THIRD AGREEMENT FOR THE SOCIAL ECONOMY IN ANDALUSIA

A - DESCRIPTION OF THE GOOD PRACTICE

A1 - Title in original language
III PACTO ANDALUZ POR LA ECONOMÍA SOCIAL

A2 - Title in English
THIRD AGREEMENT FOR THE SOCIAL ECONOMY IN ANDALUSIA

A3 - Location of GP (national)
Spain

A4 - Location of GP (regional)
SEVILLE - ANDALUSIA

A5 - Economic field of activity

A6 - Ultimate purpose of GP
To practically facilitate or enable social enterpreneurship
To improve policy environment for social enterprise
To respond to crisis

A7 - Spatial scale
Regional (large scale)

A8a - Start date
16th December 2011

A8b - Anticipated end date (if applicable)
15th December 2015

A9 - Short description of the GP
The Third Agreement on Social Economy in Andalusia is structured with the aim of promoting economic, social and laboral development, in a more sustainable development framework, through an innovative and entrepreneurial social economy, that generates more and better enterprises and employment of quality, on the basis of the principles of social responsibility, solidarity, participation, democracy and equality. The signing parts, that know in a wide way the specifications that characterize this sector, in the double co-relation that it's set up between its social aims and its necessary objectives and entrepreneurial interests, make the set of actions and objectives of the Third Agreement over the following strategic scopes, on which it has to be laid down and where it has to be promoted a better development of the andalusian social economy: I) Principles and values of the social economy, II) Economical activity and entrepreneurial development, III) Employment of quality and work relationship, IV) Rural and local development, as a tool for the social cohesion, V) Structuring and organization of the andalusian social economy, and last VI) Development, monitoring and review of the Agreement.

A10 - Key words relating to the GP
Social responsibility
Sustainable development
Cooperativism
Social clauses
Entrepreunarial attitude, competitiviness, innovation.

A11 - Objectives of the GP

To promote the principles, values and practices of social economy, on the whole andalusian society and in the productive system itself.
To create and consolidate more and better sustainable enterprises in the framework of the andalusian social economy.
To foster the employment of quality, the improvement of labour conditions and the professional, productivity, and management capacity of the people partners and workers of the social economy.
To improve the quality of life and the social and economical cohesion in the local and rural scope.
To strengthen and position the social economy as a visible interlocutor in the civil society, promoting and consolidating the entrepreneurial associations and their organizational structures.
To build and start the General Commission on Development, Monitoring and Review of the Agreement, to achieve the best level of efficiency and effectiveness in the objectives and actions that it is made up.

A12 - Activities that have taken place

Development of programs promoting the entrepreneurial activity.
Development of an innovation strategy.
Development of training programs.
Investment incentives linked to the modernization and creation of projects of social economy.
Program for the incorporation of new partners in cooperatives and labour societies, foreseen the creation of 280 jobs.
Program to support the innovation and competitiveness of the social economy enterprises.

A13 - Achievements of the GP
The Third Agreement for the Social Economy in Andalusia is an achievement itself, taking into account that is the continuity of the previous two Agreements for the Social Economy in Andalusia. The first and second Agreements signed in the years 2002 and 2006 have established solid basis, with a lot of experience that have allowed reinforcing the effectiveness of the promotion policies and the development of the andalusian social economy. The first Agreement made possible the framework for compromise and visibility of an essential sector in both andalusian economy and society. The Second one, opened the framework for dialogue and gave recognition to the heterogeneity of the activities carried out by the social economy enterprises.

B - IMPACT ON SOCIETY AND ECONOMY

B1 - How has the GP impacted on the following?

B1a - Legal/financial exclusion
Very positive impacts
Any other comments?
The 2013 budget is a supportive budget, focused in the creation of employment, and hence, sensible to the promotion and strengthening of the social economy. Andalusia bet for years for the social economy since it's a entrepreneurial model that have several benefits, added to its strength as economical activity, with more than 7.000 enterprises, which give employment to more than 60.000 partners and workers.

B1b - Creation or conservation of local employment
Very positive impacts
Any other comments?
The impact on the employment of the social economy is very positive, inclusive taking into account the serious crisis in which we are immersed. In the past term of office, there have been developed 94 initiatives, actions and programs for the dissemination and promotion of the social economy, and also 62 projects for the promotion of the innovation and the competitiveness of enterprises of social economy have been executed. There have been encouraged 748 entrepreneurial projects with the creation of 800 new jobs, consolidating 15.000 jobs and with investments superior than 80 million Euros.

B1c - Adaptation to new realities
Very positive impacts
Any other comments?
Precisely, the aim of the Third Agreement of Social Economy in Andalusia pretends the adaptation of the social economy to the new and difficult socio-economic situation. The worldwide crisis suffered by all the economies has its first negative effect on the loss of business and the destruction of jobs, that in a context of intensive growth of the active population is causing a significant increasing of the unemployment rate and the dislocation of business. In this complex situation, the development of Andalusia has to be based more and more in the initiatives of the citizens, supported by public policies, where the social economy can play a strategic role. Indeed, the social economy is a wide sector, adapted to a society in constant productive process, creator and generator of new models and entrepreneurial initiatives, and employment of quality, that changes and fits itself to new processes, that renews its organizational structures, and that is in constant search of the entrepreneurial interrelation that satisfys its own objectives and those of the society as a whole. In that context, the Government of the Junta de Andalucia, Union General of Employers Trade Union (UGT), Worker's Committees Trade Union, (CCOO) and the Confederation of Entities for the Social Economy have participated in order to design a framework of impetus and a greater development of the social economy to contribute in an active way, both to reduce the effects of the actual crisis, as to participate in the new recovery formulas and social and economic development of Andalusia.

B1d - Cross sectoral working
Very positive impacts
Any other comments?
The intersectoriality exchange is demonstrated just by the signing entities themselves of the Third Agreement of Social Economy, since it has been signed by three different types of entities involved in the social economy: the Public Administration through the Regional Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Science of Andalusisa; two Trade Unions, CCOO and UGT, and the Confederation of Entities for the Social Economy in Andalusia, composed by organization of enterprises of social economy and self-employed persons o Andalusia. Another point that indicates the intersectoriality exchange of the Third Agreement of Social Economy can be found in its objectives II and IV. According to these, they want to create more and better sustainable enterprises in the framework of social economy, focused on activities both of traditional sectors such as construction, transport and tourism, as well as rising sectors such as renewable energies, New technologies, biotechnology, cultural industries, eco-industry, social services, and so on in the local and rural sector.

B1e - Enablement of social enterpreneurship
Positive impacts
Any other comments?
The Third Agreement of Social Economy in Andalusia proposes a great variety of actions to encourage and improve the accessibility to the social entrepreneurship:

To encouragement and impulse in the contracts with the Public Administration of social clauses that value behaviours in the enterprises linked to the entrepreneur social responsibility and that are related directly to the rights, the equality, the link-up to the territory, the person as a principal element, the involvement of workers, the democracy, the distribution of the wealth, etc.
Development of specific programs of dissemination, information, assessment, training, technical assistant, pre-incubation, and incubation for the promotion of the entrepreneurial and business activity in the framework of the social economy.
Promotion among the entrepreneurial Andalusian people, the models of social economy enterprises, as a tool of creation of new viable entrepreneurial projects.
Development of strategies of cooperation and integration of social economy enterprises in the sector of provision of services to the society in order to favour its position in the productive sector.
Elaboration of a catalogue of the public and private services of support, creation and consolidation, specialized in social economy.
Diffusion of the existing public and private financial instruments, for the financing of entrepreneurial projects of social economy.
Promotion of collaborative agreements with the financial entities for the development of new lines of financing for social economy enterprises.
To give an incentive to the productive investments linked to projects of creation and modernization of social economy enterprises.
Creation and modernization of new enterprises in consolidated sectors of social economy, as well as in raising and employment generated sectors, linked specially to: rural areas, ecological activities, rural tourism, dependency, rehabilitation and adaptation of housing, sport, and active leisure.
To promote the coordination of the "Strategy of Innovation for the Social economy". Promotion and support to I + D + i projects in the framework of the social economy.
Adaptation and update of training itineraries for the entrepreneurial people, focused on the start and consolidation of entrepreneurial projects of social economy. Design of knowledge units on social economy, to incorporate in the formal training andalusian system, as well as, set up of collaborative protocols with the andalusian Universities to define and introduce subjects and activities linked to the collective business venture in the social economy.
Promotion of lines of research, studies and publications, and specially incorporation of lines of statistical research differentiated in cooperativism and social economy issues.
Promotion of the use of the New Technologies in the Social Economy.
Promotion of the internationalization of the social economy enterprises.

B1f - Amenities for local people
Positive impacts
Any other comments?
The IV strategic scope inside the Third Agreement for the Social Economy is configurated as an strategic line with direct impacts on the population, because it promotes the local and rural development, as an instrument for the social cohesion and for the improvement of the quality of life. The planning actions are focused on the support to entrepreneurial activities, linked to the natural, rural and ecologic areas, the dependency, rehabilitation and housing adaptation, sport, active leisure, prioritizing the use of renewable energies and biofuels in the social economy enterprises. Also, the agricultural cooperatives and agroindustrial as a motor to the rural development are enhanced, supporting the concentration of enterprises, and the reorientation to the production of biomass.

B1g - Educational opportunities
Very positive impacts
Any other comments?
The third Agreement for the Social Economy sets up some measures to improve the educational opportunities in the framework of the social economy, since the education is a key factor, not only for the increasing of the number of entrepreneurs in this sector of the economy, but for the enterprise management itself.
Thus, among the strategic lines for the improvement of the educational measures are the following:

Adaptation and update of training itineraries, for the social economy entrepreneur.
Programs for the promotion of the business venture culture in the formal educational centres and at the different levels of the educational system.
Collaboration agreements with the andalusian Universities to define and introduce subjects and activities linked to the collective business venture in the social economy.
Development of cross-wise modules contents about self-employment, cooperativism and labour societies, in order to incorporate them to the vocational training programs.
Vocational training programs for the incorporation of management staff, in social economy enterprises, enabling them to exercise leadership and good governance in the social economy entities in Andalusia.
Training programs on internationalization issues, for the social economy enterprises in Andalusia, focused both to the management staff, as to the staff itself.
Continuous training programs for partners and workers of social economy, about the use of tools and services based on TICs and innovation.

B1h - Crisis response
Positive impacts
Any other comments?
Traditionally, the social economy enterprises have characterized themselves for better adapting to crisis environments, being weaker the destruction of employment related to the conventional enterprises, adapting wages and working hours to the new situation and acting as refuge of part of the employment that is destroyed in the rest of enterprises.
In Andalusia, through the Third Agreement of Social Economy, it is decided to reinforce these entrepreneurship formulas, that through its strategic areas will contribute to soften the effects of the crisis, and to go out of it more reinforced, with more participated, democratic and fair values and principles.

B1i - Local financial environment for social enterpreneurs
Neutral impacts
Any other comments?
At a local level, the financial forms of the social enterprises have to be targeted through the stipulation of social clauses in the contracts, to staff dedicated to the study of the forms of fundraising and to obtain credits through the corporate social responsibility. Also, the Third Agreement of Social Economy collects some specific actions on this matter:

Dissemination of the financial instruments, public and private, focused on financing social economy enterprises projects.
Promotion of collaborative agreements with financial entities, for the development of new lines of financing for social economy enterprises.

B1j - Local policy environment for social enterpreneurs
Positive impacts
Any other comments?
The article 172.2 of the Statute of Autonomy of Andalusia sets up as one of the principal points of the social politics, the cooperatives and other entities of social economy. The Law 14/2011 of Cooperative Societies in Andalusia; the Decree 85/2003 sets up programs of labour integration of the Government of Andalusia; the Decree 175/2006 that approves the Andalusian Plan for the promotion and consolidation of the self-employed.

At an European level, the Resolution of the European Parliament on Social Economy of 19th February 2009 sets up that the promotion of the social economy, should be an objective of the states that integrate the European Union. Also, The European Strategy 2020 pursues an intelligent economy, sustainable and comprehensive and sets up priorities that reinforce each other and offers a picture of the European social economy marketplace for the century XXI. It sets up, specially for the Spanish state, the promotion of the entrepreneurial initiatives of social economy, to achieve the consecution of the objective of full employment, that marks the strategic mentioned.
At a national level, in order to comply the article 129.2 of the Spanish Constitution (..."the Public Authorities will promote effectively the several forms of participation in the enterprises and will promote, through an adequate legislation, the cooperative societies") , and related to the recommendations of the Resolution of the European Parliament, it was approved in March 2011 the Law of Social Economy. On the other hand, the Law 4/1997, of 24th March, of Labour Societies, regulates a mercantile form of social economy in order to facilitate the access of the workers to the property of the means of production, and with the aim to develop new instruments of creation of enterprises and employment.
At a regional level, it was approved the Law 14/2011, of 23rd December, of Cooperative Societies of Andalusia, complys the article 58.1.4º of the Statute of Autonomy of Andalusia that determines as an exclusive competence "the promotion, ordination and organization of the cooperatives and social economy entities, and that must be object of preference action of the public politics, as provided in article 172.2".

More concretely, the Decree 149/2012, of 5th June, gives the competence of social economy to the Regional Ministry of Economy, Innovation, Science and Employment of Andalusia, specifically to the General Directorate of Social Economy which is in charge of the planning, promotion and development of the Andalusian Social Economy, in the framework of its economic and social values and principles, as well as, the development of programs of dissemination and promotion, innovation, competitiveness, training and vocational training, and promotion of the representative structures of the sector, driving specially the creation of new enterprises, the technology modernization and the management of structures and organizations.
While the strategic document that marks the action of the Junta de Andalucía in the Social economy scope has been previously agreed with the social entities and the trade unions more representative of the sector, and through the wide experience acquired with the first and second Agreements, currently is in force the III Agreement for Social Economy, subscribed in Málaga, the 16th December 2011.
For the execution of much actions set up in the Third Agreement, it is dictated the Order of 29th June 2009, of the Regional Ministry of Innovation, Science and Enterprise, that approved the basis of a Program to Support the Social Economy.

B1k - National financial environment for social enterpreneurs
Positive impacts
Any other comments?
The National Action Plan for the Social Inclusion of Spain 2008-2010, sets up a series of actions in favor of the integration and social insertion. The Law 4/1997 that regulates the labour societies in its article 19 sets up fiscal benefits for the societies. Triodos Bank. Products for social enterprises:

Mortgage loans.
Personal loans, advance grant, contract or agreements.
Credit loan with mortgage guarantee or of free disposition
Discount lines of invoices, agreements, etc. with public administrations.
Guarantee.

B1l - National policy environment for social enterpreneurs
Positive impacts
Any other comments?
In the educational scope, the Spanish Organic Education Law of 2006 takes into their aims and objectives the training of the entrepreneur spirit, understood as a basic competence, together with the personal initiative and creativity, that the students have to develop along all the educational process. The General Directorate of the Small and Medium Enterprises supports the training action with the elaboration of didactic materials for the basic education and high school, and with studies and initiatives, aimed at the University be a promoter of the entrepreneurial concerns and formative of our youth. The Organic Law of the Qualifications and Vocational Training proposes the incorporation the training actions that enable the performance of entrepreneurial activities and on their own, with reference to all the enterprises, especially to the social economy enterprises, what supposes an important institutional and formative support to the social entrepreneurship. The Law 5/2011 on Social Economy that sets up a common legal framework to the whole of entities that form the social economy. The Law 44/2007 that regulates the regimen of social economy enterprises has the objective to regulate the legal framework of the insertion companies and to set up a framework that promotes the labour insertion of people in a situation of social exclusion through these type of enterprises.

C - PARTNERSHIPS & GOVERNANCE

C1 - Is the governance of this GP fully inclusive?
Beneficiaries are highly involved in governance
Comments and learning points
The 3rd Agreement on Social Economy is a political paper signed and agreed for all the stakeholders involved, as the Regional Minister of Economy, Innovation, Science and Employment of Andalusia, the Confederation of Entities for the Social Economy of Andalusia CEPES (the most representative body about the social economy in Andalusia), and the most important trade unions of the region (Comisiones Obreras CCOO (Workers Commissions) and Unión General de Trabajadores UGT (General Workers Union)).
For this reason this document could be considered as a participative good practice, because all the signed stakeholders have had the commitment to promote the economic, social and labour development of Andalusia. They have boosted values on participation, democracy, sustainability and gender equality through the promotion of an integrated social economy that generates enterprises and quality jobs, innovative, competitive and enterprising, committed to local and rural development and social cohesion.

C2 - How influential has this GP been on local or national decision makers?
High degree of influence achieved
Comments and learning points
Bearing in mind that the Regional Government of Andalusia signed this 3rd Agreement, the andalusian regional public administration itself assumes as a priority the implementation of public policies addressed to the achievement of the objectives and actions established in the signed document.

C3 - How much partnership work has been involved?
A great deal of cross sectoral partnership working
Comments and learning points
Previous to the signature of the third Agreement, and as in other ones, it was realized a consensus phase. In this sense, a technical team was created, and it met regularly, with two objectives: To be responsible for collecting the proposals of the different parties, and to develop the appropriate discussion paper until the agreement was reached.
After the signature, it has been established an operational protocol of the General Commission of the Development, Monitoring and Evaluation of the 3rd Agreement. This protocol foresees 3 meetings per year to make decisions on its implementation, financing, monitoring, evaluation and dissemination.

D - PR & TRANSFERABILITY

D1 - Please describe how the GP communicated its experience and success to the public
The signing of the 3rd Agreement for the Social Economy was held in a public act which called the main media of Andalusia. It has also disseminated through the websites of the signatories, like the Regional Minister of Economy, Innovation, Science and Employment. This document is known for all the companies of the social economy in Andalusia.

D2 - Please describe how the GP communicated with local or national decision makers?
It is a regional initiative, thus it hasn't reached other public administrations.

D3 - Are there any elements of this project that you think would transfer particularly well to other contexts?
The 3rd Agreement for the Social Economy supposes the union of intentions of all the stakeholders on Social Economy to achieve common goals. This aspect makes this experience transferable to other settings, with a political framework as the political end is pursued. In this sense, it has a high financial implication of public funds to develop the actions foreseen on it.

E - RESOURCES AND SUSTAINABILITY

E1a - Total annual income of GP 2011/12
20M euros

E1b - How is this made up?
The funding sources of the 3rd Agreement on Social Economy is 100% from the public sector, particularly from the National Government, European Funds and the own Regional Government of Andalusia.

E1c - Details of human resources
The human resources involved in the development of the Agreement, are the ones from the General Directorate of Social Economy of the Regional Ministry of Economy, Innovation, Science and Employment, as well as the other participating bodies

E1d - Details of technology
Any technological requirement was needed

E1e - Details of financial investment for start-up/early stage
Any financial investment was needed to formalize the Agreement.

E1f - Details of external support
It was not needed

E2 - If public funding were withdrawn, could the GP continue to exist?
It would be very difficult that this GP could exist without public funding, because the Third Agreement for the Social Economy itself does not generate incomes.

F - EXECUTIVE BODY AND CONTACT INFORMATION

F1 - Who set up the GP?
Partnership (please give details)

F2 - Who runs the GP?
Partnership (please give details)

F3 - Short description/comments
The Regional Minister of Economy, Innovation, Science and Employment (as public administration), the trade unions (UGT Andalucía y CCOO Andalucía), and the Confederation of Social Economy Entities of Andalusia.

F4 - Contact
Lola López Cabrera
Dirección General de Economía Social Consejería de Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y Empleo
Calle Albert Einstein, nº4
Sevilla
Telephone 954995180
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

G - SUPPORTING INFORMATION

G1 - Photos (between 1 & 3)

G2 - E documents
http://juntadeandalucia.es/organismos/economiainnovacioncienciayempleo/areas/emprendedores-cooperativas/politicas.html
http://www.cepes-andalucia.es/fileadmin/media/docs/Convenios/20111216%20III%20PACTO%20ANDALUZ%20POR%20LA%20ECONOMIA%20SOCIAL.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjvfz1ZdSpA
http://www.economiasocial.tv/ver_video.php?id=8e413744eee30f5872eb&categoria=42&pag=4

G3 - Any other useful information