International and European Organizations:
· Association Internationale de la Mutualité - AIM
(International Associations of Mutuals)
A grouping of autonomous health insurance and social protection bodies operating according to the principles of solidarity and non-profit-making orientation.
www.aim-mutual.org
· European Council for Non-Profit Organisations - CEDAG
CEDAG is a network of non-profit organisations from across the EU member states. CEDAG's members are regional and national umbrella bodies for the non-profit sector; together they represent over 50,000 non-profit organisations with over 9 million individual members. The network was established in 1989 in order to provide a voice for the non-profit sector at European level on issues, which are common to all non-profit organisations.
www.cedag-eu.org
· European Foundation Centre - EFC
As an independent international association, the European Foundation Centre (EFC) is the gathering point for independent funders active in and with Europe. Foundations and corporate citizens from all over Europe and the world are members and partners of the EFC, which promotes and underpins their work.
www.efc.be
· European Foundation for Public Policies – EZAI FUNDAZIOA
EZAI Foundation is a research institute that was set up in 1998 by MONDRAGON Corporation and MONDRAGON UNIVERSITY, with the aim of promoting and spreading the knowledge regarding public policies; mainly, and in a general level, in the area of economic policies and, also in all the policies related to co-operatives or Social Economy.
www.ezai.coop
· International Co-operative Alliance - ICA
ICA is an independent, non-governmental association which unites, represents and serves co-operatives worldwide. Founded in 1895, ICA has 222 member organisations from 90 countries active in all sectors of the economy. Together these co-operatives represent more than 800 million individuals worldwide.
www.ica.coop
· Pour la Solidarité
Pour la Solidarité (PLS) is a service provider for socio-economic and political stakeholders wishing to operate in a professional manner in the European solidarity sector. PLS, which is in permanent contact with the European Institutions, caters for the needs of solidarity stakeholders in Europe.
PLS aims to play an active role in the following areas: formulation of sustainable public policies, the increasing interest being shown by companies in corporate social responsibility, promoting the social economy and encouraging citizens to take part in decision-making processes in order to address the many emerging challenges and contribute to the construction of a Europe that espouses solidarity and fosters social cohesion. Our projects help to build bridges between the different families of stakeholders in the economic and social sectors: public authorities, companies, trade unions, research centres and associations.
www.pourlasolidarite.be
· SOCIAL ECONOMY EUROPE
SOCIAL ECONOMY EUROPE is the EU-level representative institution for the Social Economy. SOCIAL ECONOMY EUROPE was set up in November 2000, under the name of CEP-CMAF. SOCIAL ECONOMY EUROPE aims at promoting Social Economy as a sector that produces both economic and social wealth; promoting the role and values of Social Economy actors throughout Europe and at reinforcing political and legal recognition of the Social Economy and the cooperatives, mutual societies, associations and foundations at a European level.
www.socialeconomy.eu.org
Other networks:
· The Civil Society and New Forms of Governance in Europe – the Making of European Citizenship Network of Excellence - CINEFOGO
The CINEFOGO network aims at enhancing the understanding of social and democratic processes, citizenship and democratic participation in Europe.
www.cinefogo.org
· The European Institute for Solidarity based Economy - INEES
Closely related to the Objectif Plein Emploi network, this Luxembourg-based network was created out of the desire to pool the ambitions and the knowhow of a body known as the "Action Sociale pour Jeunes" which, since 1984 had been working alongside young people, helping them to plan their future careers, and of the OGB-L trade union which was looking to go beyond its traditional vocation of defending workers' interests and had decided to explore new ground and to invest its efforts in seeking out new solutions for people that did not have a job.
The INEES was founded in 1998 with researchers and/or practitioners from the solidarity-based economy from Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium and France, as well as from Switzerland.
www.ope.lu/index.php
· The European Network for Social Integration Enterprises - ENSIE
ENSIE takes for its objective the representation, maintenance, and development within the European Union of networks and federations for economic social integration in Europe.
www.ensie.org
· The IRIS Network (Istituti di Ricerca sull'impresa sociale)
Italian network gathering research institutes on social enteprise.
www.irisnetwork.it
· The Voluntary Sector Studies Network - VSSN
VSSN functions to promote the advancement of knowledge about, and understanding of, organisations between the market and the state. It provides a virtual and actual meeting point for scholars and researchers both outside and within the voluntary (third or non-profit) sector(s), with a shared analytic interest in this set of institutions. It is multidisciplinary, seeking to engage economists, historians, political scientists, sociologists, policy analysts and others. It aspires to a UK wide focus.
www.vssn.org.uk
