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CEPES - The Spanish Business Confederation for Social Economy

CEPES, the Spanish acronym for the Spanish Business Confederation for Social Economy, -created in 1992- is an independent, professional organisation of national scope, that is inter-sectorial and confederative in nature, constituted to co-ordinate, represent, manage, foster and defend the interests of its members.

All the members of CEPES have one common link, i.e. Social Economy: a model that places its stakes on a democratic and participative way of functioning both in its management style and its sharing of profits, and that understands that economic activity should be sustained by the association of people and the concept of privacy.

In other words, the companies integrated in CEPES are run according to the principles of Social Economy which are as follows:

• Democracy and participation
• Solidarity
• Responsibility in the participation and contribution of its members to professional management
• Profitability and managerial efficacy

15 confederations and the most outstanding enterprises of Social Economy are integrated in the structure of CEPES according to the following three modalities into which they are traditionally classified:

1. Co-operative societies and "Sociedades laborales" (companies owned by workers)
2. Mutualities
3. Associations and Foundations

Under the CEPES organization there are 20,000 companies which provide approximately 600,000 jobs.

CEPES' members

(For more information and contact data see http://www.cepes.es/socios.htm)

• CCAE - Confederación de Cooperativas Agrarias de España (Confederation of Spanish Agricultural Co-operative Societies)
• CEPES Andalucía - Comité de Entidades para la Economía Social de Andalucía (The Andalusian Comimitte of Social Economy Companies)
• CCC - Confederación de Cooperativas de Cataluña (The Catalonian Confederative of Co-operatives)
• CNEPS - Confederación Nacional de Entidades de Previsión Social (National Confederation of Mutualities)
• CONCOVI - Confederación de Cooperativas de Viviendas de España (Spanish Confederation of Housing Co-operative Societies)
• CONFESAL - Confederación Empresarial de Sociedades Laborales (Business Confederation of companies owned by workers)
• FUNDOSA GRUPO S.A. Grupo empresarial de economía social (Business group of Social economy)
• HISPACOOP - Confederación Española de Cooperativas de Consumidores y Usuarios (Spanish Confederation of Consumer Co-operative Societies)
• MCC - Mondragón Corporación Cooperativa (Mondragón Co-operative Corporation)
• ONCE - Organización Nacional de Ciegos de España (Spanish National Organisation for the Blind)
• SCIAS - Grup Cooperatiu D' Assistencia Sanitaria
• UCOTRANS - Unión de Cooperativas de Transporte de España (Spanish Union of Transport Co-operative Societies)
• UECOE - Unión Española de Cooperativas de Enseñanza (Spanish Union of Teaching Co-operative Societies)
• UNACOMAR - Unión Nacional de Cooperativas del Mar de España (Spanish National Union of Marine Co-operative Societies)
• UNIDE - Unión de Detallistas Españoles, Sociedad Cooperativa (Union of Spanish Retailers, Co-operative Society)

In its stake for future oriented projects CEPES has laid down a series of general objectives which have guided its actions and will continue to do so in the future:

• To represent Social Economy at institutional level, on both a national and international scale, and to act as spokesman in the elaboration of policies and strategies that influence the development of its managerial activity. In this sense, certain steps have already been taken to achieve representation at national level on the Social and Economic Council (CES - Consejo Económico y Social) and the Council of the National Institute for the Development of Social Economy (INFES - Instituto Nacional de Fomento de la Economía Social), and, on an international level, on the European Social Economy Consultative Committee.
• To foster an appropriate framework in the legislative sphere, promoting the necessary reforms to overcome those obstacles that hinder the normal development of the enterprises of Social Economy..
• To promote initiatives and strategies aimed at improving competitiveness, thus fostering the managerial development of its members: training, information, co-operation and integration, financing mechanisms, international presence, …
• To launch its own initiatives and supports its member organisations in adopting measures to favour Social Economy or to correct harmful situations in the event they occur.
• Finally, to promote Social Economy, at all levels, as a formula for the creation of wealth, and generation of stable employment and managerial organisation.

Within the CEPES 'umbrella' there is particular experience of working with disabled people. E.g. 'ONCE' were established in 1960 to promote the rights of blind people within employment etc. After 5-10 years they expanded to include disabled people in general.

The project CEPADITE overall will look to be working with 20 disabled people in examing the different areas of Teleworking The project is aimed at creating new ways for disabled people to access employment including the use of ITCs throught "home-based telework" and selfemployment formulas.

Related Pages

• Project - Cepadite
• Project Launch
• Project Update March 1999
• CEPES Web Site

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