations.

As a Social Economy development officer, what are the main obstacles you see to the development of the social economy?

🔴The threat of confusion between different economic models

As far as obstacles are concerned, I think that there is a communication that is detrimental to the recognition of social economy: we talk about reasoned capitalism, impact economy, CSR policies without making distinctions… Of course it is interesting, it is a movement that socially we can only welcome, even if it can sometimes be social washing. But we must affirm that the social economy is an intrinsically different economy in its models because profitability is framed to prioritise the response to general interest issues. In this sense, it must benefit from dedicated legal and tax measures, because the profits of these companies will never go into the pockets of shareholders but will always have a positive impact on the territory (job creation, intangible wealth, etc.).

It is also important from a political point of view to mark this difference with the citizen and the consumer so that they can make an informed choice by using their power to act and their purchasing power wisely.

🔴The risk of quid pro quo

The social economy also suffers from a fragmentation that hinders its understanding by external actors. The legal components of the social economy must be able to come together under the same banner in order to carry political weight, to have a common discourse that highlights how the social economy is different, with successful models. But it is also necessary for social economy not to withdraw into itself and to open up to external cooperation, whether with public authorities or profit-making actors. Positioning itself with others makes it possible to show the added value of a social economy that knows how to reach out to remote audiences, to have a very territorial action because of its history, or to give an action the capacity to be part of the long term. In this respect, we advocate an ‘open social economy’.

To what extent is the social economy complementary to the impact economy?

We are seeing the growth of the movement around the impact economy, which aims to better connect the company to its ecosystem and therefore to influence its negative externalities at the environmental level, to be more inclusive, it is very good and it is not interesting to confront the systems. But it is important to note that the social economy was built in reverse, i.e. that the creative vocation of a social economy enterprise is to respond to a social utility and that profit is not an end but a means to this end.

As a Social Economy development officer, what developments have you seen in the sector in recent years?

⚖️ A strengthened french legal framework since 2014

The field has been strengthened with a law of the same name in 2014, which made it possible to give a legal framework to the social economy, a defined perimeter and to provide it with a singular representation in both the political and employer fields (ESS France and UDES). It is important to show that social economy companies produce, employ differently and have a different relationship with society based on ethics and solidarity. #ESSisation 😉

🟠On the ground, a double constraint for social economy enterprises

On the ground, the last few years have been complex for social economy enterprises. They have been caught in a double movement: on the one hand, with profit-making companies investing more and more in their traditional businesses (early childhood, home help, social and medico-social health activities), and at the same time a disengagement of the public authorities piloting these same social policies and which were traditional allies (departmental councils in particular). This disengagement has manifested itself in the development of mechanisms that put social economy enterprises in competition with each other, particularly through calls for projects, whereas their natural mode of action is that of cooperation.

💬Personally, I think that this should invite social economy to renew itself. If social economy is competing with profit-making companies, it should not prevent itself from investing in more competitive sectors of activity by relying on its social impact to differentiate itself from consumers, who are increasingly concerned about ethical issues.

In your opinion, to what extent can the digital transition help the social economy to develop?

The pandemic and the related social restrictions have shown us that the digital transition is no longer an option, and that social economy enterprises must integrate this movement just like any other enterprise. The objective is quite simply to manage one’s organisation with the times and to adapt to the practices of the consumers that we call ‘members’.

‘I would like to take the question in reverse and ask why the digital transition would benefit from relying on the social economy, which clearly has a card to play in the alliance between digital innovation and social innovation.’

Relying on social economy companies to think about digital technology and its uses is first and foremost a way of guarding against dehumanising algorithmic practices that do not put digital technology at the service of human beings, but rather enslave workers and users solely for commercial purposes. This is why social economy companies must invest in digital technology, and it is also their responsibility to ensure that the fragile populations they are in contact with do not miss out on the opportunities offered by digital technology.

How do you see your role within the Social Good Accelerator?

We wanted to be part of a movement that promotes a consolidated representation of social entrepreneurs and digital players at European level. On the other hand, our wish is to pool the thoughts and needs raised by our members in terms of digital health at European level and the way in which this can impact our social model. As we have seen with the pandemic, health knows no borders, and even if we do not have an international presence, it does not seem to us to be too early to invest in these subjects in a prospective approach.

About the author

Justine Coopman

justine(at)socialgoodaccelerator.eu

Public Affairs and Communication

Lille, France

‘It was a successful experience’, Social Economy Europe’s view on the European Social Economy Summit.

by sogaccelerator | 17 May 2022 | Communs & plaidoyer, Editorial, Interviews / Témoignages

‘It was a successful experience’, Social Economy Europe’s view of the european social economy summit

The European summit on the social economy brought together nearly 2000 participants on 5 and 6 May 2022 in Strasbourg. Organised in the framework of the French Presidency of the European Union with the support of the Eurometropole of Strasbourg, the objective was to discuss the place of the social economy in the European Union and its future through conferences, workshops and meetings.

The Social Good Accelerator, member of the steering committee of the event, was present and contributed to the promotion and dissemination of its ideas, namely raising awareness on the necessary digital transition of the social economy through two workshops and a conference.

Our member, Social Economy Europe, also a member of the steering committee of the event, also participated in this summit through numerous workshops and conferences.

This interview with Victor Meseguer, Director at Social Economy Europe, aims to enrich the feedback on this major European summit for the social economy.

From the Social Economy Europe side, how did you prepare for this event?

The preparation of the event started in June 2021. The first meeting took place with Pierre Roth and Sandra Guilmin in Brussels at the time when they were exploring the different funding options for the European social economy summit (hereafter “Conference”). At that time, it was already known that the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union was going to take place, so it was expected that there would be a strong presence of the French Presidency, but also a strong presence of the European Commission, which was present through human resources and political representatives. In July 2021, the Social Economy Europe (SEE) team travelled to Strasbourg with the presidents and co-presidents of the European Parliament’s social economy intergroup to have a meeting with the Mayor of Strasbourg. The exchanges focused on the expectations related to the Conference.

This Conference was expected to be the major european conference of the social economy in 2022. We can also say that there was a sort of handover of legitimacy at the end of the social economy summit in Mannheim in 2021.

From then on, the way of working was similar to that of the SOGA, notably through meetings to co-construct the event. The added value of SEE was also similar to that of SOGA. Our aim was to create bridges between actors, to ensure that the Conference had a European dimension, that it responded well to the interests of Social Economy actors. Our added value as a network is our ability to mobilise people, networks and organisations across Europe.

Also, on the SEE side, we organised our general assembly in Strasbourg, the day before the Conference, which allowed us to mobilise most of our members.

From the SEE side, how did the workshops go? In particular the one on transition pathways, what did you learn from it?

It was an interesting workshop. We mobilised between 30 and 50 people. There were key players in the social economy in the room: both major European networks, for example Cooperative Europe, Philea, ESS France Outre-mer and others. We also managed to mobilise two players who are strongly committed to the social economy in the territories: the region of Brussels and the region of Navarra in northern Spain.

‘It was a successful experience, a first opportunity to educate on a subject that is difficult to understand, not that it is difficult as such, but it is mainly the terminology, the slang that can cause problems. When we talk about transition pathways for the social economy, we are talking about a big strategic plan where everyone must be involved and express their expectations and needs. On this last point, there is a problem of connection with reality. So this workshop was a step to start explaining the exercise we are doing and its importance.

Also, we gathered some interesting information. First of all, the problem with the transition pathways is that you have a lot of access to generalist experts, people who are very knowledgeable about the whole subject of social economy. But it is difficult to find people with expertise on the green transition and the digital transition. There is a second problem. We don’t capture the whole reality of the social economy. We need to capture the whole reality of the social economy, which is much broader. The Social Good Accelerator has a key role to play on this point to get its network involved.

You had a stand shared with ESS France and the CRESS Grand Est. What were the interactions with the public? What types of exchanges did you have?

We had quite a few people from very different backgrounds who came by, including a representative of a Greek association and a journalist from Euractiv, for example. Many of them asked for information on social economy and information on how to join us.

Juan Antonio Pedreño maintains Social Economy Europe’s vision for the future of the sector in the continent, in Strasbourg.

Photo credit: Social Economy Europe

The social economy, the future of Europe: that was the name of this forum. What can we retain from this summit for the future of SSE?

We can retain these key words: alliance, change of scale, major macroeconomic objectives. Our objective is indeed to move from 6.3% of employment in SSE in Europe (i.e. 13.6M jobs) to 10% (i.e. more than 22M jobs) in 2030 by the time of the action plan.

‘The Social Economy Action Plan is our window of opportunity to grow.’

It is not about growing for the sake of growing, it is not about growing for the sake of more money, but it is about growing to create more quality jobs in Europe, to create more integration for disadvantaged groups and/or those at risk of social exclusion, to create more social, environmental and technological innovation and to be the major player in Europe in digital, green and fair transitions. To grow, we need to meet and get to know each other. We need to build more alliances on a European scale, starting from the local level. In this respect, we have a big window of opportunity on our table with the European Social Economy plan.

Are you satisfied with this summit?

We are very satisfied because there were 2000 people registered. There was a risk that it would be very Francophone, but I don’t think that was the case. I saw people from all over Europe: from Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Ireland.

You can also see that everything is in place to jump. This is the image of the trampoline. To jump, we need a lot of cooperation and alliances. The principle of the social economy is cooperation, but we can do much better in this area.

What are the next steps for Social Economy Europe?

The next steps are to keep growing. We have recently welcomed two new members, one from Ukraine and one from Poland. We are the voice of the 2.8M social economy organisations in Europe. We aim to represent not only European but also pan-European networks.

We have 2 other key objectives that will happen soon. Before the summer, we want to write a policy paper on the implementation of the action plan with concrete proposals. Since 2014, we have made two proposals for an action plan. For example, we asked for the single platform on the social economy, which the European Commission accepted. But now we have to go further and say what exactly we want through this platform. The new policy paper will address this issue. In parallel, we are undertaking a strategic reflection process to consolidate the organisation.

About the author

Justine Coopman

justine(at)socialgoodaccelerator.eu

Public Affairs and Communication

Lille, France

Strasbourg: a second successful European summit on Social Economy

by sogaccelerator | 13 May 2022 | Actualités de SOGA

Strasbourg: a second successful European summit on Social Economy

Almost one year after the Mannheim summit, the actors of the Social Economy met on 5 and 6 May in Strasbourg. The European Social Economy summit organised in the framework of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union and with the support of the Eurometropolis of Strasbourg.

The objective was to discuss the place of Social Economy in the European Union and its future. During these two days, many workshops and conferences were organised, gathering almost 2000 participants from 14 European countries. It was an opportunity to present these ideas and to meet the actors to cooperate on future projects.

The Social Good Accelerator had the chance to co-organise 2 workshops and a conference with its partners around the commons and digital and social transition(s). Let’s take a look back at these two days of exchanges and ideas on the social economy and the Europe of tomorrow.

Digital, social added value and concrete initiatives

Built with ConcertES, UNIPSO and Cooperatives EU, a first workshop aimed at providing a collective answer to the question: ‘how to empower Social Economy through digital?’ The concrete contributions of digital to the Social Economy were discussed. The participants, integrated in the conversation, had the role of bringing the reflection to fruition. After a joint presentation and validation of the problematic, the organisers presented inspiring projects and their common vision.

Three examples of digital empowerment of the Social Economy

1/ Unipso and ConcertES have set up the DigitalEES project. This project provides concrete support to enterprises in their digital transformation. One of the first actions is to raise awareness among social economy enterprises of the challenges of digital technology and to share experiences. Then, a specific digital transformation methodology is proposed to the social economy enterprise according to the results of its technological maturity assessment. Finally, personalised support is offered by specialists. Throughout, funding opportunities are proposed because one of the problems of the social economy is its difficulty in finding sources of funding.

2/ The Social Good Accelerator then had the opportunity to present the Social Tech Academy. This European project, created in partnership with Pour La Solidarité, EGInA SRL and Fundacion Esplai, aims to create a platform of resources for the digital professions of the social economy. This platform, which will be launched in 2023, will offer, among other things, interviews with professionals, webinars, job and training offers and various other tools to orient oneself towards the Social Tech professions.

3/ Finally, Cooperatives Europe presented its Coopedia initiative. Coopedia is a collaborative search engine that collects a wide range of educational resources in different languages on cooperative entrepreneurship. This project can be described as a “digital commons” (a digital resource owned by all) because the code is open source, meaning that it can be retrieved and used by anyone.

Once these inspiring projects were presented, the opportunities and constraints of digital transformation of social economy organisations were presented.

Collective intelligence for reflection on the digital transformation of the social economy

The aim of the game: each participant writes down his or her ideas on post-its that are stuck on a board, he or she presents them, debates them and the audience enriches them to arrive at a common response.

The ideas that emerged were as varied as they were relevant. In particular, the audience was able to identify a number of opportunities that are possible thanks to digital technology:

🟢 Digital technology allows the social economy to pool its practices and make economies of scale.

🟢 Digital technology allows projects to be shared with as many people as possible by breaking down territorial and language barriers (the language barrier being partly resolved by translators such as Deepl).

🟢 The collaborative practice of the social economy is very close to the practice of open source, which is an opportunity to develop an alternative internet.

Secondly, threats and shortcomings of digital were pointed out:

🔴 Lack of funding.

🔴 Digital marketing is less developed in social economy enterprises than in traditional enterprises, although it is just as important.

🔴 The technical language and philosophy of open source lead to impostor syndrome, which hinders its democratisation.

To improve this situation, several avenues were mentioned:
👉Funding innovation to redistribute and funding research and development to develop new tools
👉Create a social economy crypto-currency where all profits would be donated to social causes
👉Finance the design of social economy organisations through a fund to better design social economy interfaces
👉Make digital education a priority
👉Remove guilt digital technology for the vulnerable
👉Decentralise technologies
👉Bridge the gap between open source and decision-makers with interpreters who translate the technical language.
👉Putting a deadline on data for better protection of the environment and people
👉Encourage the sharing of resources

To the question of the contribution of social economy to digital, the main idea that emerged from the discussions was that social economy brings a different perspective to digital. It is a different philosophy that focuses on people first. Linking digital to social economy makes it possible to propose an alternative digital, closer to the basic idea of the Internet, centred on sharing and cooperation.

Digital commons and collaborative platforms

The workshop on digital commons brought together Jeanne Bretécher (President, Social Good Accelerator); Diana Dovgan (Secretary General, CECOP); Corinne Vercher-Chaptal (Teacher and researcher, Coop des Communs, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord) and Thierry Perrin (Confédération Générale des SCOP et des SCIC). This workshop, moderated by Sarah de Heusch (Smart Belgium), was an opportunity to review the links between commons and collaborative and cooperative platforms.

This workshop served as a bridge to the previous day’s workshop on concrete social digital initiatives. In addition, the DigitalEES project was presented as a tool to support the social economy in an organisational transition. Other points were then raised and linked, whether it was the conditions of platform workers or the European reference framework of basic digital skills (DigComp 2.2). At the heart of these examples, the aim is to use the digital commons intelligently to demonstrate impact.

In this respect, the Transition Pathways initiative was discussed. This open consultation aimed to draw the contours of environmental and digital transitions in the framework of the European objectives for 2050. The place reserved for the social economy must be significant, while ensuring that the European model is competitive, democratic and alternative to the large purely profit-making economic models.

Digital, social added value and concrete initiatives

Built with ConcertES, UNIPSO and Cooperatives EU, a first workshop aimed at providing a collective answer to the question: “how to empower SSE through digital? The concrete contributions of digital to the SSE were discussed. The participants, integrated in the conversation, had the role of bringing the reflection to fruition.

After a joint presentation and validation of the problematic, the organisers presented inspiring projects and their common vision.

Three examples of digital empowerment of the SSE

Unipso and ConcertES have set up the DigitalEES project. This project provides concrete support to enterprises in their digital transformation. One of the first actions is to raise awareness among social economy enterprises of the challenges of digital technology and to share experiences. Then, a specific digital transformation methodology is proposed to the SSE enterprise according to the results of its technological maturity assessment. Finally, personalised support is offered by specialists. Throughout, funding opportunities are proposed because one of the problems of the social economy is its difficulty in finding sources of funding.

The Social Good Accelerator then had the opportunity to present the Social Tech Academy. This European project, created in partnership with Pour la Solidarité, Egina SRL and Fundacion Esplai, aims to create a platform of resources for the digital professions of the SSE. This platform, which will be launched in 2023, will offer, among other things, interviews with professionals, webinars, job and training offers and various other tools to help people find their way into the Social Tech professions.

Finally, Cooperatives Europe presented its Coopedia initiative. Coopedia is a collaborative search engine that collects a wide range of educational resources in different languages on cooperative entrepreneurship. This project can be described as a “digital commons” (a digital resource owned by all) because the code is open source, meaning that it can be retrieved and used by anyone.

Once these inspiring projects were presented, the opportunities and constraints of digital transformation of social economy organisations also were.

About the authors

Justine Coopman

justine(at)socialgoodaccelerator.eu

La MedNum, “a singular structure” for digital inclusion

by sogaccelerator | 25 Mar 2022 | Communs & plaidoyer, Editorial, Interviews / Témoignages

La MedNum, “a singular structure” for digital inclusion

On March 15, 2022, Guilhem Pradalié, Managing Director of the MedNum, member of the Social Good Accelerator, granted us an interview during which he comes back on what the MedNum is, what are its projects, challenges and his role within the SOGA.

Guilhem Pradalié

(General Director of La MedNum)

Can you tell us about your professional background?

I have a background in economics and a master’s degree from Sciences Po Paris. I worked for ten years in the mutual insurance sector, at the Mutuelle générale de l’Éducation nationale (MGEN). I worked on various digital and innovation programmes, then in the group’s strategy department.

I was then advisor to the President, in charge of economic and financial issues, strategy and digital commitments until September 2021. I joined La MedNum as Managing Director in October 2021. Attached to the issues of digital inclusion and mediation, I mobilise the teams of the cooperative to facilitate and amplify the virtuous action of MedNum’s members on all territories.

What is MedNum?

MedNum is a singular structure. Indeed, it is a cooperative (NDLR Société coopérative d’intérêt collectif, i.e. a SCIC) which gathers very diverse members, all actors of digital inclusion. It fulfills missions of representation and structuring of a sector while carrying out “project” and “consulting” activities around the industrialisation of digital inclusion solutions. We work with our members to create national projects. The objective is to help the sector to develop while carrying the voice of its actors.

Who composes MedNum?

The team is composed of about 15 people. We have recently reorganised our activities around 3 departments: a research and advocacy department, a project department which is transversal and a finance and member services department which should be created at the end of the first semester. Finally, the general management is responsible for the communication and cooperative life departments, which are essential for the good animation of our networks and the promotion of our members’ actions.

But MedNum is composed of very diverse actors: more than 100 members, local authorities, the State, economic actors and other types of actors such as private individuals, actors of digital mediation who carry together, beyond the social issue, the values of the free, the common… In short, digital technology in the service of the general interest.

Speaking of values, what are those of MedNum?

First and foremost, we are attached to the common good and the general interest. This is reflected in the very form of our cooperative and in the way it operates. We intervene more broadly on all subjects by developing the idea of a responsible digital technology accessible to all (health, territories, education, reception of refugees, culture…). We are obviously very attached to the culture of the free internet and the commons, like many of our members.

You implement these values in particular through the projects that you carry out. Which of these projects makes you the most proud?

It’s hard to choose, because the projects are all important! But I would say, because of the current context of the war in Ukraine, that “refugiés.info” is the one that makes me most proud. The teams are personally committed to it, putting all their skills at its service. There is a big human investment in this project, which is currently the government’s official platform for connecting French people who want to help with accommodation with associations and people who express the need.

What does the Réfugiés.info project consist of?

In “normal” times, it is an information portal, contributory and open-source, co-developed with the Interministerial Delegation for the Reception and Integration of Refugees, which provides simple and translated information to refugees and their carers.

This project helps refugees to find an initiative, a training adapted to their situation, to understand the administrative procedures or to consult the directory to find an association.

This platform works like Wikipedia: everyone can contribute by writing or translating practical information.

If you had to summarise the main challenges of MedNum today, what would they be?

First of all, it would be to succeed in making the voice of our members heard during the various upcoming elections, presidential and legislative. We have big objectives around data projects this year, but also around the launch of a version 2 of the telephone platforms for help and support in everyday digital uses.

The presidential elections are coming soon in France. You have published your proposals for the 2022 presidential election. What problem do you address and what solutions do you advocate?

In France, more than 14 million people are said to be in a situation of digital fragility, i.e. remote, unequipped and/or in great difficulty with the various uses of digital technology. This is the social justice issue to which we are responding.

We recommend actions on 4 important themes for our members: education, employment and purchasing power, health and the environment.

We especially insist on the need to create a real professional sector of digital mediation, by working for example on the stability of the financing of digital inclusion structures, to offer digital services accessible to all and everywhere and to promote a digital society of general interest, free, open, universal and collective.

In terms of education, we propose to make digital education a priority in education, from primary to higher education, in order to train the enlightened citizens of tomorrow, and to equip, raise awareness and train professionals in education and social support. But also to affirm the complementarities between mediation and digital education while paying specific attention to particularly remote audiences.

On the issues of employment and purchasing power, we are working to intensify efforts to train and support young people and jobseekers in digital technology; to make businesses a real place for learning about digital technology; to support small organisations in their digital transformation; and to make digital technology an accelerator of citizens’ purchasing power. We defend, for example, the implementation of a real “social internet tariff” for low-income households.

Finally, in terms of health, La MedNum proposes to act as close as possible to people in fragile situations to guarantee them access to information and care, to reinforce the acculturation dynamic between digital mediation and the world of health and to create the conditions for user confidence in the use of digital health.

Finally, what are your links and your expectations of the Social Good Accelerator?

La MedNum has been a member of the Social Good Accelerator for two years. We are partners in the Social Tech Academy project, which explores the digital skills of the SSE to create an information portal, and members of the European Public Affairs working group.

For many people, European issues still seem far away, but we are convinced that running projects of this scale is effective, both in terms of sharing good practice with our neighbours, and in stimulating interesting policy developments for the Social Economy sector and digital inclusion in particular.

Being part of the Social Good Accelerator allows us to have a common environment to express our expectations and to pool the means to achieve them. This is a direct extension of the way we work with our members and is particularly in line with our values.

About the author

Justine Coopman

justine(at)socialgoodaccelerator.eu

Public Affairs and Communication

Lille, France

Open letter: the necessary digital transition of the social economy

by sogaccelerator | 10 Mar 2022 | Actualités de SOGA, Communs & plaidoyer, Editorial

Open letter: Anchoring the social and solidarity economy in its digital future

In February 2022, the Social Good Accelerator and its 70 members maintained its vision in its open letter. A better world can only be made with the full support of social economy, which also has to be digitalised. This is how the association defines the key role of the digital transition of social economy in solving social problems with full potential.

In 2018, Jeanne Bretécher and Steven Bertal founded the Social Good Accelerator to gather the digital sector and social economy

Source: Social Good Accelerator

Our vision: to encourage technological innovation actors to develop and collaborate with social innovation actors in Europe

Four years ago, the Social Good Accelerator (SOGA EU) association was born in France from a double observation: on the one hand, the digital transition of social economy organisations in Europe is left to one side by public policies and funders, and on the other hand, the digital models of social economy encounter too many obstacles to their development.

Its 70 members wish to defend together the vision of a digital social economy (Social Tech) and European, centred on “digital commons”, sustainable and available to all, and to have social economy organisations recognised as actors of the technological transition.

SOGA EU’s work aims to inform social economy actors and decision-makers of the innovative responses proposed to mitigate the digital divide, Uberisation, platform abuses and to promote equity for people who are far from employment, discriminated against in training and retraining.

The challenges: towards a collaborative and responsible digital model for tomorrow’s economy

In the framework of the European Social Economy Action Plan, which SOGA has been working on, and especially the need for new ideas to emerge to build resilience for all, social economy necessarily has a role to play.

However, as our study – ‘Cooperation between social utility and tech actors in Europe’ – has shown, most social economy organisations – whatever their status – encounter obstacles in their development similar to those of very small enterprises, with additional difficulties linked to their lack of profit, the financing of projects to the detriment of the structures, and the lack of sectoral organisation on these issues.

To meet the challenges of today and tomorrow, SOGA believes that the digital transition can be an opportunity to finally scale up the European SSE, provided that it creates real alternatives and new economic, social and environmental opportunities. To activate this lever, SOGA is promoting and developing digital mediation, UX design and open data.

Our actions: the urgent need to accelerate the digital transition of social economy for a new European horizon

To address the status quo in this area, the Social Good Accelerator managed to :

publish a European study on cooperation between social economy and Tech actors.
conducting advocacy at national and European level.
launch the first mapping of Social Tech in Europe and soon present the first European information and guidance platform with associated professions (with support from the European Erasmus+ fund).

The Social Good Accelerator’s team presented its research work to the DG Grow, in Brussels, in January 2020

Source: Social Good Accelerator

Since 2018, the media, public policy and funders’ views have shifted towards :

an awareness in the social economy sector of its backwardness and difficulties in terms of digital transition – particularly highlighted by the health crisis.
a consideration of territorial needs in terms of digital mediation to preserve territorial equality and access to fundamental rights.
a need to correlate ecological and digital transition to decarbonise the economy.
the observation that some digital citizen responses were effective during the health crisis, as they remain.

The Social Economy Action Plan and its presentation were a watershed moment for the sector

Source: European Commission

Our proposals: give the social economy the tools for a successful digital transition

Ensuring effective equal opportunities and rights to digital transformation

There is a latent lack of training for digital talent, including in the SSE. This is why the public authorities need to provide an impetus to promote support for the digital transformation of organisations that are both economic players and intermediaries for the most vulnerable populations. In this respect, the European action plan for the social economy includes a digital component. The recommendations contained therein give levers of action to the decision-making bodies to act in the direction of these two sectors. Both France and the European Union must set an example and promote ambitious policies to support this change in the general interest.

Developing digital skills: digital citizenship and new jobs.

While almost 85% of the jobs that will be practised in 2030 probably do not yet exist, it seems essential to gradually train the active population for the transformations of the economy, which is becoming increasingly digital and social.

Together with three European partners, SOGA has devised a step-by-step training programme through the Social Tech Academy project. The idea here is to develop digital skills by pooling resources on existing training in these areas. The focus on a resource platform aims to enable the digital transformation of the EU, which has the ambition to train 80% of the Union’s population in basic digital skills by 2030.

Unlocking funding for digital innovation in social economy organisations and the development of new models

Through European actions and forward thinking, SOGA works to build bridges between local actions and European policies through a common collaboration framework.

Nevertheless, they require fiscal, normative and financial support and continuous mobilisation to promote alternative models.

In the meantime, SOGA wishes to further explore the potential for cooperation between social economy and digital actors in Europe. There are many possibilities to achieve cross innovation, i.e. social and sustainable digital innovation: setting up a European model of “social tech” clusters, promoting project collaborations between social economy and innovative SMEs, or an ambitious European development programme for open and free technologies and databases. We ask to facilitate access to funding for new models combining digital transition and social economy.

In 2018, the pioneers of the Social Good Accelerator organised the Social Innovation Village in the Web Summit in Lisbon

Source: Social Good Accelerator

Cooperation and digital commons: continuation and upcoming events
In the framework of the European Social Economy Action Plan, which SOGA has been working on, and especially the need for new ideas to emerge to build resilience for all, social economy necessarily has a role to play.

Under the impulse of France, the Social Good Accelerator community, and more globally the social economy structures from all over Europe have the hope to see the issues of :

- - - - inclusive and equitable digital transformation in the territories
        
        promotion of alternative cooperative models
        
        digital skills development

The importance of the sector in France favours its promotion. The benefits of this sustainable economic and social model must be developed by the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union in line with the Social Economy Action Plan, presented on 16 December 2021 by the European Commission. The time has come to anchor social economy in its 2.0 version for greater resilience and full inclusion of all publics.

The Social Good Accelerator is counting on this momentum to continue to assert that the open data and the social and digital nature of the economy carry within them a European model in the making. As further evidence of the importance of a healthy public debate and the central role of epistemic communities like ours, see you in 2022 in Strasbourg on the occasion of the Conference on Social Economy, and for the European Social Good Week which will promote the digital social economy ecosystem between Paris, Lisbon and Brussels.

About the author

The Social Good Accelerator and its members

jeanne(at)socialgoodaccelerator.eu

Lettre ouverte – Ancrer l’ESS dans son avenir numérique

by sogaccelerator | 20 Feb 2022 | Communs & plaidoyer, Editorial

Lettre ouverte – Ancrer l’économie sociale et solidaire dans son avenir numérique

février 2022 - Social Good Accelerator et ses 70 membres

Contexte

En février 2022, le Social Good Accelerator (SOGA) et ses 70 membres ont souhaité réaffirmer leur vision : un monde plus juste et durable ne peut se construire qu’avec le plein soutien de l’économie sociale et solidaire (ESS).
Encore faut-il que cette économie soit pleinement numérisée, afin de jouer tout son rôle dans la résolution des défis sociaux et environnementaux.

personnes-prenant-part-a-un-evenement-de-haut-protocole

Nos constats

Créée en 2018, l’association est née d’un double constat :

la transition numérique des organisations de l’ESS est encore largement ignorée par les politiques publiques et les financeurs,
les modèles numériques alternatifs portés par l’ESS rencontrent trop d’obstacles à leur développement.

Nos 70 membres défendent ensemble une vision d’économie sociale numérique européenne (Social Tech) fondée sur :

les communs numériques,
la durabilité,
l’accessibilité pour toutes et tous.

Nous demandons la reconnaissance pleine et entière des organisations de l’ESS comme acteurs de la transition technologique.

Les défis à relever

L’ESS européenne fait face à des difficultés structurelles :

financement de projets au détriment du renforcement des structures,
manque de ressources humaines et de compétences numériques,
obstacles similaires à ceux des très petites entreprises, aggravés par l’absence de but lucratif.

Pourtant, la transition numérique peut être une opportunité d’essaimage, d’innovation et de montée en puissance de l’ESS à l’échelle européenne. Encore faut-il créer de véritables alternatives et ouvrir de nouvelles perspectives économiques, sociales et environnementales.

Nos propositions

1. Garantir l’égalité des droits dans la transformation numérique

Il est urgent de soutenir les structures de l’ESS dans leur transition digitale. Les pouvoirs publics doivent impulser une politique ambitieuse afin de donner à ces acteurs, qui accompagnent aussi les publics vulnérables, les moyens de se transformer.

2. Développer les compétences numériques

Près de 85 % des métiers de 2030 n’existent pas encore. L’ESS doit s’y préparer en formant progressivement salariés, bénévoles et publics accompagnés aux compétences numériques.
Avec nos partenaires européens, nous développons des programmes de formation et une plateforme de ressources partagée via le projet Social Tech Academy.

3. Libérer des financements pour l’innovation numérique sociale

De nouveaux modèles alliant ESS et numérique doivent être soutenus fiscalement, réglementairement et financièrement.
Nous plaidons pour :

un programme européen ambitieux de soutien aux technologies libres et ouvertes,
la création de clusters Social Tech européens,
la coopération entre ESS, PME innovantes et acteurs du numérique éthique.

Nos actions déjà engagées

Depuis 2018, le SOGA et ses membres ont :

publié une étude européenne sur la coopération entre ESS et acteurs Tech,
mené des actions de plaidoyer national et européen,
lancé la première cartographie européenne de la Social Tech,
initié le développement d’une plateforme d’orientation et d’information financée par Erasmus+.

Ces efforts ont contribué à :

renforcer la prise de conscience des retards numériques de l’ESS,
valoriser la médiation numérique comme outil d’égalité territoriale,
corréler transition numérique et transition écologique,
démontrer la pertinence des solutions citoyennes issues du numérique libre.

Un momentum européen à saisir

Avec le Plan d’action européen pour l’économie sociale (2021–2030) et la Présidence française du Conseil de l’UE, une fenêtre historique s’ouvre.
Nous appelons les décideurs à :

promouvoir une transition numérique inclusive et équitable,
soutenir les modèles coopératifs et alternatifs,
renforcer le développement des compétences numériques citoyennes.

L’ESS numérique doit être ancrée dès aujourd’hui dans les politiques européennes pour garantir résilience, innovation et justice sociale.

Je découvre les actions de plaidoyer du SOGA

Pourquoi le Social Good Accelerator a-t-il publié une lettre ouverte en février 2022 ?

Le SOGA et ses 70 membres ont voulu rappeler que l’économie sociale et solidaire (ESS) doit être pleinement intégrée dans la transition numérique européenne, afin de jouer son rôle clé dans la résolution des défis sociaux et environnementaux.

Quels sont les principaux constats du Social Good Accelerator ?

Deux constats majeurs : la transition numérique des structures de l’ESS est largement ignorée par les politiques publiques, et les modèles numériques alternatifs portés par l’ESS rencontrent trop d’obstacles pour se développer.

Quelles propositions concrètes formule le SOGA ?

La lettre ouverte avance trois priorités :

garantir l’égalité des droits et des opportunités dans la transformation numérique,
développer les compétences numériques des citoyens et des acteurs de l’ESS,
faciliter l’accès aux financements pour l’innovation sociale et numérique.

Quelles actions a déjà menées le Social Good Accelerator ?

Depuis 2018, le SOGA a publié une étude européenne sur la coopération entre ESS et Tech, lancé une cartographie de la Social Tech, mené des actions de plaidoyer et développé une plateforme d’orientation financée par Erasmus+.

Quel est le lien avec le Plan d’action européen pour l’économie sociale ?

Le SOGA contribue activement à ce plan, qui couvre la période 2021–2030. La lettre ouverte insiste sur l’urgence d’y intégrer une composante numérique forte pour soutenir les organisations de l’ESS.

Comment puis-je soutenir cette démarche ?

Vous pouvez adhérer au Social Good Accelerator, participer aux groupes de travail, relayer nos actions ou soutenir financièrement nos projets.

The Social Good Accelerator joins the Pact for Skills!

by sogaccelerator | 31 Jan 2022 | Actualités de SOGA

The Social Good Accelerator joins the Pact for Skills!

At the end of 2020, European Commissioners Breton and Schmit made public the core of the EU’s skills strategy, the Pact for Skills. They called on all European organisations involved in the upskilling of individuals to meet the EU’s skills needs. But what does this ambition entail? And more importantly, what does it mean that the Social Good Accelerator is part of it?

Commissionner Nicolas Schmit presents the Pact for Skills during an event organised by SOGA’s partner, AllDigital

Source: AllDigital

The Berlaymont building of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium

Source: Creative commons

Between strong ambitions and a new approach
The pact for skills is first and foremost part of the context of economic recovery after the pandemic crisis, as well as the European ambitions in terms of ecological and digital transitions. In this way, the European Union underlines the crucial role of skills in the challenges facing its economy. This strong ambition is reflected in the desire to bring all the continent’s organisations together under a single banner. The aim is for them to work “together to make a clear commitment to invest in the training of all people of working age throughout the Union”.

Employment and Social Rights Commissioner Schmit said that “skills must be a key element of the strategy” of employers in the EU. Internal Market Commissioner Breton went on to stress the importance of “European talent, which is at the heart of our industrial resilience and will drive the economic recovery” of tomorrow.

A pact to anchor the European economy of tomorrow
Any organisation wishing to join the skills pact must also sign a charter, which sets out a common vision on quality training and the objectives of the pact. By joining the pact, stakeholders will have access to resources and networking platforms. In addition, the EU will provide information on the short-term direction of European programmes, with resilience remaining at its heart.

By introducing broad partnerships within the same ecosystems, the Skills Pact is part of the European authorities’ quest for sustainable competitiveness, social equity and resilience. These objectives are reflected in the European Commission’s willingness to mobilise resources and to encourage the parties involved in the pact to take measures to promote retraining, skills upgrading and continuing education. However, this must not be allowed to hinder the ecological and digital transitions, nor local and regional development strategies.

Through the new European industrial strategy, the importance of skills has been recognised in European economies in transition. The Social Good Accelerator projects, the Social Tech Atlas and the Social Tech Academy, are part of this desire to offer the citizens of the Union the common ground and the skills necessary for the social, solidarity (and digital) economy of tomorrow. The Skills Pact remains open to any organisation driven by this philosophy of building the future together.

Sources and useful links:

– Press release, The Pact for Skills: mobilising all partners to invest in skills, European Commission, Brussels, 2020

– The Pact for Skills Charter

– Form to join the Pact for Skills

Social Good Week: back to the first round table

by sogaccelerator | 28 Jan 2022 | Actualités de SOGA

Social Good Week: back to the first round table

On 25 January, the Social Good Accelerator, in partnership with Social Economy Europe, co-organised the first event of the European version of Social Good Week. Four years after its last edition launched by HelloAsso, the Social Good Accelerator took up the torch at the beginning of the year for a first teaser.
A first round table, centered around the scaling up of the social economy, was broadcast live from Brussels to a hundred or so connected people. It was an opportunity to recall the favourable context towards a European approach for a digital society. Between the Data Service Act, the Digital Decade of Europe, the Pact for Skills and of course the Action Plan for the Social Economy, there are many public policies in favour of the sector. Let’s take a look at what the speakers at this inaugural event had to say on this subject.

The poster of the first pre-launch event of the Social Good Week, co-organised by the Social Good Accelerator and Social Economy Europe

Source: Social Good Accelerator

Barbara Trachte intevenes at the Brussels regional Parliament

Source: Belga

The findings and ambitions of the decision-makers
The first speaker was Barbara Trachte, who began by recalling her commitment to innovation and the social economy, to digital technology and to Europe. The Secretary of State for the Brussels region praised the actions carried out by a number of social entrepreneurs based in the Belgian capital. Ms Trachte took the opportunity to detail the regional innovation plan, which will run until 2027.

It aims, for example, to act on support for innovative initiatives involved in “emerging or unsatisfied societal needs”. Barbara Trachte took the opportunity to congratulate the association’s approach to putting the digital transition of the social economy more on the European agenda. The moderators of the round table, Jeanne Bretécher and Víctor Meseguer, took the opportunity to ask Barbara Trachte to detail the actions taken at regional level during her mandate.

Rowan Barnett (Director of the Google Foundation for Europe, the Middle East and Africa) was then asked by the moderators to better understand the American firm’s code of conduct. Jeanne Bretécher underlined the reticence of social economy actors with regard to GAFAM tools. Rowan Barnett emphasised Google’s approach, which is not at all dirigiste, but on the contrary, allows social innovation projects to develop in more serene financial conditions. In particular, he had the opportunity to present Google’s ambition to help the European social economy through a 20 million euro fund.

Then, Isidro Laso, advisor to the European Commissioner for Innovation and Youth Mariya Gabriel, spoke about the role of the Commission in helping the emergence of new forms of cooperation and collaboration. He took the opportunity to detail the links that exist between the European Innovation and Research Agenda and the action plan for the social economy. There are many bridges, and the ambitions of the public authorities to see this kind of innovative relationship emerge are strong.

Rowan Barnett presents the approach of Google Foundation to support European Social Economy at the Social Good Week

Source: Social Good Accelerator

Julie Foulon maintened that gender equality in the digital sector is both a necessity and an objective to reach in the next years

Source: Girleek

Concrete actions carried out by Brussels’ changemakers
The second part of the round table was devoted to a focus on the actors of Social Tech in Brussels. Julie Foulon, founder of Girleek and co-founder of Molengeek, was able to detail her wish to see parity in the digital world. This is why she founded this association in 2017, which aims to train women in the tools of the sector. Julie Foulon was able to return to the role of the social economy as an essential breeding ground for innovation in the digital sector.

Then, Chanel Genova, digital strategist at SocialWARE, detailed the ambitions of the association for which she is invested with regard to the action plan of the social economy. The woman from Liège emphasised the essential support of the European authorities, before presenting solutions to develop the solutions that SocialWARE is already implementing, but on a larger level this time. On many points, the vision of Girleek, SocialWARE and the Social Good Accelerator come together and complement each other.

Lastly, Carl Mörch, director of FARI, was able to explain his favourite subjects, namely open data and artificial intelligence. Indeed, FARI is an artificial intelligence institute for the common good launched by the Free University of Brussels, the Vrije Universiteit van Brussel and the regional government. Carl Mörch was able to present the actors most likely to invest in research to initiate systemic changes in the social economy and innovation sector. For example, the Bettancourt Schueller Foundation is one of those actors who would like to see the development of innovation and solidarity incubators in the form of clusters.

He was then able to return to the role of local entities in the actions they carry out for the common good and innovation, whether in Belgium or elsewhere. Of course, national entities also have a key role. This is the case of the King Baudouin Foundation, for example, which finances data tanks.

Carl Mörch presented the works of FARI, an artificial intelligence institute for the common good based in Brussels, Belgium

Source: Social Good Week

The diversity of this panel of speakers made it possible to put on the table the concerns common to each of the participants. There is no shortage of solutions for improving the European digital social economy, and the same is true for the initiatives launched by the Brussels and Belgian players who were present. The inspirations are numerous, the ambitions are strong, and the policies are encouraging. In short, the social economy has probably never been as popular as it is at the moment. One question remains unanswered: how the action plan will be translated into action by these local actors. Only time will tell. In the meantime, the Social Good Accelerator, its team and a host of social tech actors look forward to seeing you in Lisbon in spring for the second event!

Social Economy Action Plan: a first awareness on digital transition?

by sogaccelerator | 21 Jan 2022 | Communs & plaidoyer, Editorial

Social Economy Action Plan: a first awareness on digital transition?

‘An impressive public policy launched by the EU, which offers a positive project for the EU’. With these words, the team of our partner Social Economy Europe welcomed the Social Economy Action Plan, which will significantly improve a sector in which 6.3% of the EU population is employed. 38 concrete actions will be put in place over the next 9 years to help a sector that is destined to be more and more present in the daily life of EU citizens. One month after the presentation of this plan by Commissioners Schmit and Breton, let’s take a look at some of the highlights of this unprecedented, innovative and ambitious policy document.

From left to right : Marta Lozano Molano (Wazo Cooperative), Tamsin Rose (moderator), Sofi Friedland (Just Arrived) and Stefan van Tulder (Talent Data Labs) talking about new forms of alliances existing in the social economy during the presentation of the Action Plan in Brussels, on 16 December 2021

Source: European Commission

Persons in the attendance of the presentation of the Social Economy Action Plan discussing

Source: European Commission

Between assessments and concrete actions, an ambitious plan for Europe
In its drive to include the most disadvantaged people in labour markets and society, “the social economy is a real pillar that provides essential services” to these same groups. Many EU citizens have access to sustainable employment through the social economy. Indeed, depending on the country, between 0.6% and 9.9% of the population work in this essential sector. However, despite the importance of the sector and the values it promotes, the social economy remains unknown to far too many people.

Nevertheless, the Action Plan explicitly mentions the legal forms of organisations in the sector: cooperatives, foundations, social enterprises, mutuals, and others, which fall within the scope of these new regulations. Measures will be put in place to facilitate the work of cross-border organisations in the sector, both in terms of legislation and taxonomy. These measures will, among other things, help to better anchor the social economy at regional and local level.

In parallel to this issue, the ecological and digital transition will have a key place in the European social economy of tomorrow. There is still a long way to go to get there, even if the ambitions of the action plan are strong to give social economy structures the keys to develop. Several points echo what the Social Good Accelerator has been advocating since its creation in 2018.

Improve the access to fundings and grants
The social economy action plan is accompanied by changes in the line of European budgets in this area. Over two periods of structural investment funds, the differences will be noticeable. Indeed, in the 2014-2020 period, almost 2.5 billion euros have been mobilised for the social economy at EU level. For the next period, the European Commission has indicated its interest in increasing budgets in this area. These ambitions are anchored in the dual objective of developing the social economy, but also of moving towards the success of the next major European meetings for the sector.

In 2023, the EU Council should have adopted all the necessary recommendations for the development of the social economy, before adopting a new single portal for the sector, which will be launched in 2030.
These dates may seem far away, but they are rooted in realism. These tools will be adopted at a time when the social economy will have a much more important place on the continent than it has today.

Persons in the attendance of the presentation of the Social Economy Action Plan discussing

Source: European Commission

Juan Antonio Pedreño (Social Economy Europe) calls to support the implementation of the Action Plan, and talks about the future of Social Economy in the continent.

Source: European Commission

Towards the digital transition of social economy?
With the aim of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, the European Union is banking on renewable energies, but also on the digital transition. So why? The reason is simple: the social economy contributes to the dissemination of good practices and will be able to offer a response to the growth of the circular and collaborative economy in all spheres of society.

This is also in line with the European Pillar of Social Rights, presented in 2017 at the Gothenburg Summit (Sweden). One of the key points of this commitment is to offer basic digital skills to 80% of 16-74 year-olds at EU level. As part of the drive to be one of the most equitable societies in the world, European public authorities have in mind the importance of bridging the existing digital divide through mediation, education and acculturation to digital tools. The social economy is, in its very essence, a real driver for a fair and inclusive digital transition. By deploying basic technological tools, many social economy organisations contribute to this objective of the European pillar of social rights.

Replicating success stories to ensure equitable transitions
To help strengthen this pillar, the action plan focuses on digital tools to enable the social economy to develop fully in the single market. In particular, digital tools can enable social organisations to move from a local to a national or even European level.

Several Member States have inspiring social and digital transformation initiatives on their territory that can be replicated elsewhere. On the point of governance, for example, there are many tools that can be used to move towards a more participatory model, with greater involvement of citizens.

At the level of local authorities, interregional cooperation must be strengthened “to guarantee and stimulate this digital transition”, the action plan states.

Commissionner Schmit presented the Action Plan to the press a few days prior to its public presentation

Source: European Commission

The Commissionners Breton and Schmit presenting the Social Economy Action Plan in Brussels, on 16 December 2021

Source: Social Good Accelerator

The role of social economy actors involved in Tech4Good is also particularly highlighted. Their role in the deployment of digital technologies is described as crucial to the overall impact of making the sector ever more social and ecological. Thus, this particular type of actor also helps to foster new digital business models or cooperations. It is on this particular point that the importance of the collaborative economy and that of platforms, at the heart of a process of revitalisation of the local level, is highlighted.

Maximising the contribution of the social economy to the ecological and digital transitions
The action plan outlines the role of the sector in moving towards a green and digital transition in a number of concrete points and objectives. These transitions will, among other things, provide citizens with a digital future based on people, sustainability and prosperity. They thus serve as a real pivot for replicating and replicating successful initiatives in other localities.

Finally, the role of digital is highlighted in the importance of improving working conditions in the social economy, but not only. Practices such as data management or data processing are unfortunately still marginal in the sector, although the relevance of their use is no longer in question. This is one of the reasons why social enterprises (such as digital transformation accelerators) are seeking to make these digital tools more accessible and affordable, especially for organisations that sometimes have modest means. It remains to be seen how these ambitions will be translated into legislation at European and national levels.