05 November 2021
The virtual forum on “Cooperatives and the Social Economy: Contributions to sustainable cross-border socio-economic and productive integration” took place on the 29th of October and was organised by representatives of the Committee for the Development of the Uruguay River Basin with the support of AEBR. The main purpose of the forum was to bring together positions on economic development in border areas from Europe and Latin America, as well as fostering cross-border cooperation, exchange of experiences and of good practices.
The Committee plays a decisive role in the process, as it gathers together local governments from Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil with a common objective of promoting cross-border cooperation. As such, topics related to cross-border local entrepreneurship and family farming were of great importance throughout the forum.
European experts participated actively in the forum. José María Cruz, who gave a presentation on public-private cooperation in border areas, recognising the existing difficulties, and providing examples of good practices and experiences in the European regions. Likewise, the experience of Henrique Sim-Sim, a European expert on social economy in the Spanish-Portuguese border, was fundamental to the discussions held during the forum.
As seen in the forum, authorities on both sides of the Spanish-Portuguese border work together, in the spirit of cross-border cooperation, for a greater social and economic cohesion. Their social and cultural approach reinforces and promotes the identities and cultural diversity of each territory.
Back to overview