17 Amendments of Daniel BUDA related to 2016/2237(INL)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the concept of ‘social enterprise’ is used in some legal systems interchangeably with that of ‘solidarity- based enterprise’; whereas for the purposes of this resolution the concepts of ‘social enterprise’ and ‘solidarity-based enterprise’ are intended to be synonymous; whereas the concept of ‘social enterprise’ is not clear-cut, and overlaps with that of moret EU level; whereas there is no uniform definition of ‘social enterprise’ across the Member States and whereas this concept also covers traditional social economy organisations, such as cooperatives, mutual organisations, associations and foundations; whereas discussions about the boundaries of the concept of ‘social enterprise’ are taking place among social scientists and lawyers; whereas it seems imperative to agree at present on athere is currently an overriding need to agree on a single harmonised pan-EU legal definition that makes a solid contribution to the development of social enterprises by the European Union and public administrations at all levels possible;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
4a. whereas the Strasbourg Declaration of January 2014 highlights the need for social enterprises to play a bigger role in the future of Europe and stresses the importance of unlocking their potential for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas Parliament highlighted, in its resolutions of 19 February 2009, 20 November 2012 and 10 September 2015, that the social and solidarity-based economy provides employment for more than 14 million people, which represents around 6.5% of workers in the EU and 10% of EU undertakings.
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas in some Member States such as Italy and Germany, specific legal forms have been created either by adapting the cooperative model or though the introduction of legal forms that recognise the social commitment taken on by a plurality of entities and that include some features specific for social enterprises; whereas in other Member States social enterprises operate using pre- existing legal forms (e.g. associations, foundations and cooperatives), including legal forms used by mainstream SMEs, such as the limited liability company;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the adoption of diverse legal frameworks on social enterprises in many Member States confirm the development of a new kind of entrepreneurship more focused on social value creationprinciples such as solidarity, accountability and social value creation, working in the general interest and promoting a more sustainable economy by creating jobs and providing innovative products and services; whereas this diversity also confirms that social entrepreneurship is an innovative field;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas Parliament emphasised, in its resolution of 10 September 2015 on social entrepreneurship and social innovation in combating unemployment, that social innovation relates to the development and implementation of new ideas, whether they be products, services or social organisation models, that are designed to meet new social, territorial and environmental demands and challenges, such as the ageing population, depopulation, balancing work and family life, managing diversity, tackling youth unemployment, the integration of those most excluded from the labour market, and combating climate change;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas notwithstanding the above it is possible to derive from national experiences at Member State level some distinctive features and criteria that a social enterprise should fulfil, regardless of the legal form it adopts, if it is to be considered as such type of enterprise; whereas it seems desirable to establish at Union level those features and criteria in the form of minimum standards with a view to creating a consistentn efficient, consistent and harmonised legal framework for such enterprises and to ensure, while recognising their diversity, that all social enterprises have a common identity regardless of the Member State of incorporation; whereas such institutional features should help to maintain social enterprise advantage over alternative ways of organising the production of social services;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas the above definitions are compatible and seem to bring together all the features shared by all social enterprises regardless of the Member State of incorporation and irrespective of the legal form they have chosen to adopt pursuant to national legislation and Community law; whereas such features should constitute the baseline for a cross- cutting and more definitiveharmonised legal definition of ‘social enterprise’ that Union levelis universally agreed, applied and used throughout the Union;
Amendment 64 #
P. whereas social enterprises provide a business model for the 21st century which balances financial, social, cultural and environmental protection needs; whereas social enterprises are generally associated with social innovation, as a result of the expansion of social enterprise activity in new fields of production of goods or of delivery of services, including environmental, cultural and recreational services, and/or the introduction of innovative production or work organisation methods;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Commission to introduce at Union levelnd define at a Union level the concept of a ‘European social label’ to be awarded to social enterprises;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Considers that the ‘European social label’ should be available for private organisations and entities that satisfy a set ofthe legal requirements for a social enterprise, regardless of the legal form of their incorporation in a Member State; andstresses that the label should be optional for the undertaking;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Is of the opinion that a mechanism involving Member States should be established by which entities that fulfil the relevant legal requirements can obtain the European social label. Any legal entity governed by private-law and fulfilling the legal criteria should be entitled to the EU label, regardless of whether the Member State of incorporation has a special legal form for ‘social enterprises’;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission to ensure that its policies reflect the commitment to create an eco-system for social enterprises; calls on the Commission in this regard to carry out, in cooperation with Member States and the social enterprise sector, a comparative study of the various national and regional legal frameworks governing social enterprises throughout the EU, and of the operating conditions for incorporating and operating social enterprises and of their characteristics, including their size and number and their field of activities, as well as of national certification and labelling systems;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to take tangible steps to unblock and attract the increased funding needed by social enterprises;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – paragraph 4
Annex I – paragraph 4
The European Parliament considers that nothing prevents commercial undertakings from being awarded the European social label if they comply with the above- mentioned requirements, in particular regarding their object, the distribution of profits, governance and decision-making.
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – paragraph 15
Annex I – paragraph 15
The legislative act should include a revisable list of legal forms in Member States of enterprises and undertakings qualifying for the European social label. In order to ensure transparency and effective cooperation between the Member States, that list should be published on the European Commission website and kept up to date.
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – paragraph 16 a (new)
Annex I – paragraph 16 a (new)
Recommendation 8 (on the eco-system for social enterprises and cooperation between Member States) The Commission should ensure that its policies reflect the commitment to create an eco-system for social enterprises. The Commission is invited to take account of the fact that social and solidarity-based economy enterprises have a strong local and regional influence, which gives them the advantage of being more aware of specific needs and able to offer products and services, most of them community- based, as well as to enhance social and territorial cohesion. The Commission is invited to take steps to promote cooperation between social and solidarity- based economy enterprises across national and sectoral boundaries so as to nurture the exchange of knowledge and practices in such a way as to support the development of social enterprises;