Last update: 11/05/2020

EUROPEAN DYNAMIC

FEBEA represents its members to the institutions of the European Union and other financial and political organizations. It carries out advocacy activities to promote and raise awareness on the role of ethical finance. As such, it is regularly consulted on matters that concern the sector.

 

EU PROGRAMMES AND INITIATIVES

Concretely, FEBEA monitors programmes and initiatives launched by the European Commission in order to identify all funding opportunities that may be of interest to its members and advises and supports them in the tender procedures and in their relations with relevant institutions.
The main programmes it follows are:
  • EaSI, EU programme for Employment and Social Innovation and its follow-up programme InvestEU;
  • COSME, EU programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs;
  • HORIZON2020, the largest programme of research and innovation in the European Union that actively supports SMEs.
  • INTERREG, EU programme to improve the implementation of regional development policies;
FEBEA also follows the initiatives related to the creation of financial tools at the European level dedicated to social entrepreneurship:
  • EaSI Guarantee Instrument funded from the EaSI Programme and specifically dedicated to microfinance and social entrepreneurship;
  • EaSI Capacity Building Investments Window - the objective of this instrument is to build up the institutional capacity of selected financial intermediaries that have not yet reached sustainability or are in need of risk capital to sustain their growth and development.
  • EuSEF, the European label for Funds targeting social entrepreneurship;
  • SIA, Social Impact Accelerator, a fund managed by the EIF, which invests in social enterprises across Europe

 

EU COMMITTEES

  • GECES: Group of Experts of the Commission on Social Economy

2015 saw the President of FEBEA successfully apply to becoming part of GECES, the Group of Experts of the Commission on Social Economy. The Communication on the Social Business Initiative states that “the Commission … shall … set up a consultative multi-stakeholder group on social business to examine the progress of the measures envisaged in this Communication… this group could be made up of representatives of the Member States, local authorities, social  entrepreneurs' organisations, the banking and finance sector and the academic and university sector.” The group (GECES) was therefore set up for six years (2012 – 2017), and will be consulted by the Commission on the development, setting-up and implementation of all the actions mentioned in the SBI, or further development of social entrepreneurship and social economy. At the moment, the GECES group is composed of 40 people.

In  order  to  promote  a  “highly  competitive  social  market  economy”, the Commission has placed social enterprises, social economy and social innovation at the heart of its concerns. This is in terms of both territorial cohesion and the search for new solutions to societal problems. They are key to boosting job creation and reinforcing social cohesion. Gender equality is a horizontal issue and so can be mentioned in this context.

The goal of GECES is to tackle certain issues, divided in thematic areas, and draft recommendations for the Commission. Given the role and expertise of Mr. Salviato and FEBEA, the working group in which he works is called Improving access to funding for social enterprises.

Geces report endorsed the 14th October 2016.

The GECES was renewed for the period 2018 - 2024 under the name of "Expert Group on Social Economy and Social Enterprises": our Vice-President Wlodzimierz Grudzinski is appointed as expert for the financial sector.

 

  • EESC: European Economic and Social Committee

In 2015 the Federation has been mentioned in the Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on the “Role of cooperative and savings banks in territorial cohesion - proposals for an adapted financial regulation framework”, drafted by Mr. Trias Pinto. FEBEA was among the organisations that were consulted for the drafting the Opinion, and, thanks also to the contributions offered by some of its members, it was specifically mentioned in the text (art. 7.5), as a reference actor for ethical and transparent financing in Europe, in particular in the field of social economy.

Two events were organised in collaboration with our local members to promote the Opinion:

 

  • European Parliament Social Economy Intergroup

The Social Economy Intergroup was created in 1990 and continuously active since then, the European Parliament’s Social Economy Intergroup serves to ensure a permanent dialogue between all European Institutions, Member States and the Social Economy sector, and is of vital importance to mainstream the social economy perspective into the legislative and non-legislative work of the European Parliament.
FEBEA has supported the renewal of the Group and participates regularly to its public hearings.
 

EU NETWORKS

FEBEA is member of Social Economy Europe and collaborates with several other EU Networks in the field of social economy and ethical finance in Europe.

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