France : A new start in 2007 for social innovation?

For the French social economy as a whole, the year ahead means putting more and more the pressure on government and regions to get new forms of support. After the first Forum on employment opportunities organized on 13/14 last October in Ile-de-France, some other events are scheduled for the coming months. The government is ready to sponsor the « first symposium of the European social Economy » which will take place in Paris on 1/2 March 2007, to create a 8 millions fund for social innovation, and to set up special training schemes for entrepreneurs investing in the sector of social economy. Co-operatives are at the forefront of this move. They argue to behave as « anticapitalist entrepreneurs » (Patrick Lenancker) and to operate in the real market. For some French associations, the challenges are harder to overcome, and the forthcoming social innovation funds will represent a sound opportunity to survive. The sources of their usual funding remain still largely public-oriented. www.scop.coop