Procès-Verbal De L Assemblée Générale Du 12 Mai 2006

Draft minutes of the CECOP general assembly of 12 May 2006 – Brussels Provisional version – Original text in French

Participants: cf. list in annex

Secretary of the meeting: Olivier Biron

ORDINARY GENRAL ASSEMBLY

The QUORUM of the ordinary general assembly is reached

1) Approval of the agenda The agenda is approved unanimously

2) Approval of the minutes of the general assembly of 25 May 2005 The minutes of the general assembly of 25 May are approved unanimously

3) Report of the president

Address of Felice Scalvini, CECOP president [original text in Italian]

I would like, not in a sentimental but political way, to underline the importance of this moment. A lot of times, absorbed by the concrete problems, by the difficulties that we face, by the discussions, by the comparisons that characterize the life of every association, by the requests of the everyday life, we risk to lose the line of continuity that we are managing together and that we will manage in the following years.

There are moments in which it is important to make a pause and then look forward again and identify together the road that we have gone through and that we will continue to follow. I believe that we must, through these synthetic relationships, and not in an emphatic but in a concrete way, measure the relevance that has acquired and that will continue to have this organisation, small in terms of structure, but huge in terms of participation.

I have to say that there are no other European organisations where the debate, the discussion, the participation, the confrontation sometimes the opposition, normally the harmony is so lively as in CECOP, where the partners continue effectively, where the structure has a carrying role but where the associates participate, discuss... where they manage the democratic involvement that represents the essence of the cooperative experience.

The vitality of CECOP, also inside, even if it creates discussion, conflicts, is somehow a democratic characteristic, that is also emerging in other organisations, but that is present in no others like in ours. With these characteristics, CECOP today, ratifying this phase of transition, should however realise that it has made some very positive actions. I believe that we have created the condition to keep on doing others, as much as positive, even if partially different from the applicative point of view but definitely identical from the point of view of the political line.

Last year is the one in which we have changed our horizon. CICOPA that we decided to take in hand three years ago, with Bruno Roelants as general secretary, asking Rainer to be the president while he was CECOP’s general secretary. However we knew that it was a temporary situation aimed to manage a transition that ends with Javier Sallaberia, the representative of the most extraordinary experience of the workers’ cooperation existing in the world at the head of the world organisation of workers’ cooperation, thanks to CECOP’s actions, and he thus becomes the representative of all of us as President of the world’s worker cooperative experience.

We have managed a transition phase that allowed the articulation of the errors and that will guarantee the possibility to reason together, no more inside CECOP but with the friendship that characterizes this experience, but also with the distinction of the roles of what can be the support that

1 CECOP can give to CICOPA, that CICOPA can give to CECOP, inside a political design of world presence that, only 3 or 4 years ago was considered as the inheritance of the experience of Yves Regis. But it was a small ideal flame that we could keep on but that we did not succeed in making operational. The condition to do this, taking into account that in the meantime, the ILO and the person who also worked for this operation (Bruno Roelants, with the support of CECOP and Confcooperative), with the recommendation and with the deliberation on cooperative development, has created the conditions by which CICOPA’s actions can be implemented in a framework recognized by this world institution which represents a point of reference; we know that in policy-making at a global level, the legitimation is necessary.

Inside this scenery, what has been implemented? We have to give credit especially to Bruno and also to his stubbornness. We have built beside Bruno, inside CICOPA, the declaration on the characteristics of workers’ cooperatives that we use as a point of political conceptual reference to build this type of operation. Therefore we have built the political-organisational orientations, finally distinct, articulated to impulse the policy of workers’ cooperation, social cooperation, etc. at the global level.

We face this picture from a position of total integration of the 27 European countries, and with the prospective and the objective for 2007 of a larger Europe (Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Turkey) but we have to do it with a structured politically base. The other horizon is the one of the intersectoral organisation. The situation is that, after managing in a promotional phase with our resources this action of support, we have now our ex-general secretary who is the director of ICA-Europe and Antonio Gracia who is our representative inside Cooperatives Europe. Again, we passed from a somehow chaotic state to a structured phase, where our people are the protagonists of the following phases that is opening up this year. I believe that we achieved all this without forgetting to go on with our specific job on workers’ cooperation, social dialogue, the relationship with the trade unions, the recognition as an actor of the institutional dialogue, the debates on the financial instruments, ...

It seems to me that inside this picture, we are repositioning ourselves; we have been through a hard year to manage this type of transition which has been a political, organisational, financial transition. It seems to me that we are in good condition to start again with a more structured project. Structured from our action that gives us an important legitimacy for the future and great possibilities if we continue on this path, prudently but also focused on some strategic elements, I think that internal communication is the strategic element to valorise, in this moment as a premise to all other actions. This subsidiarity relation that we want to reinforce with our partners, in order to valorise the expertise, the capacities, the contributions of each, the management of specific dossiers, the management of initiatives, and it seems to me that we are starting to have a well structured system from this point of view.

This assembly marks a moment of transition, but also of absolute continuity where I believe, it is the right moment to look behind us in order to consider the good things that we have done, and to realise that in order to implement theses achievements, it has been imperfect. However, we have succeeded in building through this imperfection, a personal solidarity of friendship, solidarity of financial, economic, organisational participation. We now need to build an intellectual type of solidarity, sharing elaboration, capacity, management of complex problems that we will have ahead. Starting from the evaluation of the good things that we have done, we have to face serenely and quietly the perspectives that we have ahead, that are still committing us, but that move inside a scenery where the loneliness in which CECOP found itself in the past years is reduced. We can imagine this moment inside the team of CICOPA, inside the team of Cooperatives Europe, inside the team of the international cooperative organisations to promote together a great design of cooperative development, the same that 25 years ago, promoted the birth of CECOP, ahead of great part of the other organisations.

4) Approval of the activity report

Presentation of the 2005 activity report by Rainer Schlüter :

2 Rainer Schlüter underlines 3 important elements of the 2005 activity report and which closes the transition phase CECOP had known :

- The successful integration and consolidation of our organisations in Central and Eastern Europe - The relations and the integration between CECOP and CICOPA - The creation of conditions for the implementation of an intersectoral and cooperative organisation which is Cooperatives Europe (common platform between CCACE and ICA Europe)

Presentation of the activity report of the first 3 months of 2006 by Bruno Roelants:

Bruno Roelants congratulates the creation of Cooperative Europe and underlines the necessity for CECOP to re-focus its activities on its specificity. We did an investigation among members through a questionnaire to define their expectations and priorities.

Here is what comes out from it:

- Focusing on lobbying with the European institutions (consultations, communication)

- Priority: social dialogue (contacts with ETUC, meeting with ETUC on the theme of the involvement of workers, etc.)

- Internal and external communication:  Weekly bulletin (newsletter);  New Internet CECOP website

- Subsidiarity:  Importance to be a full constituent part of Cooperative Europe (sectoral entity)  CICOPA: constitution of a joint secretariat between CECOP and CICOPA

- Redefinition of our affiliation to some networks (EMES, REVES, ENSIE,…)

The CECOP activity is marked until mid-May by the transition. After this period, we will focus on the work plan (to see 2nd part of this GA).

5) Approval of the 2005 accounts and 6) Audit report

Jean Gautier comments the 2005 accounts.

He reports on the present situation from the 2005 accounts. He asks the assembly to refer to the documents of point n°5 called: “2005 accounts".

He underlines that in 2005, we decided to operate an adjustment of the exploitation. The situation at the end of 2005 is almost balanced. In 2005, CECOP took the decision to stop its projects activity that didn't bring the cover of a sufficient margin to constitute own funds, which made the constitution of reserves impossible and political autonomy very difficult. It has been decided therefore to refocus on the heart of its activity of CECOP, namely, lobbying.

Extraordinary costs and losses

Jean Gautier asks the assembly to refer to point on page 5 on the 2005 accounts.

The decision of not participating in projects any more entailed a restructuring of the internal team, which implied very heavy costs ("other various expenses - staff": 76.265,38€). This cost is not recurrent; it is an extraordinary cost. It is necessary to consider that it should be deduced from the analysis of the accounts.

The bad debts constitute another extraordinary cost (36.038,39€).

On the other hand, the chartered accountant requested to impute the item "depreciation on credences" in extraordinary costs as well (16.849,90€).

In conclusion, 132.435,47€ are not attributable to the 2005 accounts. Therefore, it can be considered that in the exercise 2005, the reality of the exploitation is that we came back to a balanced situation.

It is necessary to ensure that this situation is going to be permanent in the budgets of future years and to check that this balanced situation is confirmed, and even, that we can reach a positive balance thus allowing to have the necessary financial autonomy for political liberty.

Nevertheless, there are losses that have direct consequences on the financial situation. The own funds, after imputation of the loss of the 2005 exercise, are negative (-54.728,91€) whereas they were 34.000€ at the end of 2004. The imputation of the losses makes the situation slightly negative. This situation is not the sign of an excellent financial health. The objective is to straighten this situation. According to Jean Gautier, we could get it in 3 years time. For it, it is necessary to stay the course and to avoid accidents in terms of cash flow.

This is why we proposed, although this measure is not completely finalised, to ask for an advance of 40% of the membership fees of the 4 years to come. Therefore, there has been a very clear improvement of the cash flow situation that gives conditions of security to avoid problems of cash flow.

DEBATE :

Miguel Millana recalls that he abstained at vote of the board and that he will vote against at this assembly. For him, the process of verification of the accounts must be made precisely. Confesal have some doubts on this vote because the verification of the accounts is not finished and he does not want to be responsible for that.

Franco Tumino agrees with Miguel Millana and asks what the guarantees are on these accounts. For him, the responsibility of all the administrators is involved.

Felice Scalvini declares that only the President is the first person responsible for the balance. He is serene in view of the big work that has been done.

Marcel Hipszman asks if the 2005 accounts have been audited. He would like to know if at the end of this exercise, the accounts have been declared sincere and real.

Jean Gautier asks the assembly to refer to part 6 of the file “Report of the chareterd accountant". He specifies that there is no auditorship as the French legislation on associations foresees it. Nevertheless, from 2007, we will have to deposit the 2007 accounts that can be reviewed by a chartered accountant. Our objective was to designate a new expert accountant who first audited the third accounts (balances customers and balances suppliers). It very clearly says in the report that it did not have the time to justify the balances all accounts of the accounting (see conclusion of the chartered accountant). It is not the drafting of account of the writings but it says merely that it does not have all the documents that permit to verify the accounts.

Dennis Stokkink notes that our situation is particular since we represent different countries whose legislation is different. According to him in the Belgian law, there are 2 types of actors:  Either a technician who is the collaborator of an association as our (it is what we asked the chartered accountant) and that will only commit himself to doing his job;  Either an auditor of the account that has a juridical and legal responsibility.

He does not understand why CECOP did not ask an auditor and he proposes to do it for 2006.

On the other hand, he underlines that in the Belgian right, there is no specific responsibility; the 2 functions recognized by the Belgian law are the administrators and the delegated administrators. They are on the same level and have the same responsibility. According to him, to give a discharge to an employee has no sense. In Belgian law, we do not give a discharge to the administrators and there is no other specificities.

Jean Gautier qualifies those considerations because the chartered accountant has nevertheless an obvious responsibility to the enterprise. He must bring the proof that the accounting procedures are abided by very precisely. From outside CECOP, the chartered accountant does not give a guarantee. Jean Gautier asks if the Belgian law imposes an external audit according to the CECOP statutes. Personally, he thinks that it is not the case. If we want to ask an auditor to do it, it is quite possible.

The president closes the debate and proceeds to the vote on the budget :

The budget is approved at the majority with 3 votes against and one abstention.

DISCHARGE

Bruno Roelants reads the discharge proposal :

« After hearing the activity report and examining the 2005 accounts to the general assembly, to Jean Gautier, treasurer and to Rainer Schlüter secretary general till 31.12.05 ».

DEBATE :

Miguel Millana considers that this proposal is totally illegal and he asks for the withdrawal of it.

According to Dennis Stokkink, it does not have any sense. Discharge is given solely to the administrators (board members).

Antonio Gracia says that it is not necessary to make a declaration that does not bring anything. For him, we approved the 2005 accounts and it is sufficient.

After discussion, it is decided of modified this declaration as follows: "After hearing the activity report and examining the 2005 accounts, the general assembly gives discharge to the board".

For Felice Scalvini, this speech is also worth in the opposite direction. There is a problem of form that a vote cannot solve. If this declaration is used in an incorrect manner, he thinks that the assembly is going to consider that there is a responsibility that is not the one of the administrators or of the president. We reviewed the technical aspect of this declaration. He thinks that in a reciprocal confidence climate, it is not necessary to submit it because the budget has been approved.

Antonio Finelli asks why we introduce this clause only now. Were we breaking the Belgian law before?

Dennis Stokkink asks for the vote of this resolution. For him, it is a classic resolution in Belgian law. The general assembly declares solely that the board filled the mission that the last general assembly had given to it.

Laura Pagliaro says that this declaration should be introduced in the balance.

Bruno Roelants apologizes for this bad formulation and thank Dennis Stokkink for these enlightenments.

5 Vote :

The declaration is adopted at the majority with 2 votes against and one abstention

7) Admission and resignation of members

The general assembly ratifies the affiliation of the following organisation:

- Legacoopsociali, Italy

The general assembly ratifies the resignation of the following organisations: - Meridian, Roumania - Fédérations des Scop de la communication, France

Concerning the resignation of AGCI and AGCI Solidarietà, the president informs the assembly that the board gave him a mandate to contact Maurizio Zaffi, president of AGCI, in order to find an agreement that would be concordant with the important work that has been implemented in all these years et with the support that CECOP has always had from AGCI.

The assembly acts the non-affiliation of the organisation BzFdG, Germany.

8) CECOP standing orders

The president informs the assembly that it is a very sensitive point because we absolutely have to adopt the standing orders as they are mentioned in the statutes.

Bruno Roelants introduces the modifications brought by the board:

- Point 1: replace "without motivating its refusal” by “motivating its refusal”

- Point 2.1.1: replace "the professional federations" by " the professional and sectoral federations"

- Point 2.1.1 : add : "the general assembly fixes the ceiling of the membership fees"

- Point 3.1.1: replace "of 3 months" by "of 6 months"

- Point 3.1.3: after “by correspondence (postal, email, fax)” add “subject to the approval by the General Assembly of a specific rule on voting modalities and by proxy.

- Point 3.1.3 and 3.2.5: cancel: "a member cannot detain more than two proxies"

- Point 3.2.5: replace "The meetings can take place by phone or electronic conference" by "the meetings can take place exceptionally by videoconference or electronic system, defining its modality of functioning »

- Point 3.2.5: add "The members of the Board may name a substitute”

DEBATE :

Antonio Finelli asks to fix a ceiling for the membership fees. Felice Scalvini proposes to speak of it in any other business. On the other hand, the limitation of the number of mandates is fixed according to him, in the statutes and send back this question to the point that concerns the statutory modifications.

6 Miguel Millana declares that he is going to vote for those standing orders but he wants to inform the assembly that he does it for responsibilities reasons in front of the Belgian law. According to him, it is necessary to consolidate the statutes to strengthen them better. He proposes to the assembly to write new statutes where the CECOP organs would be better defined in the future and he proposes to set up a working group.

Franco Tumino asks the President if the standing orders are complete or if there will be some improvements to bring.

Antonio Finelli proposes to vote for those standing orders and the statutory modifications but also to establish a working group because this work is far from being finished.

Felice Scalvini declares that these standing orders must, by their very nature, be submitted to the approval of all. This is a strong standing orders basis but it is quite possible to bring modifications to it if the member organisations want it.

The standing orders are approved unanimously

EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The two third QUORUM for the extraordinary general assembly is reached.

9) Statutory modifications

The President evokes the debate that took place at the board meeting.

He specifies that these statutory modifications are proposed, on one hand by the Belgian Ministry of justice to bring them in conformity with the Belgian law, and, on the other hand, to put them in concordance with the CICOPA rules.

He informs the assembly that for the denomination of the association, the 2nd proposed alternative has been preferred by the board.

CECOP would therefore become CECOP - CICOPA EUROPE, to be in conformity with point 11.1a of the CICOPA rules.

Bruno precise Roelants that this change will be «under the name …. in its abbreviated form "CECOP - CICOPA Europe” ".

The President signals that Vilma Mazzocco proposes to fix a limit to the president's mandates to integrate at the end of the article 6.1. She asks to add there: "The president cannot be elected more than for two consecutive mandates ".

Miguel Millana is opposed to this proposal. He says that it is unreasonable because of the difficulty to find candidates for the presidency.

Marcel Hipszman finds the principle reasonable according to the rules of governance and of democracy.

For Antonio Gracia, it is not the moment to propose new modifications because there would be a lot of others to be made. We should now adapt the statutes to the Belgian law and to the CICOPA statutes. The rest is not part of the agenda.

7 Felice Scalvini proposes to distinguish the problem of the statutes that must be modified and the limitation of the mandates. He proposes to elect a commission that is going to study propositions of statutes according to the new assembly.

The statutory modifications are approved unanimously.

RESUMPTION OF THE ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY

10) 2006 Work Programme

Bruno Roelants introduces some important points of the work program:

- Worker ownership (our identity) that casts our lobbying approach, that orients our comparative study work and which is a basis for social dialogue - cooperatives of SME’s (cooperatives of small producers) that is considered like a European and world priority

Other issues for the lobby: - Everything that is linked to SME’s and in particular, services (out of which the SGI) - Structural funds - Social dialogue with ETUC (worker ownership and specific sectors that CECOP represents)

Information : - work on the legislative aspects of worker ownership, of social cooperatives, of social economy, etc. Work with the legal experts of the member organisations in every country. The first stage is to determine the analysis criteria. - Specific issue of the involvement of workers in worker cooperatives (ETUC) - Internal communication (CECOP News) - Necessity to have an external information tool. For it, Bruno Roelants makes a call for the help of all members so that they send us the news that they wish to see published on our website - Relationships with the universities (EMES)

Institutional building: - Intrinsic mission of CECOP. Priority: Balkans

Subsidiarity (Cooperative Europe, CICOPA, etc.) It is necessary to make a team work.

In the point of view of the method, Bruno Roelants insists on the fact that it is absolutely necessary to go beyond the cultural diversities, and for it, it is essential to work with the Internet more extensively than is the case at present.

Felice Scalvini considers the 2006 work programme as being approved by the assembly.

11. 2006 Budget and 2007 budget orientations

Bruno Roelants presents the adapted budget on the basis of the first 3 months of 2006.

This budget has been achieved on one hand, on the basis of the new secretariat and the new expenses structure, and on the other hand, on the basis of income.

8 Concerning the income side, there are 20'000€ of various services that we think to be able to reach this year as well as of the membership fees based on 2006 with regard to 2007. In this case, we would nearly arrive to a balance situation between income and expenditure.

For 2007, we think to succeed in obtaining a profit of 10'000€, if we manage to increase services from 20'000 to 30'000€. At the level of cash flow, if we can recover the arrears of membership fees, we will arrive to a banking overdraft (outside of these advances) of -25'000€. We always have a credit at our disposal by CGM Finance of 25'000€ (during 1 year, renewable).

We would like to obtain to a slightly balanced situation at the end of 2007 for the cash flow as well.

The president commits himself and the general secretary to implement a quarterly balance to have a very precise and regular idea of the accounts

The 2006 budget is approved unanimously by the general assembly.

12) Subsidiarity: Cooperatives Europe 13) Subsidiarity: CICOPA

COOPERATIVES EUROPE

Presentation of Coopératives Europe by Rainer Schlüter :

COOPERATIVES EUROPE is the new common platform for all European cooperatives; it unites the actions of the International Co-operative Alliance for the European Region (ICA Europe) and of the Co-ordinating Committee for the European Co-operative Associations (CCACE).

9 COOPERATIVES EUROPE Co-chaired by Pauline Green & Etienne Pflimlin ICA- EUROPE CCACE Consultation Membership Legal service R&D, Visibility All individual Cooperative 7 European Co-operative Organisations in the business sectors European Assembly European region GEBC (banks) 84 member organisations in 33 countries COGECA (agriculture) Enlarged Cooperatives Europe asbl UEPS (pharmacies) European Council Interim legal entity) CECOP (workers & social) Enlarged ACME (insurance)

CECODHAS (housing) European Executive

EUROCOOP (consumers) Committee Staff & Management And 10 national Structure platforms or national apex organisations

• 128 co-op organisations in 35 countries out of 42 countries of the European Region 84 member organisations from ICA Europe 44 organisations not ICA members through CCACE 111 co-op organisations from EU (25) 20 from non EU countries CIS and EFTA (10 from EU candidate countries)

• 7 European co-operative business sectors • Agriculture:: 37.544 co-operatives, 921.098 employees, 14,4 millions members • Banks: 58.225 societies, 674.305 employees, 44,35 millions members • Consumer : 4.416 societies, 446.365 employees, 31,9 millions members • Housing : 17.027 societies, 100.114 employees, 4,1 millions members • Insurance: 315 societies, 16.998 employees, 7,9 millions members • Worker-Social: 70.870 co-operatives, 1.179.245 employees, 2,2 millions members • Pharmacies: 2.356 pharmacies, 16 millions users

235,000 enterprises 5,485 million jobs 140 million members

Main objectives for 2005-2006 • Enhance Co-operative identity & visibility & image • Recognition of co-operatives as main economic & social partner (Social & civil dialogue, consultation, policies) at EU and European institutional level • Develop a strong co-operative system in the enlarged EU and European region

10 Strategic Actions and Specific Priorities 2006

• The consolidation of the common platform CCACE/ICA Europe • The follow up of the European Resolution (Cartagena) and an active participation in the regionalisation and restructuring process of the ICA • The preparation of the Regional Assembly and amendments of the Cooperatives Europe asbl statutes to become the ICA Europe region • Enhance EU consultation, legal working groups, recognition of co-operative differences in EU legislation • Continue enhancing visibility through image building, communication and statistics • Dot.coop development in the European region to enhance visibility and stress the co-op difference • Co-operative satellite account in national statistic systems in the EU • Second performance report 2005/6 • SCE support service and vademecum • European Co-operative Think Tank and research network • Co-operative development in the European region and particularly support to co-operative organisation in the Russian Federation and CIS

The general assembly of ICA Europe will be held from 9 to 11 November 2006 in Manchester.

CICOPA

Javier Salaberria, CICOPA president, explains that there is a new process within the ICA : not only regionalisation but also sectoralization. The presence of the the sectoral organisations within the ICA is becoming stronger, and CICOPA is co-leading this process. There was a first impulse with a meeting in December 2005 in Geneva, where it emerged that the ICA was an organisation with three basic components: global, regional and sectoral, and in which the sectors are a fundamental part of the common work. This is fundamental for an organisation like the ICA, and all the international organisations like the ICA are characterized by a proper integration between a regional and a sectoral component.

Secondly, we started having meetings on line between the sectoral organisations of the ICA, in order to reflect upon our common priorities, and a common organised presence inside the ICA, in order to play correctly our sectoral and inter-sectoral role within the ICA.

Thirdly, concerning the relationship between CICOPA and CECOP. Everybody in CICOPA, including from outside Europe, will recognise the dynamising role of CECOP in CICOPA. It is not only in our sector that the European cooperative movement plays such an important part. In particular, there is Cooperatives Europe which is precisely, to a great extent, an initiative aimed at integrating the regional and the sectoral dimensions, by integrating the sectors within the region.

Fouthly, we can note a high level of confluence between the strategic priorities approved at the CICOPA Oslo general assembly in 2003 and inserted in the CICOPA 2006 work plan on the one hand, and those in the CECOP 2006 management plan on the other, and especially from three different aspects: A. Comparative legislation. This is a strong dynamising factor for organisations like ours. Doing this work at the world level is in the interest of CECOP, and, vice versa, the part of this work which CECOP will cover will help CICOPA. B. Social dialogue. CICOPA and CECOP work at two different levels in this field, but the European part is essential, although we know already that it will be a complicated process. C. Lobby. We share the need to improve our image in front of international institutions. The reference, both in CICOPA and in CECOP, to the World Declaration on Worker Cooperatives in the field of lobbying, is, in this respect, very important. For CICOPA, this is the basis of our lobbying work. This declaration was approved by the CICOPA general assembly in Oslo in

11 2003, and then, by the ICA general assembly in Cartagena in 2005: this provided a strong added value to the declaration.

It is necessary to underline a few aspects of this Declaration. A. In the introduction and in the basic characters, it is important to underline the distinctive nature of the labour relation of the worker-member. The specificity of this labour relation needs to be recognised. B. In relation to point 8 of the internal functioning rules, it is fundamental that the worker cooperative be a real enterprise. The multiplication of pseudo-cooperatives in Latin America, with the offer of labour force without entrepreneurial character, is a dangerous degeneration of the cooperative model which is now gaining Europe as well. C. As for the section requesting the whole cooperative movement to support our cooperative sector, it is important to underline that the declaration has been approved by the ICA general assembly: it means that the whole cooperative movement commits itself to promote our cooperative sector. In this respect, it is important to promote worker ownership not only in our cooperative sector, but also in cooperatives from other categories. The Mondragon group shows the success of doing that. Increasingly we see economic theories highlighting the importance of staff participation in enterprise. The type of participation worker ownership proposes is not the “soft” type, but one in which the workers are the owners and protagonists, responsible for the management of the enterprise. We consider that this is an important added value for other types of cooperatives as well. It would be an enormous step forward if the whole of the cooperative movement did it. D. Concerning the section dedicated to the relation with the state, we need to underline the need for active public-policy and financial support to our cooperative sector, in keeping with what is stipulated in ILO Recommendation 193.

Finally, CECOP is all of us in this assembly, not only an office in Brussels. CICOPA needs the contribution coming from all CECOP members. If it is true that CICOPA would be nothing without CECOP, it is also true that CICOPA can contribute substantially to CECOP as well. Javier thanks CECOP for its essential contribution to the development of CICOPA, and ensures that CICOPA will collaborate with CECOP in whatever is necessary. CECOP is now with a new project oriented towards the future. At the same time, we now know that we are in a phase of re-foundation of the whole international cooperative system.

Felice Scalvini then explains that he completely agrees with the CICOPA president. He adds a few comments.

First, the member organisations of CECOP should directly participate in CICOPA, in the same way as they directly participate in CECOP. It is not CECOP which represents the member organisations in CICOPA: CECOP coordinates the European dimension of the member organisations. This direct participation by the individual members is essential for the CICOPA-CECOP cooperation.

In this respect, it would be essential to insert our various international cooperative promotion activities (development cooperation, international exchanges etc) within the CICOPA organisational tissue, within this world network which we are building together. This is not meant to limit the freedom of the individual initiatives, but to ensure that whatever we build in other countries can be linked to a national representative organisation of cooperatives. The European experience proves that the cooperative movement develops strongly wherever there are strong national organisations.

We should also link up with the development NGOs which promote the cooperative experience in the world. Most development projects promote cooperative-type structures, and, among those, the majority have to do with worker cooperatives. It is important to make the NGOs understand that it is not sufficient to create cooperatives, those cooperatives must then associate with each other. This work should be done both in Europe and North America, the two main regions of the world for development aid. This is also one possible path in coordinating the activities of CECOP and of CICOPA.

12 Javier Salaberria then supports the words of Felice Scalvini, and adds that this explosion of worker cooperatives across the world is becoming the object of increasing interest in the ILO itself: there is an increasing understanding that supporting worker cooperative development is essential both for the attainment of the UN Millenium goals and for the ILO Decent Work promotion. Therefore, Javier considers that, in this development work, we should not only focus on NGOs but also on the ILO itself.

14) Any other business

Romanian Resolution

Bruno Roelants reads the Romanian declaration : [see original text of the resolution]

This declaration asks - To the EU to ensure a legal frame favorable to the development of the cooperatives, to offer them an equal treatment as that applied to the other forms of economic organization on the market; - the governmental factors to take concrete actions of promotion of the cooperative principles and values in the civil society and to be open to the messages sent by the international bodies concerning the status and role of the cooperatives within the modern society - the civil society to include in their set of values the basic elements of the cooperative culture to consult the cooperatives for the promotion of liberty, security and justice in an enlarged Europe, ensuring, at the same time, the necessary conditions for a good cooperation of the cooperative movement with all the progress forces at the European and world level

Felice Scalvini declares that we are close to our Romanian friends in this battle into which they enter and that we approve with conviction this resolution.

Antonio Finelli proposes to send this resolution to the European Commission but it is UCECOM that must decide.

Gheorghe Zamfir says that the Romanians feel concerned by their cooperatives. According to him, this document must be addressed to all, because it takes the principles that apply in the world.

15) Calendar

- 14 June : preliminary meeting ETUC conference

- 15 & 16 June : ETUC conference

- 9 November : CECOP board and seminar (on social enterprises – to be confirmed)

- 10 & 11 November : Congress of Cooperatives Europe (Manchester)

13 List of participants to the CECOP general assembly of 12 May 2006:

Members: Felice Scalvini, Confcooperative and CECOP President Francesc Abad, Confesal Stilian Balasopulov, NUWPC Elisabeth Bost, Coopérer pour Entreprendre Helena Capova, SZVD Olivier Diard, Fédération Nationale Scop BTP Nieves Fernandez, COCETA Antonio Finelli, ANCPL Jean Gautier, CGSCOP Antonio Gracia, COCETA Marcel Hipszman, ESFIN-IDES Pavol Kvasnica, Marc Mathieu, FEAS Vilma Mazzocco, Federsolidarietà Miguel Millana, CONFESAL Jan Olsson, FKÜ Laura Pagliaro, AGCI Daniel Pavel, SZVD Enzo Pezzini, Confcooperative Daniel Piatnica, SZVD Denis Stokkink, SAW-B Peter Streiff, NETZ Franco Tumino, ANCST Jan Wiesner, SCMVD Gheorghe Zamfir, UCECOM Marie Zvolska, SCMVD

Represented : Massimo Ascari representing Costanza Fanelli, Legacoopsociali Vilma Mazzocco representing Massimo Stronati, Federlavoro e Servizi Jean Gautier representing Philippe Joachim

Invited people: Javier Salaberria, CICOPA Rainer Schlüter, Cooperatives Europe

Staff members: Guy Boucquiaux Bruno Roelants