In the Gard, the department devotes the social and solidarity economy

Vendredi 8 mars 2024, l'assemblée locale entonne La Marseillaise inaugurant sa nouvelle séance. D.R. – C.S.

The culmination of concerted work over several months, the adoption on Friday March 8 of a departmental plan for the social and solidarity economy marks the strong will of the department of s' 39;invest in this economy parallel to the market economy. An economy born in Gard and based on two key principles: solidarity and social utility. Decryption.
 

It is with great solemnity, and deep emotion, that Hélène Meunier, delegated vice-president since 2021 for the social and solidarity economy ( ESS), closed his intervention during the plenary session of the Gard departmental council on March 8, 2024.  

After a presentation – very exhaustive – of the very first departmental plan exclusively dedicated to the ESS, the first of its kind in the Gard, the document was unanimously adopted by the ;deliberative assembly at 10:30 a.m.

Political choice

" The adoption of this new plan was born from this desire not to include the ESS in our overall plan dedicated to solidarity. Far from being a legal obligation, this adoption is therefore a political choice." greeted Françoise Laurent-Perigot afterwards the vote followed by a round of applause. "More democratic, complementary to the traditional economy, the'ESS is an economy that is both unique and innovative, the foundations of which were precisely born on our territory,  over 120 years ago! ", recalled the president of the assembly.

It is true that it is up to Charles Gide, an Uzetian economist with a desire to give a united and cooperative aspect to the ;#39;economics, that we owe the first theorization of the ESS. An economy parallel, sometimes alternative, to the market economy which will end by being enshrined in France, at the national level, by the law of July 31, 2014.

In practice, in Gard, this brand new departmental ESS plan will cover the period 2024-2027. And will be broken down into four lines of action aimed at bringing out cooperation projects that are both adapted to the needs of the territory, to promote the ESS (particularly among young people), to support the anchoring of its stakeholders, and, finally, to promote the capacity for social innovation of its structures throughout the department.

Calls to "common(s)"

Key tools of this first scheme exclusively devoted to the ESS, the so-called " in common" come to rethink partnership relations in depth. Unlike calls for projects, these new intervention tools have as their starting point the need(s) of a population or community. of a given territory in the image, for example, third places. They aim to promote local cooperation rather than competition between different actors. All in the service of the Gardois and the Gardoises", greeted Hélène Meunier at the end of her intervention.

In the sixth poorest department in France, it should be noted that the ESS already aims to serve individuals,  citizens and users of the territory. To date, in the Gard, the ESS is no less than 24,218 people employed in 2,293 establishments (i.e. 12% of employment employee).

By adopting its new plan, the Gard department seems undoubtedly to demonstrate a strong desire to promote a non-relocatable local economy consistent with its values and beliefs. Convictions such as solidarity, collaboration, or even the pooling of means of action in order to provide concrete, rapid and effective responses to local problems.

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