What is RIPESS Europe
RIPESS Europe – Solidarity Economy Europe is the European network of the Social Solidarity Economy organisations (part of the RIPESS Intercontinental network), bringing together over 40 national, sectoral and inter-sectoral networks in several European countries. It aims to share practices, inter-cooperate and engage in joint actions that can promote and enhance the visibility of the Solidarity Economy movement and contribute to legal frameworks and public policies.
RIPESS Europe is a non profit organisation legally registered in Luxembourg and in the European Transparency Register.
Brief History
The Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy is a network made up of one organisation per continent. It brings together continental associations of actors and networks aiming to build a shared vision of SSE based on their socio-economic experiences in the field: a political model that guarantees fundamental human rights, democracy and a space for social, economic and ecological transformation.
RIPESS Europe – Solidarity Economy Europe, was born from the synergy produced by the meetings of the Globalisation of Solidarity organised by the intercontinental network RIPESS Intercontinental, the first of which took place in Lima in 1997. The 4th International Forum of “Globalisation of Solidarity”, Lux’09, which took place in Schifflange in April 2009, led to the launching of a dynamic by establishing trust and shared-knowledge between networks of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) at continental and intercontinental levels. During this meeting, Eric Lavillunière (INEES) and Christine Gent (WFTO) initiated the structuring of a European RIPESS platform.
In Barcelona, in 2011, RIPESS Europe was born. It included representatives of networks from Belgium, Catalonia, France, Spain, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania and Germany.
