Interview: Cooperatives Europe President talks of his involvement in cooperative movement
Bancel was asked about his involvement with cooperatives and the challenges facing European coops
BRUSSELS, August 24, 2024 – Jean-Louis Bancel, President of France’s apex body Coop FR and cooperative bank Crédit Cooperatif, was recently elected president of Cooperatives Europe. Members of the organisation, which is the regional body of the Alliance for Europe, unanimously chose Bancel at its annual meeting.
Bancel is also chair of the Alliance’s International Cooperative Banking Association, which is involved in international matters linked with micro financing, solidarity financing and impact financing.
Bancel was asked about his involvement with cooperatives and the challenges facing European coops, and responded as follows:
Qn: Can you tell us about your co-op involvement?
I have been involved in the co-operative movement for over 20 years. First, in the insurance sector, but after I was a civil servant within the French treasury, I was active in the French mutual sector. During that time, I have been very active in ICMIF, the insurance sectoral body of ICA, including being a chair.
After shifting from the insurance sector to banking, by joining Credit Cooperatif in France [2005], I kept involved in the international cooperative movement by being the chair of the International Cooperative Banking Association, a sectoral organisation of the Alliance. Later on, I joined the board of the Alliance to represent the sectors and have now been elected by France. Within the board, I am the chair of the Cooperative Principles Committee.
For many years I have been a member of the board of CoopFr, and it is there that I felt the important role of Cooperatives Europe. The particular example I have in mind is the important success we have had on the European Cooperative Statute.
Qn: What will be your key focus as president of Cooperatives Europe?
In working actively with the newly elected board, which is balanced in terms of gender [7 men – 7 women] and consists of the president, 13 elected members and representatives from European sectoral organisations, we would first like Cooperative Europe to be a real common house for national apexes and for sectoral federations. By canvassing together we shall enhance the knowledge and recognition of the cooperative model. Fostering the cooperative pride inside our ranks is important.
Secondly, we shall work to make proposals to European institutions [Parliament, Commission and governments] to help to set out a new future for Europe, which is going through hard times, especially due to a lack of trust determined by the declining room given to democratic process.
The third topic will be to keep the high involvement of the European cooperative movement into the global process of building a better world that was fostered by the International year Cooperatives.
Qn: What are the main challenges and opportunities co-ops face right now in Europe?
First to make sure that the diversity of the European cooperative movement is taken into account as a richness. We have to sample broadly that our world future relies more on taking into account everyone’s identity than rolling a global identity where money is the common standard.
Then to keep fighting for freedom and equal treatment cooperatives on our Continent. We are not second class citizens compared to the uniform triumphant model of the fo-profit company. We have to make sure that everyone understands that cooperatives are not only limited to business. It is all about women and men co-operators who are the impetus of our institutions. Even with great economics successes or high level capital raised, there cannot be vibrant cooperatives without heartily involved members.
The last important action for Cooperative Europe will be to reinforce the links with other structures working in Europe such as Social Economy Europe, different NGOs deeply convinced of the strength of the European economic and social model, because our Cooperative model is deeply at the heart of what makes the European touch around the world. We, European co-operatives, considering the long and tumultuous history of our continent, stay as peace-builders and reckoning the diversity, we know that working on what unites people is more important than exacerbating hate.
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