European Cooperatives are coming together for a seminar - "Cooperatives: Building Development through Self-help" on 29 April in European Cooperatives are coming together for a seminar - "Cooperatives: Building Development through Self-help" on 29 April in Brussels to include a presentation by Angelo Baglio, senior advisor EuropeAid, on all the programs, procedures and tender opportunities administered by the Commission’s EuropeAid cooperation office.

This timely initiative follows the European Commission's call urging Member States to raise the development aid for the poorest countries. The improvement of the socioeconomic conditions of citizens both in Europe and in the least developed countries
is an intrinsic principle of co-operatives and thus, many member organizations of COOPERATIVES EUROPE are involved in development projects. A Cooperatives Europe
study of member activities reveals that there is existing at least 300 projects in 70 countries using co-operative approaches to gain greater efficiency from current development aid.

It is widely recognized that national governments and international organisations cannot resolve by themselves the problems of the economic and social development; the role of the civil society is crucial for success.

Co-operative enterprises, given their characteristics, participate in the democracy and in the construction of the civil society. Indeed, co-operatives are rooted at the local level and which is where participatory management is taking place. Co-operatives also express the collective will and the civic commitment to the local population to address the needs and possibilities of their region. Enhancing the local resources and potentials of the regions and reinvesting any profits in the productive plants is their contribution to
the development of the local economy and their presence avoids the drain of the population away from the economically weaker regions.

The objective of this European seminar is an attempt to facilitate and co-ordinate the links and synergies between these actions. With these skills and energies but also with the potential cooperation and support of the European Commission and the international development organisations, the seminar will explore the notion of 'social innovation and partnerships for development' through European and International workshops, panel discussions and best practice presentations. The seminar will conclude with a synopsis of policy recommendations for further actions.

Background
1.European Commission Communication "The EU as a Global Partner for Development (COM (2008) 177/3 9 April 2008)
2.European Commission Press Release IP/08/535 04 April 2008 "Commission urges Member States to raise development aid"
2.Cooperatives Europe seminar: "Building Development through Self-Help - social Innovation & partnerships for development" 29 April 2008 Brussels, Belgium. Details: http://tinyurl.com/62q38j
3.Cooperatives Europe Mapping exercise document to be published 29 April 2008
4. The Commission’s EuropeAid co-operation office manages EU external aid programmes and ensures that development assistance is delivered worldwide.
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/index_en.htm
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