Abstract
Cooperatives are best described as atypical business organizations. This is evidenced by: the priority given to social objectives over return on capital; democratic governance by members; combining the interests of members with the general interest; the defence and implementation of solidarity and responsibility values; reinvestment of surplus funds in long-term development objectives or providing important services to members or in the general interest; free and voluntary adhesion to membership; by autonomous and independent management. All of these atypical features are reflected in the PECOL Principles (Principles of European Cooperative Law). This paper shows that the PECOL Principles related to cooperative governance are consistent with the concept of sustainability.
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Notes
- 1.
Sérgio (1958), p. 235.
- 2.
Namorado (2005), p. 154.
- 3.
See Henrÿ (2012), p. 16 ff.
- 4.
Fauquet (1980), p. 26.
- 5.
- 6.
ICA (2013), “Blue Print for a Cooperative Decade”, available at http://ica.coop/sites/default/files/media_items/ICA%20Blueprint%20-%20Final%20-%20Feb%2013%20EN.pdf, accessed on 22 March 2014.
- 7.
- 8.
These Principles are as follows: Voluntary and Open Membership, Democratic Member Control, Member Economic Participation, Autonomy and Independence, Education, Training, and Information, Cooperation among Cooperatives, Concern for Community. See Namorado (1995).
- 9.
Cooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others. See Moreno (2014), pp. 371–393.
- 10.
ICA has established that “A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise”.
- 11.
See Fici (2013), pp. 37–64.
- 12.
- 13.
See Henrÿ (2012), p. 9 ff.
- 14.
The Study Group on European Cooperative Law (SGECOL) aims to conduct comparative research on cooperative law in Europe. Principles of European Cooperative Law (PECOL) was his first project. See Fajardo et al. (2013), pp. 331–350.
- 15.
See Hiez (2017), p. 1, ff.
- 16.
See Meira (2012), pp. 127–144.
- 17.
See Snaith (2017), p. 47 ff.
- 18.
- 19.
See Snaith (2017), p. 49 ff.
- 20.
See Münkner (2012), pp. 132–135.
- 21.
See Fajardo and Meira (2017), p. 83 ff.
- 22.
See Meira (2017), pp. 57–72.
- 23.
See Snaith (2017), p. 53 ff.
- 24.
Henrÿ (2013), pp. 18 ff.
- 25.
See Snaith (2017), p. 59 ff.
- 26.
See Snaith (2017), p. 59 ff.
- 27.
See Snaith (2017), p. 71 ff.
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Meira, D. (2022). Cooperative Governance and Sustainability: An Analysis According to New Trends in European Cooperative Law. In: Tadjudje, W., Douvitsa, I. (eds) Perspectives on Cooperative Law. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-1991-6_21
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