Castilla y León Celebrates 16th Cooperative and Social Economy Awards Amid Major Regional Support Boost
Castilla y León amplifies support for cooperatives and social economy with record budget increases and recognition at the 16th Awards, highlighting significant job creation and social impact.
- • Over €174 million allocated to social economy policies, a 49% increase in budget.
- • Castilla y León holds a 7.9% share of social economy in its productive fabric, above the national average.
- • Nearly 30,000 jobs generated by social economy sectors focused on rural and inclusive employment.
- • Salamanca doubles contracts with insertion companies to 195, supporting social inclusion and municipal services.
Key details
The 16th Awards for Cooperativism and Social Economy in Castilla y León recognized outstanding cooperatives and social enterprises while highlighting substantial increases in government backing. Leticia García, the Regional Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Employment, presided over the event, noting a 49% budget increase to over €174 million allocated to social economy policies since the start of the current legislature. Castilla y León boasts a significant 7.9% share of social economy within its productive fabric, exceeding the national average of 6.3%, and contributing around €1.067 billion annually—1.5% of regional GDP.
The social economy sector supports nearly 30,000 jobs in the region, especially in rural areas through sectors like education, care services, and agriculture, promoting job retention and social inclusion. Mayor Carlos García Carbayo of Salamanca emphasized cooperatives as effective paths to employment for people with disabilities or at risk of social exclusion during the awards ceremony held in Salamanca. He highlighted Salamanca's pioneering role since 2016 in reserving public contracts for insertion companies, which doubled to 195 contracts this year with a budget of €4.7 million. Approximately 75% of these contracts provide insertion jobs supporting municipal services such as meal delivery, cleaning, and public space maintenance.
Award recipients included Cooperativa Puerta del Campo of Segovia, honored as the Best Cooperative for its 37 years in educational tourism; Bureba Ebro from Burgos received the prize for best initiative; and Ingemolid of Valladolid was recognized as the best alternative legal entity for successful cooperative revitalization. Ireneo Cuesta Modinos was also acknowledged for his lifelong dedication to the cooperative movement in the region.
The mayor announced the II International Congress on Social Economy underway at the University of Salamanca, aimed at strengthening regional cooperative growth. He also cited studies revealing that public administrations receive a 1.74 euro social return for every euro invested in insertion companies, underscoring the sector's vital role in generating sustainable employment and reinforcing equality and social cohesion. Both the regional government and local authorities reaffirmed their commitment to expand support initiatives, thereby advancing Castilla y León's social economy and cooperative ecosystem.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.