Speaking at the launch the Social Innovation Europe initiative in Brussels on 17 March 2011, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso expressed his commitment to the Foundation Statute, the absence of which presents a barrier to spreading social innovation in Europe.
President Barroso stressed that social innovation is more important than ever for generating and consolidating the kind of growth we need and want: inclusive, smart, sustainable growth. He further outlined the role of social innovation in creating jobs with a strong concern for the environment, social inclusion, education and training, and praised the role of non-profit and social economy organisations.
"There is a huge untapped innovative potential of this sector across Europe." said the President. “Individuals or groups of people come up with creative solutions to major socio-economic problems often linked to social exclusion as well as to the ageing of the population. Their innovations contribute to generate economic growth and have a positive impact on all stakeholders.”
President Barroso confirmed that “the Commission will contribute to optimise their functioning and facilitate their development within the Single Market. This will help to release the full potential of social entrepreneurship, in particular by proposing European status for organisations that serve the social economy, European foundations for example.”
Adding that the Commission will present its proposal for the Single Market Act in the coming weeks, he outlined that “one of the likely first initiatives is precisely the issue regarding social entrepreneurship including the important role of foundations in Europe and the status of foundations. I hope that at European level we can also support the very important role of these foundations.”
The Social Innovation Europe Initiative which is supported by the Commission will offer a platform for connecting, learning and networking for anyone interested in social innovation.
It aims to help remove the barriers to social innovation identified by experts, namely:
- the insufficient knowledge of users' needs, from NGOs and patients to public sector and social entrepreneurs
- the fragmentation of efforts and resources – funding and skills
- the poor diffusion and little scale up of good practices; and the lack of evaluation of actions and policies
It will also support the development of innovation in key policy areas, in particular social policy, active and health ageing, health care and environment policies.
Social Innovation Europe is run by a consortium of European partners including the Danish Technological Institute, the Euclid Network, and the Social Innovation eXchange (SIX) at the Young Foundation, UK.
For further information please visit the EC webpage