Dorotea Daniele: How Diesis Network is supporting social enterprises in Europe and globally

Dorotea Daniele, Head of EU Partnerships at Diesis Network spoke at Enterprising for Tomorrow 2024 conference about the organization’s mission, strategic goals, and activities to support and promote social economy enterprises in Europe and globally.

Key discussion insights

Role and Mission of Diesis

Diesis has been dedicated to the development of the social economy since its foundation in 1997, now encompassing over 60 organizations across more than 30 countries, including Europe, Africa, Canada, and India.

Strategic Goals and Activities

Diesis emphasizes participation, knowledge, and visibility as core components of its strategy to amplify the impact of the social economy.

They support events both at national and European levels, organize communication campaigns, and raise awareness on social economy topics, such as socially responsible public procurement.

Knowledge and Visibility

The organization focuses on increasing the visibility of the social economy and sharing best practices and research. It collaborates on projects related to digital and green transitions, emphasizing the importance of staying competitive and addressing economic, societal, and environmental challenges.

Support for Social Enterprises

Diesis works on facilitating access for social enterprises to markets and public procurement opportunities.
The organization also emphasizes capacity building, improving management and technical skills, particularly in new sectors like digital and green economies.

Recommendations for Romania

The speaker highlighted the need for an enabling ecosystem with supportive legislation and policies, coordination between different ministries, financial tools beyond grants, and increased visibility for social enterprises.

Emphasis was also placed on sharing good practices, participating in socially responsible public procurement, and building the capacity of social enterprises.

“Knowledge is important for the social economy because it’s really crucial for social enterprises to remain competitive and to address economic, societal, and environmental challenges.”

Dorotea Daniele, Head of EU Partnerships at Diesis Network
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Juan Antonio Pedreño, President of Social Economy Europe: Social economy in Europe

Juan Antonio Pedreño, President of Social Economy Europe, spoke at the Enterprising for Tomorrow 2024 conference about the the social economy in Europe, highlighting its importance and the efforts being made to strengthen it.

“The European institutions have given utmost importance to the social economy and placed it at the center of their work agendas. Its relevance is not only due to being an unquestionable economic reality of the first order with more than 3 million companies with more than 14 million people throughout Europe.”

“From the moment vice president of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis and Commissioners Schmit and Breton a presented the European Action plan for the Social Economy in December 2021, social economy started working hand in hand with the European institutions.”

Juan Antonio Pedreño, President of Social Economy Europe
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Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Right: Empowering Europe’s Social Economy

Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, spoke at Enterprising for Tomorrow 2024 conference about the European Social Economy Action Plan and its impact on social economy enterprises.

“The momentum we have started with our Social Economy Action Plan in December 2021 continues to this day. The Action Plan consists of an ambitious set of 60 concrete initiatives covering all aspects of the ecosystem.”

“Member states must now create strategies with a political commitment and resources needed for the social economy to thrive. I look forward to seeing the Romanian government strategy which I know is under preparation.”

“I encourage you to make the most of this event to expand your networks and to shape the future of the social economy in Romania.”

Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights

Initiatives and Resources mentioned by Nicolas Schmit

  • The launch of the Social Economy Gateway provides a single entry point for stakeholders seeking information on EU funding, policies, and initiatives.
  • The Youth Entrepreneurship Policy Academy, launched in collaboration with the OECD, offers mentoring and idea exchange for upcoming entrepreneurs.
  • EU funds are supporting social economy entities through startup grants and training programs.
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Cristina Dumitrescu, European Investment Fund: EIF role in supporting the social economy

Cristina Dumitrescu, Senior Investment Manager, European Investment Fund (EIF) spoke at Enterprising for Tomorrow 2024 conference about the role and impact of the EIF in supporting the social economy, particularly through financial and guarantee products aimed at micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, including social enterprises.

“We have mobilized over 5-6 billion euros in guarantees and financing products, supporting around 2,600 micro and social enterprises in Europe.”

Cristina Dumitrescu, Senior Investment Manager, European Investment Fund (EIF)

Discussion Highlights

  1. Role of the European Investment Fund (EIF):
    • The EIF is a European institution that assumes the risk to facilitate access to finance for European SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), including micro-enterprises, social enterprises, and startups.
  2. Products and Services:
    • The EIF operates two main lines of business: financial products (loans and guarantees) and equity products (investments in funds).
  3. History and Impact:
    • The first financial products dedicated to financial and social inclusion were launched in 2010 under the Progress Microfinance program, targeting micro-enterprises created by vulnerable groups such as the unemployed, women, youth, and seniors.
    • Subsequent programs include the Easy program and the InvestEU program, which have significantly contributed to the social economy.
  4. Achievements:
    • Over the past 15 years, the EIF has mobilized over 5-6 billion euros in guarantees and financing products, supporting around 2,600 micro and social enterprises across Europe.
    • Notably, 70-75% of these enterprises received their first credit through these products, highlighting the impact on financial inclusion.
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Michał Radziwiłł, Inpulse Investment: financial instruments for supporting the social economy

Michał Radziwiłł, Manager at Inpulse Investment discussed at the Enterprising for Tomorrow 2024 conference the importance of financial instruments in supporting the social economy, particularly focusing on the role of microfinance and venture capital in financing social enterprises.

Discussion Highlights

  1. Role of Microfinance:
    • Michał Radziwiłł highlighted the significance of microfinance in the social economy. He emphasizes that microfinance, though not directly part of the social economy, plays a crucial role in providing financial support to social enterprises.
  2. Simplified Financial Products:
    • The speaker stresses the need for simple financial products that are easily understandable for social entrepreneurs who are just starting. He suggested that high-level financial engineering might be a future step, but currently, basic loan products are essential.
  3. Government Support and Risk Sharing:
    • Michał Radziwiłł mentioned the importance of government programs that support the social economy. These programs not only provide a legal framework but also offer financial backing that helps mitigate the risks associated with lending to social enterprises.
  4. Social Venture Capital:
    • The manager of Inpulse Investment talked about the social venture capital fund he managed in Poland. This fund was a pilot program aimed at exploring how social enterprises could be financed through equity investments. Despite being small in scale, such funds can reach areas that larger funds might find difficult to access.

“You need to have simple products. High-level financial engineering might be the next step, but for now, we need products that social entrepreneurs starting their journey can easily understand.”

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Fabiana Pompermaier, DIESIS Network: How the BuySocial project empowers social enterprises across EU

Fabiana Pompermaier, DIESIS Network, Project Manager of the Buy Social Project – BFSE B2B Project, spoke at Enterprising for Tomorrow 2024 conference about the contributions of the Buy Social project, particularly in developing social enterprises within the European Union, including Romania.

Fabiana highlighted the project’s comprehensive approach to supporting social enterprises through policy advocacy, capacity building, and fostering B2B partnerships, aiming for a sustainable and inclusive economic impact.

Key points

Framework and Objectives of the By Social Project

The project aims to enhance the capacity of the social economy to contribute to sustainable and circular value chains. It aligns with the broader EU agenda to promote sustainable business practices.

Identified Needs and Actions

The project addresses three main needs identified across various countries: lack of knowledge and mutual understanding between traditional and social enterprises, lack of networking opportunities, and lack of training and capacity building.
Actions include collecting and presenting good practices from across Europe, creating and promoting B2B partnerships, and developing EU policy recommendations.

Capacity Building and Networking

The consortium focuses on capacity building through training and workshops on legal forms for social enterprises and matchmaking events to promote mutual understanding.
Efforts are made to prevent misconceptions about social enterprises’ economic capacity and avoid issues like greenwashing.

Awareness and Promotion

An awareness-raising campaign aims to promote access to a wider public for social economy products and services. This includes partnerships with retail companies to sustain and scale the impact of social enterprises.

“We are trying to actively and concretely promote the access to a wider public for social economy products and services.”

More about the Buy Social project here.

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Geir Ebbesen, Unikum: Norway’s Support Systems for Social Enterprises

Geir Ebbesen, project manager at Unikum (Norway), spoke at Enterprising for Tomorrow 2024 conference about Norway’s approach in supporting social enterprises and shared examples of successful Social Enterprises.

Key insights

On Norway’s Experience with Social Enterprises and Public Procurement

“The Norwegian government has developed a policy framework that encourages the inclusion of social enterprises in public procurement processes. This includes incorporating social and environmental factors in these practices.”

On Support Mechanisms for Social Enterprises

“Norway has implemented reserved contracts, which aim to provide social enterprises with opportunities to participate in public processes and contribute to societal goals. They have also invested in building an ecosystem that includes training, mentorship, and financial support for social enterprises.”


On Collaborations Between For-Profit Companies and Social Enterprises

“Technology companies can partner with social enterprises to provide training and skills development programs. In return, social enterprises can refer trained individuals for job opportunities within these companies.”

“Venture capital firms may invest in social enterprises focused on social inclusion, helping these enterprises scale their impact while potentially generating returns for the investors.”

On the Impact and Evaluation of Policies

“The Norwegian government employs monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to assess the impact of policies and support provided to social enterprises, ensuring effectiveness and contribution to social and economic goals.”

Examples of Successful Social Enterprises

“One example is a company working with individuals with autism and Asperger’s syndrome in the field of computer security, which started in Norway and has expanded to Sweden, Finland, and Denmark.”

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Amal Chevreau, OECD: Insights from the study “Mapping the Social Economy Around the World”

Amal Chevreau, Policy Analyst in the Unit on Social Economy and Innovation at the Center for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, OECD, brought at Enterprising for Tomorrow 2024 conference valuable insights from the comprehensive study titled “Mapping the Social Economy Around the World”.

The study was released in 2023, and includes country fact sheets from 34 countries, including Romania. The study provides insights into legal frameworks, employment contributions, and sector impacts of the social economy.

Country-Fact-Sheets-SSE-NoteDownload

Key Findings from the OECD Study on Mapping the Social Economy Ecosystems

  • Associations are the predominant legal form of social economy entities, followed by cooperatives and foundations.
  • Social economy entities are typically micro and small-medium enterprises with fewer than 10 employees.
  • The social economy is a significant source of employment, with high employment rates in countries like France, while being more modest in Poland and Romania.
  • The sector demonstrates employment stability during crises, highlighting its resilience.
  • Women represent 60% of the workforce in many countries within the social economy, though this reflects traditional gender roles in certain sectors.
  • Social services, health, education, culture, communication, and recreation are common areas of activity in the social economy.
  • The diversity of these sectors underscores the multifaceted nature of the social economy.

“OECD stands ready to support Romania reach these goals through in-depth work and tailored expertise.”

Amal Chevreau, Policy Analyst in the Unit on Social Economy and Innovation at the Center for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, OECD

Recommendations for Romania

  • Provide training and mentorship to aspiring and existing social entrepreneurs.
  • Enhance collaboration among social enterprises, government agencies, and stakeholders to improve innovation, knowledge sharing, and collective impact.
  • Raise awareness among consumers and increase market access for social enterprises, including through public procurement.
  • Collect data and measure impact to inform resource allocation, program development, and strategic planning.

Amal Chevreau address at the social economy event organized by ADV Romania highlighted the pivotal role of the social economy, its resilience, and the strategic steps Romania can take to further develop this sector, leveraging insights from the OECD study and continued support from international organizations.

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