Policymakers and experts from EU and beyond will gather in Lisbon on 6 May for a high-level workshop on “EU good practices on official statistics and indicators for the social economy”, hosted at the headquarters of Statistics Portugal.
The event, which is organised by the OECD and the EU’s Reform and Investment Task Force (SG REFORM) in co-operation with the António Sérgio Cooperative for the Social Economy (CASES) and Statistics Portugal (INE) will spotlight how better data can drive smarter policies to support the social economy across Europe. Amid ongoing changes in the institutional landscape, the event comes at a critical moment for Portugal’s social economy governance and future direction.
The workshop will be opened by Filipa Lima, Portugal’s Secretary of State for Social alongside António Rua, President of Statistics Portugal, and Carla Ventura, Vice-President of the António Sérgio Cooperative for the Social Economy.
The workshop is organised under the project “Supporting the development of the social economy as a driver for growth”, funded by the EU via the Technical Support Instrument and implemented by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in cooperation with the European Commission’s Reform and Investment Task Force. In Portugal, the project will deliver a report with key building blocks to inform a national social economy strategy.
This work is closely aligned with the OECD Recommendation on the Social and Solidarity Economy and Social Innovation (2022), to which Portugal has adhered, and which calls on governments to strengthen framework conditions to facilitate the development of the social economy. It is also reflects the objectives set in the EU’s Social Economy Action Plan (2021) and the recommendations outlined in the Council of the EU Recommendation on developing social economy framework conditions (2023). By supporting Portuguese authorities in developing a comprehensive and evidence-based strategy, the project aims to set a clear trajectory for the sector’s long-term development, while aligning Portugal’s policy approach to the sector with that of other OECD Member States.
The social economy already plays a significant role in Portugal, encompassing nearly 74 000 entities and contributing to around 6% of remunerated employment in the country. It is particularly prominent in health and social services, but it also contributes to the housing, agriculture, finance, education, and culture sectors.
The workshop on May 6 will serve as a platform for international peer-learning, building upon the example set by Portugal, which was one of the first countries among OECD Member States to develop a national satellite account for the social economy, as a result of a collaboration between Statistics Portugal (INE) and the António Sérgio Cooperative for the Social Economy (CASES).
For more information contact: Shayne.Maclachlan@oecd.org & Carolina.Ferreira@oecd.org.
