Presented at: GSEF2016 Montreal

Organisation: Ajuntament de Barcelona (Government and public agencies), Xarxa d'Economia Solidària de Catalunya (Social and solidarity economy organization)

Date: September 8, 2016

Presenter: Mr.Jordi Via Llop (Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Commissioner), Mr. Pau Nadal (Representative)

Contacts: jvia@bcn.cat, pnadal@gmail.com

Summary: 

The Catalonian solidarity economy is experiencing a significant moment. For the first time, city councils ruled by different political forces and including the most important ones (such as Barcelona, Badalona and Sabadell), are determined to promote it as a development tool for their municipalities and they are willing to undertake this process  together, organized in a network of municipalities for the social and solidarity economy. This situation is the result of a process encouraged, to a great extent, by the Xarxa d’Economia Solidaria de Catalunya (XES), the network organization that, since 2002, binds together people, organizations and projects for social and economic transformation aimed at overcoming inequality and capitalism. With its document “Hacia la democracia económica municipal; 14 medidas para impulsar la economía social y solidaria a nivel local” (Toward municipal economic democracy; 14 measures to promote social and solidarity economy at the local level) the XES appealed to the political forces that ran in the local elections of May 2015, to include actions “aimed at a more democratic and sustainable economy”. This is now being done, within a network.