Building Strong Development Cooperation - Partnership Opportunities between Cooperatives and the EU

Cooperatives Europe releases today its latest publication “Building Strong Development Cooperation - Partnership Opportunities between Cooperatives and the EU”. This study intends to strengthen the collaboration between cooperatives and EU institutions. It showcases development activities undertaken by cooperatives and the EU, as well as existing partnerships, the challenges they face, and steps for improvement. 

This document is the final publication of the 2012-2015 project 'Cooperatives in Development' supporting the Cooperatives Europe Development Platform (CEDP). It provides insights into the specificities of cooperatives, their contribution to inclusive development, and the assets they bring to partnerships with international institutions. At the same time, it explains the EU policies and instruments in development cooperation, and suggests ways to strengthen engagement with cooperatives. 

This research was led by Cooperatives Europe and The Co-operative College supported by experts of CEDP, and in particular Coopermondo-Confcooperative, DGRV, FNCUMA and Kooperationen.

Marc Noel, Cooperative Development Manager at Cooperatives Europe, commented: "This study shows the positive steps that have already been taken to promote partnerships between cooperatives and the EU in international development, but it also highlights current gaps, in particular at local level. Unlocking this potential requires actions from both sides: while the cooperative movement can support capacity building initiatives, increase visibility of its enterprise model and better disseminate partnership opportunities, the EU has the potential to strengthen the involvement of cooperatives in country level initiatives and to engage in more regular dialogue with cooperatives and their representative organisations."