Apart from the regular features (approval of 2005 activity report and accounts, 2006 management plan and budget), those are the major highlights of the general assembly:

  • The CECOP statutes have been modified with the sole purpose of reaching full compliance both with the new Belgian legislation and with the CICOPA rules. The most tangible amendment is the official change of the name “CECPOP” to “CECOP - CICOPA- Europe”. The new statutes are available on the website
  • A set of internal rules has been adopted, also in compliance with the Belgian law. Those rules are complementary to the statutes, and regulate a number of issues that are not directly dealt with in the statutes.
  • The president of CICOPA, Javier Salaberria, explained the role of CICOPA in the world, and emphasised the fact that CECOP and the European members are the base for CICOPA's work. He also emphasised the increasing convergence in the priorities and activities at the world and European level. He was echoed by the CECOP president in furthering CECOP
  • CICOPA-Europe's continued support to CICOPA (institutional, logistical etc.).
  • Rainer Schlueter participated under his new profile as Cooperatives Europe Director. He explained the evolution in progress in terms of the institutional construction of Cooperatives Europe. He also emphasised the need to work in a coordinated way and in a spirit of subsidiarity between the inter-sectoral level and the sectoral one. Felice Scalvini echoed his presentation by underlining the important contribution that CECOP had done for the establishment of Cooperatives Europe.
  • CECOP treasurer Jean Gautier commented that CECOP's financial situation was being stabilised: the main expenses explaining the 2005 deficit are one-time ones, linked to the cost of staff restructuring; on the other hand, expenditure has been substantially reduced, to a level which is much closer to the income in membership fees, thus also reducing financial risks. However, he called for continued vigilance, and for the need to pursue this effort in order to have a balanced result in 2006 and a positive one in 2007.