A week of international cooperation – Scotland, the UK, the EU and the Rest of the World.
Posted: 26 May 2025, in Blog-News
With a new deal announced between the UK Government and the EU Commission, as well as the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) policy forum this week there has been a focus on international policymaking. Both have been strong examples of international cooperation.
The new deal between the UK and the EU commission, the highlights of which cover food and drink exports and imports, rights over access to fishing waters, a closer defence and security agreement, access to Europol databases for policing and final agreements to use E-gates in European countries, if those member states allow it.
The biggest difference there will be in this deal is a closer alignment to European standards on food and drink, much to the relief of those who were worried by the deal Kier Starmer has made with United States.
It’s a marked shift from the post-Brexit atmosphere of 2016. There is now a sense that practical cooperation is replacing political division, and that’s something we should welcome.
This atmosphere of cooperation continued throughout the SEWF policy forum, which gave informed examples of policymaking across the global south, and throughout Asia with showcases from Taiwan, Malaysia and the Philippines. The speakers gave excellent insights into how social enterprises are the crucial answers from climate change to inequality:
“Since business as usual ins’t working, I think social enterprises are in a better position to actually promote innovation and social innovation and as it has been pointed out, we are in a better position to respond to grassrotts issues despite the global disruption.”
– Marie Lisa Dacanay, Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA) (Phillipines)
One of the most thought-provoking insights came from Bhutan’s social enterprise models aligning with the country’s Gross National Happiness (GNH) framework. GNH is used in Bhutan instead of the traditional Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that other countries, including Scotland, use to measure success. A phrase that was first coined in the 1970s in Bhutan, the current implementation and framework of GNH is very different from its original use.
Bhutan measures success through the well-being of its people and their relationship with nature. GNH is built on four pillars: sustainable and equitable socio-economic development, environmental conservation, cultural preservation, and good governance.
GNH as an idea has been picked up across the world with; Victoria, Canada; Seattle, United States; Sao Paulo, Brazil and some areas of Thailand having developed and used their own versions of GNH. We should encourage more international adoption of policies and ideas that improve our social economy.
Especially given the news that broke earlier this month about the EU’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) dismantling of its Social Economy Unit.
This is very unwelcome news for colleagues across Europe. Without the Social Economy Unit, the EU may weaken its ability to build a sustainable, inclusive, and competitive economy. Social Economy Europe are calling for the EU to reverse its decision, saying:
“When fundamental pillars fall, communities bear the weight. Let’s stand together for a strong Social Economy in Europe. Let’s stand for an economy that works for people and planet.”
Social Enterprise Scotland, as co-signatories to the letter are concerned about the vacuum this creates, particularly at a time when cross-border learning and collaboration are absolutely vital.
Scotland has long been recognised as a leader in social enterprise policy and practice. If the EU steps back from this agenda, Scotland must step forward—demonstrating what meaningful investment in the social economy can achieve. We have the expertise, the results, and the international credibility to lead by example.
To sum up this work on international cooperation, we’ll leave you with the words Sreevas Sahasranaman, one of the speakers at SEWF’s Policy Forum.
“With everything going on in the world right now, my mantra would be ‘vocal for local’. So, use global insights but power local action.”
-Sreevas Sahasranamam, Adam Smith Business School University of Glasgow, Scotland and Board Director, Community Enterprise Scotland
Andy Paterson, Policy Officer, Social Enterprise Scotland