Promoting cooperatives and the Social Economy in Greece. How to promote the social economy in Greece through social cooperatives, worker cooperatives, and cooperatives of artisans and of SMEs.

In the first part of this report, we will briefly summarize the challenges facing Greece as well as the existing cooperative and social economy context, both in terms of regulatory framework and of the reality on the ground.

In the second, more extended part, we will try to summarize some CICOPA network’s experience and expertise in different countries across the world, which appears to be particularly relevant to the Greek context today, such as business transfers to the employees of enterprises on the verge of closing down, the integration of vulnerable groups, social services to small children and the elderly, the rural economy, artisans’ groupings, tourism, economic organising among immigrants, multi-stakeholder and mixed forms of cooperatives. This section is aimed at stimulating the imagination of the reader, and make him/her understand the potential of cooperatives and the large international experience that could be put to good use in Greece.

In the third part of this report, we will describe the international coordinating experience of CICOPA itself, in running complex development projects, stimulating the setting up of national cooperative federations, elaborating world sectoral cooperative standards, as well as analysing and advising on a vast array of cooperative legislation.

International Cooperative Alliance www.cicopa.coop