Two debates, one European responsibility
The social economy and future skills are often discussed separately. Yet both address the same practical challenge: can people build a dignified future where they live, and can local communities turn European change into jobs, services and opportunity?
Training alone is not enough if suitable jobs do not follow. Investment alone is not enough if local workers and smaller organisations cannot participate. Skills policy, innovation, public procurement, cohesion and local development must reinforce one another.
Social economy makes values visible
Cooperatives, associations, foundations and social enterprises can create employment, maintain essential services and help small producers reach markets. They are particularly important where the conventional market withdraws or where people face barriers to employment.
This is not charity. It is a practical expression of dignity, inclusion, solidarity and territorial cohesion. These European values become real when a person finds work, a rural service remains available, or public spending creates lasting community benefit.
Public money should create public value
Public procurement should not be reduced to the lowest price. Quality, fair working conditions, inclusion and measurable social value should also matter within clear and lawful procedures.
Smaller public authorities need ready-to-use models, practical training and legal confidence to apply these possibilities.
The purpose is not to close markets or provide automatic privilege. It is to ensure that competition recognises quality and community value, and that smaller actors are not excluded by contract size or unnecessary complexity.
A local delivery test for Europe
I proposed a simple test for every European initiative: can a small cooperative, association or social enterprise in a rural municipality find, understand and use the support without facing impossible administrative barriers?
If not, the instrument is not yet close enough to citizens.
The European Commission has acknowledged the willingness to contribute to the testing of its forthcoming toolkit for local and regional social economy policies. Regions and cities from across the Union should be involved before wider implementation.
Policies designed with both eastern and western experience will be stronger and easier to use.
Future skills require regional evidence
Artificial intelligence, digitalisation and new technologies are transforming jobs and tasks. We cannot predict one fixed list of occupations for the future. We can, however, strengthen the ability of people, businesses, institutions and regions to learn, adapt and act responsibly.
There is no single European skills reality.
Employers know which needs are emerging. Schools, universities and training providers know how learning opportunities can be created. Local and regional authorities understand their communities and can connect education, employment and development.
Permanent regional partnerships
I called for permanent regional partnerships for skills and quality jobs, supported by early warning systems.
These should not become another administrative layer. They should bring together public authorities, employers, education providers, employment services, researchers, social partners and young people around practical transitions.
Such partnerships can identify change before workers lose their jobs, support small companies that cannot organise training alone and translate regional evidence into education and reskilling.
Local and regional data matter because national averages can hide deep territorial inequalities.
Bringing east and west closer
We must not build two Europes.
In one, organisations can navigate funding, adopt technology and attract talent. In the other, rural, remote, border and industrial transition regions face weaker capacity, one-way talent flows and fewer opportunities to learn or innovate.
Eastern regions bring experience in rural resilience, community cooperation and responding to demographic decline. Western regions bring tested models, mature support systems and specialised infrastructure.
European cooperation should connect these strengths through shared training, expertise, innovation facilities and cross-border partnerships.
Protecting values through action
Artificial intelligence must support rather than replace human responsibility, professional judgement and meaningful interaction.
Broad AI literacy should help people understand opportunities and limits, assess results critically, recognise risks, protect data and use technology in line with fundamental rights.
Lifelong learning cannot be treated as the responsibility of individuals alone. Employers, workers, public authorities, education providers and social partners all have a role.
European solidarity means making this opportunity real in every region, not merely available on paper.
From Brussels to every community
The European Union gives us the scale to share knowledge, finance long-term capacity and connect regions that would struggle alone. The Committee of the Regions brings the local evidence needed to make European policies work in practice.
The doors are opening in Brussels. Now institutions, regions and cities must take the next step together.
Europe will be more competitive and more united when every community can develop talent, create quality jobs and keep economic and social value close to its people.