Yolanda Díaz puts potential for cohesion and solidarity in Social Economy at heart of European reconstruction

The opening ceremony was attended by the President of the Regional Government of Castile-La Mancha, Emiliano García Page, and the Mayor of Toledo, Milagros Tolón.

The event was held in Toledo because the city has been the Capital of the Social Economy in 2020. Numerous international representatives from European institutions attended the event, such as the Commissioner for Employment of the European Commission, Nicholas Schmit, the Director-General of the ILO, Guy Ryder, and the Secretary-General of the OECD, Ángel Gurría. Led by the Director-General for Self-Employed Work, the Social Economy and Corporate Social Responsibility, Maravillas Espín, the event was also attended by the State Secretary for Employment, Joaquín Pérez Rey.

In her speech, the Minister for Employment highlighted the validity of the Social Economy model because of its potential to boost cohesion and equality in the current context. "What we want now is for that cohesion and solidarity potential to play a decisive role in rebuilding Europe. Which is why we are all here, to forge alliances, share ideas and acknowledge each other on this collective task, which has also been the goal for the Spanish presidency of the Luxembourg Declaration Monitoring Committee", she said.

Yolanda Díaz also alluded to the Toledo Social Economy Declaration. "We know that the Social Economy is a safe bet in the face of crisis, combining adaptability, resilience and collective intelligence. It is also a factor for productive transformation, a driving force for the green, digital and care transition", she added.

"In short, placing people and a decent living at the heart of the reconstruction process also means making a commitment to the Social Economy. Because we are institutions with a soul, we work to resolve the problems of the people and to collaborate on the achievement of their aspirations and life goals", she concluded.

City of agreements and consensus

The President of the Regional Government of Castile-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, closed the opening ceremony by highlighting Toledo's status as Capital of the Social Economy and with an in-depth reflection. He called for a "recovery of optimism, the avant-garde, the modern", which means that "we do not renounce the concept of creating, generating wealth, but we consciously want that concept to have a moral, human and solidarity-focused dimension".

"The Social Economy, which represents 8% of European GDP and 10% in Spain as a whole, is a very special wake-up call because it is not only about creating wealth in order to distribute that wealth but also because the way in which that wealth is created is by distributing it", he concluded.

In turn, the city's mayor said that the Toledo Declaration in favour of the Social Economy strengthens the international and historic profile of the regional capital of Castile-La Mancha "as the city of agreements and consensus". She went on to add that, this year, "we have helped raise the profile of the Social Economy in our society and shone a light on its importance for the community".

"Opening new horizons for the Social Economy is a forward-thinking commitment, the values that accompany this model are fundamental for reflecting on what we want to build for the future. A future that is intrinsically linked to the collective responses we give to the challenges set by the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development", said Milagros Tolón.

Non official translation