As Poland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union nears its end on 1 July 2025, CECOP sat down with two of its Polish members, the National Auditing Union of Worker Cooperatives (NAUWC) and the National Auditing Union of Social Cooperatives (OZRSS), to reflect on the key cooperative issues during this period.

Reader's Note: The Council of the European Union represents the interests of the 27 EU Member States. Alongside the European Parliament, it adopts legislation and helps define the EU's overall political direction. The Council’s priorities are determined by a rotating presidency, held by one Member State for six months.

Interview with Janusz Paszkowski, President of NAUWC and Board Member of CECOP, and Cezary Miżejewski, President of OZRSS

CECOP (C): As Poland’s Presidency of the European Council is coming to an end, what were the most pressing issues that needed to be prioritised to support cooperatives

Janusz Paszkowski (JP): Cooperatives hold an important place in Poland, and it’s crucial to highlight this to our government, especially by sharing success stories from other countries. The Polish Presidency has focused on areas that align with our priorities: economic security, energy transition, agriculture, e-health, and cross-border services. These are all crucial for cooperative development. We’re especially encouraged by the commitment to a more efficient single market and reduced bureaucracy, which is essential for the development of cooperatives. We hope this momentum continues beyond the Presidency.

Cezary Miżejewski (CM): Although cooperative and social economy issues weren’t a top focus, we did manage to get the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy involved in relevant discussions. Topics like taxation, state aid, and public procurement are often dismissed due to supposed EU restrictions, but we showed there’s room for reform and improvement.

 

C: With a new European Parliament and Commission in place, what are your expectations from the EU?

JP: We hope for strong and continued support for the social and cooperative economy, particularly through the Social Economy Action Plan (SEAP). We want:

  • Recognition of cooperatives as key players in social cohesion, employment, and the green and digital transitions.
  • Legislation that reflects our unique structure—especially in public procurement, taxation, state aid, and sustainability reporting.
  • Improved access to EU funding like ESF+, InvestEU, and national Recovery and Resilience Plans.
  • Greater promotion of cooperative entrepreneurship in education, to encourage democratic participation and local development.
  • A strong defence of democratic values. In Poland, recent elections revealed deep societal divisions—cooperatives can help bridge these gaps. The question is: will the EU actively use the cooperative model as a unifying tool?

These expectations reflect not only a need to protect what’s cooperative but to actively promote the diversity of SEEs including cooperatives, recognizing that they are a resilient and future-oriented model that contributes to both economic growth and social progress and can be an educational tool for the youth and the polarised nations.

CM: One major concern is the removal of social economy issues from the EU’s Directorate-General for Development. We must ensure that the progress made through the SEAP, the EU Council Recommendations of November 2023, and the San Sebastian Manifesto isn’t lost. We need to protect what we’ve achieved. Although we have a good connection with the European Economic and Social Committee, our engagement with the European Parliament needs strengthening, and we hope to see more initiative from them.

 

C: NAUWC was established in 1991 and OZRSS 2007. A lot has changed in Poland and Europe since then. What are the most important achievements of the Polish worker and social cooperative movement and what factors have contributed to these successes?

JP: NAUWC cooperates with all cooperative organisations in Poland and actively participates in the work of international cooperative bodies. This allows us to share and implement examples of good practices from other countries on an ongoing basis. We encourage cooperatives to be more active in raising their expectations to the national authorities when they see that there is a clear potential for change. We’ve seen a generational push for more inclusive, community-based enterprises, like food cooperatives. It’s a promising trend, and we hope it continues.

CM: What social and workers' cooperatives have succeeded in doing since 2007 is to reverse their decline and expand into new sectors. This decision was supported by the conviction of some policymakers, in a context of high unemployment, that it was a good solution for promoting job creation. As a result, a number of local authorities became involved in cooperative support. There’s also growing demand for social services, an area where cooperatives are stepping in. We’re now entering a new phase and need fresh strategies for future growth.

 

C: Polish cooperatives were among the first to support the Ukrainians after the Russian invasion. How are they currently feeling the effects of the ongoing war?

JP: Polish cooperatives have made, and continue to make, a significant contribution to aid and support for Ukraine. Many refugees feel safe in Poland. That said, about 70% of Poles still fear that Poland could be targeted next.

CM: Between February and March 2022, nearly 30% of social economy entities were involved in aid efforts on Ukrainian territory. They provided over €120 million in goods and €33 million in financial support. More than 20% of social and worker cooperatives helped with food, shelter, and basic needs. Now the focus has shifted to helping Ukrainians find employment, and this requires new solutions.

 

C: Training, upskilling and retraining of employees are crucial for European businesses, including cooperatives. What support do you offer your members to facilitate these processes?

JP: NAUWC, along with partners like KZRSS “Społem”, offers a wide range of training. Topics include occupational health and safety, customer service, accounting, labour law, Microsoft Office, and more, mainly through our e-learning platform.

Our “SPÓŁDZIELNIA Project” provides more specialised training, such as for bakers, sales staff, and accounting teams. We also offer advisory support, including digital marketing and social media skills. Management-level courses cover financial topics like VAT and reporting, helping leaders stay compliant and informed.

In summary, the upskilling component focuses on enhancing digital, interpersonal, and customer service skills, while reskilling is supported through job-specific e-learning, advisory sessions in accounting and marketing, and programs tailored to new professional roles.

CM: We try to use the government’s National Training Fund, prioritising social economy and social cooperatives. We also run our own training programmes and are working to build a specialist consultancy hub, which we hope will be fully operational in 2026.

 

C: What are the main benefits for Polish cooperatives of being part of the CECOP network?

JP: NAUWC’s active involvement in CECOP strengthens our voice, especially when it comes to legislation.

CM: Being part of CECOP has given us two major advantages: First, a better understanding of how cooperatives can play a role in delivering social services. This has helped us a lot in discussing the role of Polish cooperatives in the development of services in our country. Second, we’ve gained insight into how cooperative support works in other countries, this has greatly inspired our legal and financial advocacy. We look forward to identifying more good practices together.

 

C: How would you like CECOP to support your growth in the coming years?

JP: CECOP plays a key role by sharing information. We’d welcome more training opportunities with members who have strong experience in this area.

CM: We need more knowledge, advice, and examples to show policymakers the value of cooperatives. CECOP could help by organising joint networking initiatives and involving more Polish cooperatives in its activities.

 

C: How are cooperatives in Poland handling the digital transition, and what role can the CECOP play in supporting this process?

JP: Digital transformation has been a major part of our training programmes, especially since the pandemic. CECOP can support us by sharing best practices and including Polish cooperatives in digital transition events by organizing them closer to Poland, with Polish interpretation to help overcome language barriers.

CM: This is one of our toughest challenges. We want to focus more on digital competencies and explore the potential for cooperative digital platforms. We’re starting a partnership with PLZ cooperative, which is developing a cross-sector platform and a cooperative social app. Once we’ve clarified our needs, we’ll turn to CECOP for support.

 

Thank you, Janusz and Cezary!