CECOP

CECOP is the European confederation of industrial and service cooperatives. CECOP represent 27 members in 16 European countries. These are national federations of cooperatives, and organisations that promote cooperatives. They give voice to 40,000 enterprises, employing 1.3 million workers, mainly in three types of cooperatives:

• 35,000 worker cooperatives - democratically managed and owned by the workers, who share risks and responsibilities.
• 12,000 social cooperatives (employing 270,000 workers) - which respond to the needs of communities by providing social, cultural, educational and environmental services. These are also known as ‘services of general interest’. Some of them contribute to the integration of disadvantaged and marginalised people, by providing work.
• 1,000 cooperatives of self-employed producers such as freelancers, truck drivers, taxi drivers, journalists, masons, graphic designers, consultants, doctors and lawyers. These cooperatives help overcome isolation and improve security, by sharing resources, benefits and things like marketing or accountancy services, workspace and equipment.

CECOP works to create a supportive environment for cooperatives, so that they can operate to their full strength and fulfil their mission of providing sustainable jobs and high quality services to communities. Their aim is to build a stronger and fairer Europe, working through cooperatives to bring democracy and solidarity to the workplace, sustainable economic growth, and social cohesion.