Annual report May 2013-April 2014
Contents President s foreword 2 Cooperation is quality time spent together 3 Cooperatives Europe s new governance structure 5 Our work with you this year 6 Stepping up cooperative communications 11 Cooperatives Europe s accounts 12
2 President s foreword Dear members and fellow cooperators, 2013 saw some fundamental changes at Cooperatives Europe. After a long process and in close cooperation with our members, the General Assembly in Istanbul approved a revised governance structure and statutes. I had the honour of being elected President, by you, for which I would like to thank you. I shall put my full energy into the service of our European cooperative organisation. Convinced by the European ideal I regard our work in Europe as a significant contribution towards the peaceful and harmonious living of all European States. Since the International Year of Cooperatives in 2012, the cooperative model has proven its success but also, in these turbulent times, seen some challenges. Like never before, cooperatives are the focus of public, media and political attention. Despite their diverse roots, values and identities, I am convinced that European cooperatives can face these challenges together, in solidarity we are only strong together. Our model is synonymous with solidarity, sustainability and member value. We provide secure jobs and aim to benefit our members rather than maximise profit. This differentiates us from other business models. And we can be found in all parts of the economy in new business areas, from renewable energy to housing for the elderly and rural services, and in our traditional sectors like agriculture, banking and craftsmanship, housing and retail. Cooperatives Europe has an important role in bringing together cooperatives in different businesses, in different countries, with different identities, to address our common challenges together. Cooperatives Europe will be addressing a number of important issues over the coming years. We need to continue our work in raising awareness of cooperatives amongst decision-makers within the various EU institutions. We are already on a clear path with our permanent working group launched with the EU Commission in 2013, which aims to increase cooperative education, funding and business support.
3 We need to attract younger people to the cooperative model they are our future. We need to communicate with you, our members, about the value of Cooperatives Europe. And, a precondition of all this, we need to establish stable income streams, which will be achieved in close collaboration with the International Cooperative Alliance. I have every confidence we will achieve all this, and more together. The small but highly professional and motivated team at Cooperatives Europe does an incredible job. They demonstrate the positive impact that comes when young people from across Europe work together. They deserve our support and I am honoured to work with them. In order to address the challenges facing us and create a cooperative Europe, though, we need help and support from you, our members. I would like to hear your views on how we can work more closely together. An African proverb says: If you want to go fast, go alone if you want to go far, go together. With this in mind I would like to wish all cooperatives in Europe a successful cooperative journey one in which we achieve all that we have set ourselves. Dirk J. Lehnhoff President
4 Cooperation is quality time spent together Introduction by the Director 2013 will be remembered as the year the door opened for European cooperatives. Externally, the EU Commission has opened up and embarked on a permanent dialogue with cooperatives with the launch of the EU Cooperative Roadmap, under the coordination of Cooperatives Europe. An official launch conference for the Roadmap is expected by the end of 2014, paving the way for the development and implementation of cooperative policies at EU level. But the Roadmap is not limited to cooperatives within the EU. It can also serve as a blueprint for discussions with national regulators outside of the EU, in particular in our two large non-eu member countries, Russia and Turkey. Internally, the role of Cooperatives Europe as a central point for cooperatives is clear. Our renewed governance structure and our increased contact with members is focusing the organisation s work. We have already established two professional networks within Cooperatives Europe: Cooperatives Europe s development platform and the cooperative energy working group. The European Federation of renewable energy cooperatives joined as an associate member in September and is very active in EU energy advocacy and programming. And there is room for more professional networks for cooperatives to work with their peers in education, in care, in culture, in tourism. Where does this leave us in 2014? An open door is necessary, but not sufficient to achieve cooperative policies in Europe. It now requires all of us to work together. We need every cooperative enterprise and association to build a cooperative Europe together. Cooperatives Europe is not just about governance bodies it is about active and involved members. There will not only be regular opportunities for practitioners to participate in Cooperatives Europe s networks and activities; there will also be challenges to address together. That s why cooperatives need to connect with one another. Whether on Twitter, Facebook or Linkedin, in working groups or through formal governance processes, it is time to become active and, together, create a Europe fit for cooperatives. Klaus Niederländer Director What are your views on Cooperatives Europe s work and this annual report? I would be very interested in receiving your comments. Please email me at k.niederlander@coopseurope.coop.
5 Cooperatives Europe s new governance structure At its 2013 General Assembly in Istanbul, the members of Cooperatives Europe unanimously approved a new governance structure. We moved from having two Co-presidents, to one President, who also acts as Vice-President of the International Cooperative Alliance for the European region and as Chair of the EU Coordination Committee. The President is elected by the General Assembly for a four-year mandate. The President chairs the Board of Directors, composed of a maximum of 13 members elected by the General Assembly. Each European sectoral organisation (EACB, COGECA, Cecodhas Housing Europe, Cecop, Euro Coop, UEPS) has the right to nominate an additional member to the Board, who is ratified by the General Assembly. The President is supported in his/her work by four Vice-Presidents, who are elected by the Board from its members in order to implement Cooperatives Europe s strategic plan. Composition of the Board of Directors for the period 2013-2017 : President: DGRV, Germany - Dirk J. Lehnhoff Vice-Presidents Legacoop, Italy - Giorgio Bertinelli Cooperatives UK, United Kingdom - Ed Mayo CCU, Bulgaria - Petar Stefanov Kooperationen, Denmark - Susanne Westhausen Board Directors HSB, Sweden - Pernilla Bonde NCC, Poland - Alfred Domagalski DACR, Czech Republic - Rostislav Dvorak Febecoop, Belgium Jean-François Hoffelt (replaced by William Janssens in November 2013) CoopFR, France - Jacques Landriot Pellervo, Finland - Salme Näsi Coceta, Spain - Juan Antonio Pedreno Frutos Agricultural Credit Cooperatives, Turkey - llhami Teke Centrosojuz, Russia - Luidmila Zaytseva Euro Coop Duncan Bowdler Cecodhaus Housing Europe Marten Lilja European Association of Cooperative Banks Etienne Pflimlin Cecop Rossano Rimelli Cogeca Christian Pees (to be ratified by the General Assembly)
6 Our work with you this year Campaigning for a new EU Cooperative Roadmap Cooperatives Europe has worked closely with the European Commission s Vice President and Commissioner for Enterprise, Antonio Tajani, to develop the EU Cooperative Roadmap a bold new strategy for supporting cooperatives in Europe that will be firmly embedded in the EU 2020 Agenda. The Commissioner established a working group in order to create a permanent dialogue with Cooperatives Europe and its members and develop an EU Cooperative Roadmap for the next European Commission in 2015. A high-level policy meeting with the Presidents of cooperatives and Commissioner Tajani took place in July. Following the discussions, three topics were taken forward to two expert meetings: education, access to finance and business support. These meetings have been an opportunity for cooperative enterprises to discuss with the EU Commission how to support cooperatives in their role as contributors to the EU 2020 strategy. The European Commission has subsequently mandated Cooperatives Europe to coordinate a group of experts to draft a set of recommendations for the European Union and member states on supporting cooperative development that will form the Roadmap. The group is working on the three topics of the cooperative roadmap: education, access to finance and business support services. A European high-level conference will be organised towards the end of 2014 when the EU Cooperative Roadmap will be presented in the presence of Commissioner Tajani. Promoting cooperative entrepreneurship Cooperatives Europe has worked closely with the European Parliament and policy makers to promote cooperative entrepreneurship. After the European Commission released its 2020 Entrepreneurship action plan in 2013, Cooperatives Europe has been leading advocacy for the plan to adequately include cooperatives. Cooperatives Europe has been campaigning for an approach which takes into account diverse business models and focuses on the priorities in the EU Cooperative Roadmap: education, access to finance and business support. The European Parliament adopted a report in July 2013, to which Cooperatives Europe contributed, on the contribution cooperatives have played in overcoming the financial crisis. Presented by Patrizia Toia MEP, the report highlights the contribution of Europe s 160,000
7 cooperative enterprises to economic stability, the resilience the model has shown and necessary measures to level the playing field between cooperatives and other business forms. Cooperatives Europe is a partner in a programme to promote cooperative entrepreneurship through the EU project, CoopStarter. Financed through the Grundtvig programme, it aims to increase awareness of the cooperative business model amongst younger people and support those starting new cooperative enterprises. Cooperatives Europe provided advocacy and research for the Industry, Trade, Research and Energy Committee in the European Parliament, leading to the passing of a motion for a resolution on the need for the Commission s entrepreneurship action plan to include support for all business forms and explicitly mentioning cooperatives. Cooperatives Europe has actively participated in a range of activities to embed the cooperative model in the EU s approach to SMEs, including: Representing cooperatives in the EU s SME envoy meetings in Vilnius, Brussels and Vienna. Participating in the European conference on SMEs in Vilnius. Participating in the Small Business Act expert group. Contributing to the EU Commission consultation on SMEs and the green economy. Providing input to the review of the Small Business Act. Participating at the conference Europe works for SMEs, chaired by Othmar Karas, Vice- President of the EU Parliament and Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Commission. Speaking at the workshop on regional policy SME support chaired by EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn. Monitoring the European fiscal environment Cooperatives Europe has been closely following regulatory developments that could impact on the fiscal treatment of cooperative enterprises. The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) published in July a Review of the Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting, inviting stakeholder responses. Cooperatives Europe s working group on accounting standards adopted a position which was provided to the IASB. Cooperatives Europe s position was shared with the International Cooperative Alliance s accounting standards working group, which used it to draft its own contribution. In 2011 the EU Commission published a directive for a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB), intended to establish an EU-wide system for the taxation of corporations.
8 Cooperatives Europe is monitoring the development of the directive, which may have an impact on the tax treatment of cooperatives in some member states. Cooperatives Europe is working with the cabinet of Algirdas Semetas, the EU Commissioner responsible for taxation, and his services. Developing cooperative energy Supported by its energy working group, Cooperatives Europe has been working hard to put cooperative energy on the EU policy agenda. In order to increase visibility of the sector, Cooperatives Europe ran a workshop on the added benefits of energy cooperatives during the EU Sustainable Energy Week 2013. It highlighted the viability of an energy transition that is co-driven by citizens. Cooperatives Europe has been participating in the EU Commission s initial preparations for its 2030 energy and climate framework. Cooperatives Europe responded to a green paper, launched by the Commission, emphasising a decentralised energy production model built around the citizen. Cooperative Europe has inputted into the European Parliament s contribution to the 2030 energy and climate framework, adding amendments to the European Parliament s position that are now approved. The European Commission s recently released white paper on the 2030 energy and climate framework fails to create a level playing field for new entrants in the energy markets, and Cooperatives Europe is therefore closely monitoring and participating in the framework s development. Cooperatives Europe successfully lobbied for the removal of a measure that threatened local renewable energy initiatives in the first draft of the European Commission s guidelines on environmental and energy aid for 2014-2020. After engaging in dialogue with the Commissioners responsible for competition and energy, the clause was removed. In the consultation following the publication of the draft environmental and energy aid guidelines, Cooperatives Europe positioned itself against measures that would harm emerging renewable energy producers and suppliers such as cooperatives. Cooperatives Europe succeeded in mobilising energy cooperatives from across Europe to support this action, a position which was also shared by leading renewable energy organisations such as the Climate Alliance and the European Wind Energy Association. Cooperatives Europe was invited to speak at the Citizen Energy Forum, organised by the European Commission, to set up a dialogue between consumers, energy regulators and suppliers.
9 Supporting cooperative international development Cooperatives Europe s Development Platform (CEDP) which brings together 12 organisations active in cooperative international development had a busy year promoting the role of cooperatives in development. An online platform to display the development projects of the different partners has been set up, a range of working group meetings took place and initial publications on cooperative development have been issued. Two mains events were organised: a common Cooperatives Europe International Co-operative Alliance Africa seminar that focused on the role of networks in cooperative development, and an awareness-raising event in Istanbul. Cooperatives Europe has actively participated in the Policy Forum on Development organised by the European Commission a consultative forum addressing EU development policies, programmes and mechanisms. Due to increased efforts by Cooperatives Europe over three years, a seat for the International Co-operative Alliance regional offices has been established at the Forum. Building on previous action, Cooperatives Europe has been advocating in several bilateral meetings for cooperative references in the EU s main political documents on development. 2013 has been crucial, as it was the main preparatory year for the forthcoming programming cycle, 2014-2020. With the recognition of cooperatives as Civil Society actors in 2012, primary cooperatives are now eligible within the newly established budget line on Civil Society Organisations and Local Authorities. Cooperatives Europe s relations with strategic partners have been further strengthened, in particular with the Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO), Concord, the Green 10 and Platforma. An awareness-raising event hosted by MEP Gay Mitchell has been organised jointly with the FTAO to raise awareness of the role of cooperatives in development and food security. Panellists included representatives from India, Ethiopia and Colombia, EU stakeholder organisations, the European Commission and the European Parliament. Cooperatives Europe is a recognised source of advise to the European Commission on issues of cooperative international development. In 2013 a range of bilateral and multilateral meetings, as well as active participation in consultations on the theme of international development, have fed into the upcoming programming cycle 2014-2020.
10 Stepping-up cooperative communications Through 2013, Cooperatives Europe has increased its profile and reputation as a representative organisation and reliable partner. Cooperatives Europe has continued to consolidate its relationship with its most valuable asset: its members. Communication channels with members have been improved and, in particular, a new format has been adopted for providing members with monthly reports of Cooperatives Europe activities. Supported by the Presidency, Cooperatives Europe has also strengthened the link between its governance bodies and members, with members receiving timely updates from board meetings. To support its advocacy activities, Cooperatives Europe has also strengthened its external communications. Improvements to Cooperatives Europe s central communication channel, the website, have continued whilst new marketing materials have been distributed physically and online. The communications team has also supported the organisation by providing significant input into key activities for Cooperatives Europe, including the 2014 election manifesto and the website for the international development platform.
11 Cooperatives Europe s accounts Cooperatives Europe s financial year ended with a surplus of 3.856 EUR. The total income of the year was 801.519 EUR, whereas total expenses amounted to 797.663 EUR. The main sources of income are membership fees, member and EU projects, donations and meeting revenues. Expenses are either fixed costs, such as personnel and office rental fees, or variable costs such as travel, project expenses, external services, IT material and costs linked to statutory meetings. Cooperatives Europe s auditors, BDO DSFA, have approved the 2013 accounts, as did the European Audit and Control Committee (EACC), composed of financial experts from Sweden and Belgium. A full report of BDO DSFA and the EACC is available along with the complete and detailed Financial Statements 2013 report in a separate document for members of Cooperatives Europe. Incomes Expenditures Project income 28% Donations 7% Other Meeting 2% revenues 5% Membership fees 58% Other Meetings 5% Ext 9% services 3% IT Premises 2% 4% Travel 3% Project expenses 19% Personnel 55%
12 Comparing the last four years, we observe a positive trend in the finances of Cooperatives Europe with the creation of around 65.000 EUR of surpluses and no negative annual results. The increase in the income is primarily explained by Cooperatives Europe successfully establishing new income streams from EU projects, ranging from around 45.000 EUR in 2010 to 222.000 EUR in 2013. 900,000 800,000 700,000 600,000 500,000 400,000 300,000 Income Expenses 200,000 100,000 0 2010 2011 2012 2013
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