Postponed / Civil Society Days 2020 - Related Agenda

Organised by:Social Economy Europe (SEE), Cooperatives Europe and EESC section Single Market, Production and Consumption (INT)

Concept note:

What is the Social Economy?

The Social Economy is the driving force of societal innovation: made up of enterprises and organisations of different sizes, such as cooperatives, associations, foundations and mutual and social enterprises, among other forms specific to each Member State. Diverse enterprises and organisations united around common values and features like putting people and the social objective before profits, being democratically run, contributing to social objectives, reinvesting most of the profits in the sustainability of the organisation, as well as principles of solidarity and responsibility.

There are 2.8 million Social Economy enterprises and organisation in the EU, employing 13.6 million people, and representing 8% of the EU’s GDP.

Organised by: European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and EESC Sustainable Development Observatory (SDO)

Concept of the workshop

The workshop should focus on the key elements of the European Green Deal (EGD) in terms of environmental sustainability – biodiversity, climate, non-toxic environment (air, industrial emissions, chemicals) – and what civil society argues the EGD and its elements need to deliver. It will include close links to SDG implementation and examine how the SDGs can be achieved in the European context through the actions proposed by the EGD. It will look specifically at civil society's contribution to the design of the EGD and how it can support its implementation and monitor the various strategies announced.