ASES: Slovakia Has Ambition to Become Leader in Development of Social Economy

Bratislava, 19 September (TASR) - Slovakia has the ambition to become a leader in the development of the social economy, the Alliance for the Social Economy in Slovakia (ASES) said following the first European Social Economy Summit held in Murcia, Spain. The aim of the summit, which was attended by representatives of 27 countries, including Morocco, Jordan and Lebanon, was to unite all forces of the social economy so that the European Commission would recognise the contribution of 4 million social enterprises and 12 million workers, contributing to Europe's wealth and the quality of people's life, said Social Economy Europe President Juan Antonio Pedreno Frutos. MEP Branislav Ondrus (Voice-SD) stated that the action plan of the social economy is of crucial importance for Slovakia. "The very existence of this plan was a great benefit for Slovakia. When preparing the Slovakia 2021-2027 programme, we were able to argue that European money must also be directed to supporting the social economy. We showed that this is an official European approach, not just an initiative of a small group of organisations," said Ondrus. ASES President Alena Gunarova appreciated the benefits of Slovakia's participation in the summit. She would like to transfer the experience from Spain to Slovakia. "We want to bring new solutions to our social enterprises, help them what they really need to be helped with, and move Slovakia forward," she added. ko