Open letter to President von der Leyen ahead of the 2025 State of the Union

On 30 July 2025, Cooperatives Europe addressed an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ahead of her State of the Union speech. The letter highlights how cooperatives contribute to competitiveness, resilience and social cohesion, and sets out key requests for the EU’s 2025–26 agenda.

Grounded in democratic values and long-term vision, cooperatives need a policy framework that recognises their contribution and allows them to thrive on the Single Market.

In the letter, Cooperatives Europe calls on the European Commission to:

• Promote diversity and fair competition. Ensure EU competition and business policies reflect all business models, including cooperatives, to create a level playing field.

• Support innovative cooperatives. Adapt finance, public procurement and state aid to better reach SMEs and cooperative enterprises, enabling them to scale up and compete.

• Balance competitiveness with social cohesion. Guarantee protected minimum allocations for social economy actors in EU funds, including Cohesion Policy and the European Social Fund, and maintain strong social conditionalities.

With 2025 declared the International Year of Cooperatives by the United Nations, the letter stresses that cooperatives can serve as strategic partners in achieving Europe’s goals of sustainable growth, democracy in the workplace, and a strong, inclusive economy.

👉 Read the full letter here:
Open letter to Ursula von der Leyen_SOTEU 2025_Cooperatives Europe