“The next MFF will determine not only what Europe finances, but what kind of economy Europe chooses to build”
The social economy is a key pillar of Europe’s future, and it is time for the EU and Member States to recognise this in the EU’s new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034. EU funding must be leveraged to support social economy actors. For Europe to achieve its strategic objectives, a focus on short-term profit is not enough. Instead, a holistic view on European resilience, autonomy and competitiveness that includes societal benefit and respect for our natural environment must be adopted. This message is felt by Euclid Network’s members from across Europe, jointly expressed in a collective position paper “The EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework: an opportunity to mainstream social enterprise”.
Key recommendations include:
- Use the MFF to set a renewed strategic direction for Europe that moves towards an emphasis on long-term investments in people and the planet rather than short-term, unsustainable and ultimately counterproductive returns.
- Recognise the capacity of social enterprises to respond to and deliver on Europe’s priorities, including but not limited to the 14% target for spending on social priorities. Support for social enterprises must also come from the European Competitiveness Fund and other sources with social enterprises’ contribution to other priorities such as competitiveness, resilience and strategic autonomy also being recognised.
- Require Member States to meaningfully include representatives of the social economy and enterprise ecosystems, such as national networks, directly in the decision making process around the development, programming and distribution of EU funds. These representatives should play a critical role at the national and local levels, especially in the development of the National Regional Partnership Plans.
Supporting the social economy means strengthening those businesses that find solutions to today’s most complex challenges. This strengthens Europe’s economy, while building resilience from the bottom-up. The next MFF must not consider the social economy as a mere add-on. Instead, we need to advocate for an MFF that weaves the social economy into its fabric. A strong European economy that can deliver on Europe’s priorities requires a strong social economy.
Make your voice heard!
Euclid Network is launching an advocacy campaign combining targeted engagement of policy makers with more general public communication. You can be a part of this too: get in contact with your public representatives and share this position paper! National authorities are the ones who are negotiating the budget and who will make the final decision. Now is the time to have your voice heard!
