During the Thursday, March 14, 2013 plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, an overwhelming majority of MEPs adopted a legislative own-initiative report calling for the creation of a statute for European mutual societies.

The report, introduced by MEP and Legal Affairs Committee member Luigi Berlinguer (S&D, IT) and widely supported by the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, explicitly requests that the European Commission draw up a draft statute for European mutuals. “In the current crisis environment, it is important to promote mutual societies’ role as a social buffer. This initiative is all the more urgent as the crisis threatens social cohesion and political stability in the European Union. With their alternative form of governance and democratic decision-making bodies, it is no coincidence that mutual societies have so far exhibited a remarkable ability to withstand the crisis. That is why we are calling for swift adoption of a statute for European mutuals,” concluded Pervenche Berès (S&D, FR), Chair of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, during the plenary session of the European Parliament. 

The Berlinguer report acknowledges that mutuals play an important role in the EU economy by providing healthcare, social services and affordable insurance services to more than 230 million European citizens, as well as by employing over 350,000 people in Europe. However, current legal instruments make it impossible for mutual societies to develop at the European level while maintaining their specificities, particularly in terms of democratic governance.

At the same time, the European Commission has just opened a public consultation regarding the study it carried out on the current situation and prospects for mutuals in Europe. Ipse welcomes this initiative and intends to participate in the consultation very soon, with the support of its members and partners.