Capacity Building Workshop

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Capacity Building Workshop

“Developing and monitoring regional strategies for the social economy” Athens, March 10-11, 2026

Following an invitation from the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) Directorate of the General Secretariat for Social Solidarity and Poverty Alleviation, I participated, representing the Region of Crete, in the aforementioned workshop. The event took place within the framework of the OECD Technical Assistance program in collaboration with the European Union.

The program includes representatives of National or Regional authorities from Portugal, Croatia, France, Greece, and Wallonia (Belgium). The presentations and discussions focused on Regional policies and actions for the Social Economy as a driver of regional and local development.

Key Speakers and Presentations

The workshop featured presentations on best practices and findings from:

  • Amal Chevreau, Head of the Social Economy and Innovation Unit, OECD.

  • Dorina Giouroukou, Policy Officer, European Social Rights, Reforms and Investments Unit, European Commission.

  • Baptiste Mandouze, DG Employment, European Commission.

  • Michael Flood, OECD Analyst for Regional Policy and Attractiveness.

  • Ana Umbelino, President of the European Network of Cities and Regions for the Social Economy (REVES).

  • Bruno De Menna, Policy Analyst for Economy, Social Economy, and Innovation, OECD.

In addition, regional actions were presented by the program partners. Jaime Iglesias Sánchez-Cervera, Special Commissioner for the Social Economy of the Spanish Ministry of Labour and Social Economy, delivered a greeting and shared highly interesting data regarding the Spanish government’s design network at the National, Regional, and Local levels.

Greek Representation: The Head of the SSE Directorate, Eleni Kontonasiou, referred to the National Strategy and presented the case of Epirus as the program’s case study focused on counter-desertification, while noting the low participation rates in the ecosystem of Social Integration Enterprises.

I subsequently presented the actions of the Region of Crete, describing the steps taken from 2020 to the present in this sector, and addressed informational inquiries. Our presence was received with significant interest by representatives of the OECD, the EU, and other Regions.

Key Points from Presentations (OECD, EU)

  1. Strengthening the Regional and Local Dimension: Recognizing Social Economy as a factor of local development. Strategies should have few and measurable goals, ensure stakeholder coordination, and encourage the exchange of experiences between regions and municipalities (OECD Recommendations).

  2. Disparity in Development: Addressing the uneven growth of the sector between and within countries. Emphasis on the regional dimension, reflecting strategy in budgets, establishing monitoring mechanisms, and utilizing funds from ESF+, ERDF, and ERASMUS. Promotion of Socially Responsible Procurement and the ongoing EU review of State Aid for Social Economy entities (EU).

  3. Political Will as a Decisive Factor: Increasing the visibility of the Social Economy. The definition of the Social Economy is evolving. Integration into sectoral policies and Local Development programs, citizen participation in design, and capacity building for Social Economy entities (REVES Network).

  4. The Role of Social Economy in Global Challenges: Its impact on Climate Change, social exclusion, desertification, social housing, Energy, and the Circular Economy. Creation of digital incubators, utilization of local partnerships, and defining a limited set of quantitative and qualitative indicators (Other OECD-EU-Regional speakers).

Key Conclusions (Personal Observations)

  • Varied Definitions: There are different approaches to the field’s definition across countries. In Greece and France, we refer to “Social and Solidarity Economy” (SSE). Other countries adopt a broader scope, including all cooperative-type organizations.

  • The Spanish Model: Spain stands out as exemplary in its design, government support, development, and monitoring of the sector.

  • The Standing of Crete: The Region of Crete distinguishes itself from most other Greek regions (with the possible exception of Epirus). Many of the recommendations are already part of our strategy, while others (such as specific indicators and sectoral policies) can be incorporated into our 2026 update.

  • Assessment: I evaluate our participation as highly valuable and productive.

Antonis Papaderakis Coordinator of the Regional Committee for SSE