Welcome to my latest weekly commentary. Our lead item this week is from Cooperatives Europe. It reports on recent activities and notes in passing that around 95% of the ICA’s members are small or medium sized enterprises. This is true and one of the ICA’s main roles is to give voice to these enterprises. Contrasted with this wide range of SME activity is the increasing concentration taking place in parts of the market among co-operatives. We regularly report on this blog Credit Union mergers, particularly in mature economies. This week we also report on the creation, through merger, of what might well be the world’s largest dairy co-operative. The implications of this increasing concentration are explored in the trends item at the end of the blog.

Europe – Co-ops building development through self-help

Cooperatives Europe reports that European co-operatives are coming together for a seminar - "Cooperatives: Building Development through Self-help" on 29 April in Brussels….. 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…..

Our news site also recently picked up other news from Cooperatives Europe. Co-operatives Europe supports the initiative of the Commission to present a Small Business Act for Europe in 2008. 95% of our members are SMEs acting in all economic sectors; Cooperatives Europe is therefore very much interested in defining the scope of the proposal as it should contribute to the development of SM co-operatives and create more social and regional cohesion. As recognised by the Commission and the ILO recommendation 193.

Co-operatives Europe also reports that the second issue of their Activities Headlines Newsletter for 2008 is now available. It includes an item noting that Cooperatives Europe supports specific exemption for enterprises having as their mission the employment and inclusion of disadvantaged and disabled workers. You can link to both of these items from this page on icanews.