BILBAO MONDRAGON 2002

FOURTH EUROPEAN MEETING OF EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP

After the ENRON affair, many discussions are going on in the US as well as in Europe about employee ownership and its American model. On the other hand, Europe has developed some successful and original employee ownership models – particularly in Spain and in the Basque Country.

The European Federation of Employee Share Ownership (EFES) will hold its Fourth European Meeting in Mondragon and Bilbao on November 21-23, 2002, to highlight these developments. Just as a strong European delegation will be attending the Capital Ownership Group’s (COG) October 2002 International Policy Conference in Washington DC, EFES and COG would like to see a reciprocal American delegation at the November meeting in Europe.

Spain and the Basque Country have developed two main successful employee ownership models:

- The Mondragon workers’ co-operatives began fifty years ago and are now a global group with some 55,000 employees around the world;

- Legislation defining Sociedades Anonymas Laborales (SALes = employee owned companies) have led to the creation of some 16,000 new companies and 100,000 new jobs during the last 10 years.

Program of the European Meeting:

Day 1 - Wednesday November 20

Flight to Bilbao, evening reception.

Day 2 – Thursday November 21

Morning plenary session: Employee ownership after the ENRON affair.

Afternoon session: Presentation of the SALes model in the new Training Center of the Basque Association of SALes.

Day 3 – Friday November 22

Visit to Mondragon (30 miles from Bilbao), video presentation, visit to workplaces, meeting with the Board of the Mondragon Corporation and representatives of the Basque Government.

Day 4 – Saturday November 23

Morning workshops session: What are the new priorities for employee ownership in Europe after the

new Action Plan of the European Commission? How can the European latecoming countries be

mobilized in favour of employee ownership? Defining European training programs for employee ownership.

Afternoon session: EFES’s Annual General Meeting of Members and Board Meeting.

Evening: Reception at the new Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

Day 5 – Sunday November 24

Flight back

WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE PART ?

Please express your interest by sending the form below to +32 2 242 6430 (fax) or to marcmathieu@marcmathieu.be (e-mail) :

O I would be interested in taking part in the Fourth European Meeting of Employee Ownership “BILBAO MONDRAGON 2002” which EFES will organize on November 21-23, 2002 in Bilbao and Mondragon.

O I would be interested in taking part in the Capital Ownership Group’s (COG) International Policy Conference in Washington DC, on October 9-10, 2002.

ðI am sending this expression of interest, without any obligation. Please, send me the official registration form when the program and organization of the conference has been finalized.

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