Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the promotion of cooperative societies in Europe’
Date: 2004-06-16
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: EU industrial policy, European cooperative, company law, cooperative, corporate finance, tax incentive

22.12.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 318/17

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Communication from the Commission to the
the European Economic and Social Committee and the
Council,

the European Parliament,
Committee of the Regions on the promotion of cooperative societies in Europe’

(2004/C 318/05)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

Having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the
European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the promotion of coop-
erative societies in Europe (COM(2004) 18 final);

Having regard to the decision of the European Commission of 23 February 2004 to consult it on this
subject, under the first paragraph of Article 265 of the Treaty establishing the European Community;

Having regard to the decision of its President of 19 June 2003 to instruct its Commission for Economic
and Social Policy to draw up an opinion on this subject;

Whereas not enough attention has been paid to the cooperative form of enterprise in EU enterprise policy
and public provision of business support services, especially as regards the establishment of new coopera-
tives in new sectors;

Whereas achievement of the Lisbon objectives requires that all
supported on equal terms;

forms of enterprise are treated and

Whereas cooperatives are an established part of European society and make an important contribution to
solving many of the Community's economic and social problems;

Having regard to its draft opinion (CdR 97/2004 rev. 1) adopted on 30 April 2004 by the Commission for
Economic and Social Policy (rapporteur: Ms Irma Pellinen, Chairman of Haukipudas Municipal Council and
Member of the Regional Council of North East Bothnia (FIN/PES)),

adopted the following opinion at its 55th Plenary Session, held on 16 and 17 June 2004 (session of 16
June 2004).

1. The Committee of the Regions' views

acknowledges the importance of organising a structured
identification of best practices and

1.4
exchange of information,
publicising cooperative projects involving SMEs;

The Committee of the Regions

supports efforts to examine ways of collecting more

1.5
accurate statistical data on cooperatives;

welcomes

the Commission Communication on the
1.1
promotion of cooperative societies in Europe, which aims to
foster greater use of cooperatives across Europe by raising their
profile and increasing understanding of their characteristics.
Better awareness of how cooperatives work, further develop-
ment of cooperative legislation, the maintenance and improve-
ment of cooperatives' position and input all contribute to the
achievement of Community objectives;

endorses the Commission's views about cooperatives as
1.2
a vehicle for SMEs to undertake joint activities and improve
their market position and as a means of providing high quality
services to customer-members, especially ‘proximity services’
such as health, social protection and welfare. Workers' coopera-
tives can make a positive contribution to building a knowl-
edge-based society;

stresses the importance of the Commission's aim to find
1.3
ways of increasing the willingness and ability of SMEs to use
the cooperative form of enterprise as a vehicle for establishing
joint business activities or groupings of businesses;

1.6
highlights the importance of participation by coopera-
tives in programmes for education, training, lifelong learning
and e-learning and of encouraging universities and secondary
school to organise cooperative management training;

1.7
considers it to be of the utmost importance to identify
and disseminate good practices in the area of public provision
of business support services for cooperatives;

underlines the importance of financing for cooperatives.
1.8
It is necessary to assess the possibility of including a specific
reference to cooperatives in financial instruments managed by
the European Investment Fund, particularly the funds which
form part of the Multi-Annual Programme for Enterprise and
Entrepreneurship and in particular for Small and Medium-sized
Enterprises. Efforts should also be made to ensure that coopera-
tives have full access to Community programmes and informa-
tion about these programmes;

C 318/18

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

22.12.2004

1.9
supports the Commission's intention to study policies,
good practices and regulations concerning social cooperative
enterprises;

1.10
encourages the Commission to hold discussions with
Member States on the application of the Regulation and Direc-
tive on a Statute for a European Cooperative Society (SCE);

1.11
to improve legislation on cooperative societies;

supports the Commission's work with Member States

1.12
legislation;

endorses efforts to draft ‘model laws’ for cooperative

1.13
feels it is important in the context of reviewing the
SCE Regulation to consider the possibility of simplifying the
Regulation by suggesting the adoption of common Europe-
wide rules, where possible;

1.14
underlines the important contribution which coopera-
tives make to agricultural development in the new Member
States by supporting cooperation between farms in purchasing,
marketing of products and improving production;

2. The Committee of the Regions' recommendations

The Committee of the Regions

by

cooperatives,

cipation
international
programmes and specialist networks that lead to the develop-
ment of best practices in innovative areas;

particularly

in

highlights the importance of identifying and dissemi-
2.5
nating good practices in the public provision of business
support services;

2.6
considers it important to quickly examine the possibility
of including a specific reference to cooperatives in the financial
instruments managed by the European Investment Fund which
form part of the Multi-Annual Programme for Enterprise and
Entrepreneurship and in particular for Small and Medium-sized
Enterprises and to ensure that cooperatives are eligible to take
part in Community programmes and that they have full access
to information about these programmes;

encourages the Commission to study policies, good
2.7
practices and regulations concerning social cooperative enter-
prises and the social and job-creation impact of cooperatives in
Europe more widely and to report its findings to the Com-
munity institutions;

that

recommends

the Commission urgently launch
2.8
discussions with officials in Member States who are responsible
for implementation of Europe-wide rules on cooperatives. The
discussions should focus, above all, on issues where national
measures are required or national laws are applicable;

2.1
urges the Commission and the Member States to make a
rapid assessment of the scope for implementing and supporting
initiatives by stakeholders aimed at raising awareness among
public authorities and private economic operators about the
possibility of using the cooperative form as a means of estab-
lishing a business or a grouping of small enterprises;

2.9
stresses the need to work actively with public authori-
ties, especially in the new Member States, to ensure that coop-
erative legislation is improved. In addition, the Commission
must require Member States to inform the Commission and
each other of their intentions to amend cooperative legislation
at the drafting stage and before adopting new legislation;

2.2
believes it important that the Commission explore the
possibility of organising a structured exchange of information
and experiences and identifying good practices in the area of
doing business through cooperatives. The Commission should
also examine with Member States and stakeholders the need for
benchmarking of national policies and practices;

2.3
encourages experimentation with satellite techniques
and other sampling methods for the collection of necessary
statistical data on cooperatives in Europe;

2.4
considers it important that programmes for education,
training, lifelong learning and e-learning take account of parti-

underlines the importance of the Commission's request
2.10
to national and European stakeholder organisations to draft
‘model laws’ and the Commission's willingness to assist them in
the drafting;

recommends that

2.11
the Commission actively monitor
application of the SCE Regulation and compile a register of
areas where amendments are needed so that five years after the
entry into force of the Regulation it can be simplified and rein-
forced, where necessary;

22.12.2004

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 318/19

2.12
welcomes the fact that the Commission will seek to
ensure that the contribution of cooperatives and other social
economy enterprises to agricultural development is exploited
through Community initiatives;

that

stresses

2.13
the Commission and Member State
governments should examine the possibility of granting tax
concessions to cooperatives on the basis of their usefulness in
regional or social terms and of whether they essentially observe
the main founding principles of cooperatives: democracy, the
solidarity of members, both workers and consumers, and their
direct management of entrepreneurial activities;

2.15
urges the Commission and Member States to actively
promote the establishment of co-ops (particularly marketing
co-ops) in the new forms of agriculture and rural activities,
such as organic farming, aquaculture, etc. Actions might
include training, facilitation, legal advice, identification of parti-
cipants, etc.;

urges municipalities and regions to take better account

2.16
of the cooperative form of enterprise in their industrial policy;

draws attention to the opportunities which coopera-
2.14
tives offer in terms of developing the local economy and new
innovative forms of employment at local and regional level;

recalls that cooperatives offer new opportunities for
2.17
improving employment, service provision and economic regen-
eration in remote areas which suffer from lack of capital.

Brussels, 16 June 2004.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Peter STRAUB

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Proposal for a Directive of the European Parlia-
ment and of the Council on energy end-use efficiency and energy services’

(2004/C 318/06)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

Having regard to the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on energy
end-use efficiency and energy services (COM(2003) 739 final — 2003/0300 (COD));

Having regard to the decision of the Council of 23 January 2004 to consult it on this subject, under
Article 175 of the Treaty establishing the European Community;

Having regard to the decision of its president of 4 November 2002 to instruct the Commission for Sustain-
able Development to draw up an opinion on this subject;

Having regard to the Council Decision of 25 April 2002 concerning the approval, on behalf of the Euro-
pean Community, of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
and the joint fulfilment of commitments thereunder (2002/358/EC) (1);

Having regard to the Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 February 2004
concerning a mechanism for monitoring the Community greenhouse gas emissions and for implementing
the Kyoto Protocol (280/2004/EC) (2)

Having regard to Directive 96/92/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 1996
concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity (3);

(1) OJ L 130, 15.5.2002, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 49, 19.2.2004, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 27, 30.1.1997, p. 20.