Deolinda Meira
Professora Coordenadora, CEOS.PP, ISCAP, Politécnico do Porto
Coordinating Professor, CEOS.PP, ISCAP, Polytechnic of Porto [email protected] Orcid: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2301-4881 |
AS EMPRESAS SOCIAIS NA LEI DE BASES
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1. O PROBLEMA
A Lei de Bases da Economia Social, Lei n.º 30/2013 de 8 de maio (LBES), que neste ano de 2023 comemora dez anos de vigência, não prevê, expressa e imediatamente, o conceito de empresa social. A LBES inspirou-se fortemente na Lei de Bases espanhola (Ley 5/2011, de 29 de marzo, de Economía Social). Ora, no ordenamento jurídico espanhol foi recentemente aprovado o Anteprojeto de Ley Integral de Economía Social que prevê uma alteração à Lei de Bases de Economia Social, a qual, para além de clarificar as tipologias e o catálogo de empresas que integram o setor, prevê a incorporação, de forma expressa, das empresas sociais no referido catálogo. A Comunicação da Comissão Europeia de 2021, intitulada “Construção de uma economia ao serviço das pessoas: plano de ação para a economia social”[1], e, mais recentente, o Guia de Políticas da OCDE sobre Quadros Jurídicos para a Economia Social e Solidária[2] dispõem que as empresas sociais fazem parte da Economia social. É prioritário que, também em Portugal, o conceito de empresa social seja desenhado em diálogo com o conceito de Economia Social e que se revisite o católogo de entidades que integram o setor da economia social constante da atual Lei de Bases, reconhecendo, de forma expressa, as empresas sociais[3]. Neste contexto, este texto pretende demonstrar que, em Portugal, as empresas sociais, incluindo as que têm a forma jurídica de sociedade comercial, podem, à luz da Lei de Bases da Economia Social, ser consideradas entidades da economia social. [1] - Commissão Europeia (2021), Comunicação da Comissão ao Parlamento Europeu, ao Conselho, ao Comité Económico e Social Europeu e ao Comité das Regiões. “Construção de uma economia ao serviço das pessoas: plano de ação para a economia social” [Brussels, 9.12.2021 COM(2021) 778 final]. [2] - OCDE (2023), “Forms of Social and solidarity economy entities”, in Policy Guide on Legal Frameworks for the Social and Solidarity Economy, Local Economic and Employment Deve lopment (LEED), OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9c228f62-en. [3] - Destacando as vantagens do reconhecimento legal do estatuto da empresa social, ver Antonio FICI, “Models and Trends of Social Enterprise Regulation in the European Union”, in H.Peter et al.(eds.),The International Handbook of Social Enterprise Law, Springer, 2022, pp. 153.172, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14216-1_8 |
1. THE ISSUE
The Framework Law for the Social Economy, Law no. 30/2013 of 8 May (lbes), which in this year of 2023 celebrates ten years in force, does not provide, expressly and immediately, the concept of social enterprise. The LBES was strongly inspired in the Spanish Framework Law (Ley 5/2011, de 29 de marzo, de Economía Social (Law 5/2011, of 29 March, on the Social Economy). However, in the Spanish legal system, the Anteprojeto de Ley Integral de Impulso de la Economía Social (Preliminary Draft of the Integral Law for the Promotion of the Social Economy) was recently published, which foresees an amendment to the Framework Law for the Social Economy, which, besides clarifying the typologies and the catalogue of enterprises that integrate the sector, foresees the incorporation, in an express manner, of social enterprises in the said catalogue. The European Commission's 2021 Communication “Building an economy that works for people: an action plan for the social economy”[1] and, more recently, the OECD Policy Guide on Legal Frameworks for the Social and Solidarity Economy[2] state that social enterprises are part of the social economy. It is a priority that, also in Portugal, the concept of social enterprise be designed in dialogue with the concept of Social Economy and that the catalogue of entities that make up the social economy sector in the current Framework Law be revisited, expressly recognising social enterprises[3] . In this context, this text aims to demonstrate that, in Portugal, social enterprises, including those that have the legal form of a commercial company, can, in the light of the Framework Law for the Social Economy, be considered social economy entities. [1] EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2021), Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. “Building an economy that works for people: an action plan for the social economy” [Brussels, 9.12.2021 COM(2021) 778 final]. [2] OECD (2023), "Forms of Social and solidarity economy entities", in Policy Guide on Legal Frameworks for the Social and Solidarity Economy, Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED), OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9c228f62-en. [3] Highlighting the advantages of legal recognition of social enterprise status, see Antonio FICI, "Models and Trends of Social Enterprise Regulation in the European Union", in H.Peter et al.(eds.),The International Handbook of Social Enterprise Law, Springer, 2022, pp. 153,172, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14216-1_8 |
