Social Business Initiative - Creating a favourable climate for social enterprises, key stakeholders in the social economy and innovation

The single market needs new, inclusive growth, focused on employment for all, underpinning the growing desire of Europeans for their work, consumption, savings and investments to be more closely attuned to and aligned with 'ethical' and 'social' principles. In order to promote a 'highly competitive social market economy', the Commission has placed the social economy and social innovation at the heart of its concerns, in terms of both territorial cohesion and the search for new solutions to societal problems, in particular the fight against poverty a nd exclusion, under the Europe 2020 strategy, the flagship initiative 'The Innovation Union', the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion and the 'Single Market Act' (SMA).