The European project RETSCOOP has launched its working agenda with the first in-person meeting of all the project’s beneficiary entities.
The event, held in Bordeaux, was hosted by CRESS Nouvelle-Aquitaine (Regional Chamber of Social Economy and Solidarity) with the partnership of CRESS Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, CRESS Occitanie, the Business Association ASLE, the Social and Economic Association of Aragón, the Galician Alternative and Solidarity Economy Network and the Municipality of Torres Vedras.
The meeting’s agenda focused on the development of the project’s first working group, promoting a collaborative and participatory exchange space in which the entities could share experiences, identify common challenges and define joint lines of action. This initial workspace also enabled the participants to finalise the methodology and tools that will guide the next phases of the project.
The choice of Bordeaux as the venue for this first meeting also gave the organisations the opportunity to attend the GSEF (Global Social Economy Forum), a leading international event in the field of the social economy. The coincidence with this global forum enriched the meeting with a broader perspective, connecting the dynamics of the RETSCOOP project with current debates and trends on the role of the social economy in the ecological, digital and social transition.
During the meeting, the partner organisations took the opportunity to meet in person, share their areas of activity and explore synergies, thereby strengthening the basis for collaboration on which the project will be developed. The first operational steps were also defined, including organising working groups, planning activities and coordinating upcoming meetings.
The atmosphere of cooperation and the diversity of approaches contributed by the various partners reinforce the added value of this transnational project, which seeks to promote a network for the exchange of knowledge and good practices in the field of the social economy.
With this first meeting in Bordeaux, RETSCOOP officially begins its journey, marking the start of a joint endeavour aimed at strengthening the social economy ecosystem in Europe.