As part of the project for the establishment of Territorial Observatories and Territorial Committees for the Social Economy — COTES — supported by Fondazione CRT and promoted by Fondazione Terzjus with Unioncamere Piemonte, the Piedmontese Chambers of Commerce and the Camera Valdostana/Chambre Valdôtaine, two new COTES have just been established at the Chambers of Commerce of Monte Rosa Laghi Alto Piemonte and Alessandria–Asti.

The two COTES, which will soon be officially launched and enter their operational phase, join two centres of excellence that have been active for years in Piedmont: at the Torino Chamber of Commerce, since 2017, the social impact ecosystem Torino Social Impact, an expression of the Social Entrepreneurship Committee; and, at the Cuneo Chamber of Commerce, the Committee for Social Entrepreneurship and Microcredit.

The Valle d’Aosta Committee is expected to be finalised after the summer, in line with the specific characteristics of the Aosta Valley territory.

The work carried out in recent months in Piedmont aims to become a national reference model, just a few days after the information note brought to the attention of the Council of Ministers on the National Plan for the Social Economy. The Plan effectively marks the launch of an organic strategy for a sector that is increasingly relevant within the economic and social system, and is the result of the work carried out over the past two years, including through the public consultation on the Plan, by the Ministry of Economy and Finance under the guidance of MEF Undersecretary Lucia Albano.

The social economy is confirmed as a decisive lever to strengthen cohesion, inclusion and local development.

Thanks to the joint work of institutions, the chamber system, Fondazione Terzjus and Fondazione CRT, Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta are positioning themselves as an advanced territorial laboratory for the implementation of national and European policies dedicated to the sector: an infrastructure capable of transforming local good practices into long-term development policies and promoting actions aligned with national objectives, in a context of growing institutional attention. This attention is also confirmed by the recent submission to the Regional Council of Piedmont of two bills dedicated to the social economy.

The COTES were created with the aim of building permanent tools for knowledge, dialogue and territorial planning, capable of supporting the development of the social economy, strengthening innovation and generating quality employment. They also aim to provide the social economy with stable instruments for planning and dialogue with institutions, creating, through the chamber system, a bridge between profit and non-profit, between companies and Third Sector organisations.