In 2021, Ripess Europe celebrates its 10th anniversary!
As part of this celebration, and in order to honour the network and its members in particular, Ripess Europe will be conducting interviews, throughout the year, with the people who have brought it to life since its creation. Follow us on this European tour of the network’s members!
This time, we have an appointment with Bruno Lasnier, coordinator of the Movement for Solidarity Economy (MES) France.
Hello Bruno, can you tell us a bit more about your organisation?
The Movement for Solidarity Economy (MES), is an association under the French Law of 1901, founded in Lille in March 2002 by the networks initially grouped in the Inter-Réseau de l’Économie Solidaire since June 1997. It is composed of:
Territorial Networks: ARDES (Normandy), APES (Hauts de France), CRE-SOL (Centre), MES Occitanie (Occitania), PES21 (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté)
Federations: ARTISANS DU MONDE (Fair Trade), CNLRQ (Neighbourhood regies), MIRAMAP (Responsible food short circuit), Route des SELs (non-monetary exchanges), UFISC (Culture)
Resource structures: ALICESCOP (citizen and cooperative media), BABALEX (legal citizenship – common and SSE), OPALE (culture and entrepreneurship)
Researchers: Laurent GARDIN (CHAIR’ESS), Josette COMBES (RIUESS), Jean Louis LAVILLE (CNAM Paris), Laurent FRAISSE (College of World Studies)
The mission of the MES is to develop economic citizenship, to encourage cooperation and to work for an economic development based on solidarity and ecology.
MES contributes to the structuring of SSE at the regional level through its regional branches, at the national level (MES is a member of SSE-FRANCE) and participates in the Superior Council of SSE, and at the international level through its participation in RIPESS Europe, of which it is one of the founding members and has been a member of its Coordination Committee since its inception.
MES develops its missions with a strong will to support the elaboration of public policies and to be open to all SSE and ecological transition networks. MES is a member of the Collectif de la transition citoyenne, also a member of Transiscope or of the PTCE inter-network.
What does it mean to you to be a member of Ripess Eu? When you think of the network, what word comes to mind?
The Movement for Solidarity Economy is a founding member of RIPESS Eu. MES has participated in the RIPESS Intercontinental Meetings since its foundation in Lima (Peru), as it is concerned with acting from local to international level. The Movement for Solidarity Economy works for an ecological and solidarity-based social economy for a transformation of society towards more social justice and a sustainable world.
If I had to choose one word to define Ripess Eu, I would say “cooperation”, of course!
The solidarity economy: what does it mean to you?
For our Movement, the solidarity economy is defined as “all production, exchange, savings and consumption activities that contribute to the democratisation of the economy based on citizen commitments. The Solidarity Economy is a lever for social transformation in the service of a more solidary society and an alternative to the liberal economy”.
If you had to choose a memory since your integration, what would it be?
What comes to mind first is the meeting (see photos) of RIPESS LUX 09 (2009), when the European networks finally managed to converge and decide together on the construction of the European network that was born a year later in Barcelona. The MES, which had managed to mobilise a large representation of its members for the occasion, largely contributed to this convergence.
Thank you Bruno for your participation! We look forward to seeing you at our General Assembly in 2021 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Ripess Europe!
