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Legal information on Social Entrepreneurship ...in Greece

Law 4019/2011 on Social Economy and Social Entrepreneurship was set to implementation in 30 September 2011. It is the first legislative action introducing the concept of Social Economy in Greece. The law consists of 20 articles.

It provides for new forms of collective-benefit private-sector activities nonetheless suffering from decisive inconsistencies when reference is made to the European conceptual and institutional tradition of Social Economy.

The peculiarity of Law 4019/2011 investigated here is that it practically restricts the scope and inner constitution of Social Economy into three main organizational forms:

Social economy enterprises are categorized as follows:

  1. Koin.S.E.P. of Integration: This category concerns the disadvantaged and vulnerable people of any kind (mental health patients, unemployed young people, women, single-parent families, victims of abuse, illiterate, inhabitants of mountainous and island regions with cultural peculiarities, immigrants and refugees) and generally all those who are disadvantaged to integrate into the labour market for economic, social and cultural reasons.
    Koi.S.P.E (Social Cooperatives of Limited Liability) are included in this category. Koi.S.P.E. are cooperatives meant to support people with psychosocial problems. They were created by the law 2716/1999. The law provides special privileges to KoiSPE. The 2nd grade association (Panhellenic Federation of the Social Cooperatives of Limited Liability PO.Koi.S.P.E.) was established in February 11th, 2011, providing Koi.S.P.E. collective representation.
  2. Koin.S.Ep of social care: Are related to the production and supply of products and services of social character in specific population groups: the elderly, infants, children, people with disabilities, and people with chronic diseases.
  3. Koin.S.Ep. of collective and productive purpose: are related to the production of goods and provision of services to meet the needs of collectivity (culture, environment, ecology, education, social service benefits, adding value to local products, conservation of traditional professions) that promote the individual and collective interest, employment, strengthening social cohesion and regional and local development

The legal status regarding establishment and management of a Social Cooperative Enterprise is in general terms provided by Law 1667/1986.

FEK 221/2012 Decision of Ministry of Labour and Social Protection regarding the Social Economy General Registry
FEK 1360/2012 Modification of the Decision of Ministry of Labour and Social Protection regarding the Social Economy General Registry
4052/2012

http://www.socialeconomy.eu.org/spip.php?article1697

http://www.socialeconomy.eu.org/IMG/pdf/ciriec_greek_social_economy_at_the_crossroads.pdf

http://archive-gr.com/page/2794473/2013-09-02/http://www.keko.gr/en/Pages/OPDescription.aspx