Stakeholder Brief #1 | The multidimensional reality of social enterprise in Central and Eastern Europe

This first Empower-SE Stakeholders Brief synthetizes the main results of the work carried out in the framework of the meeting of Working Group 1, on the “Theoretical Foundations of Social Enterprise (SE)”, which took place in Lisbon in winter 2018. The reflections shared here are intermediate results, as research is still ongoing; final results will be presented in various final publications.

This first meeting highlighted the fact that historical contexts—such as state socialisms in countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)—influenced the development of the SE field, but also that current (sometimes restrictive) policies limit the room for civil society to act in the social enterprise field. We first offer some brief country summaries, including reflections on some empirical forms and institutional realities that are currently emerging or consolidating in the countries covered. Secondly, we provide an overview of relevant EU policy, with a view to connecting to some policy discussions at the national and local levels.