Euro Coop Takes Part in ANCC-Coop Italy GA

ANCC-Coop Italy held its annual general assembly on 13-14 July, in Rome. The international guest speakers in the two-day event were Euro Coop President Mathias Fiedler and Coop Ukraine Chairman Illia Gorokhovskyi, who is also Euro Coop First Vice-President.

During the assembly, President Marco Pedroni showcased the economic and social report of ANCC-Coop. There are 75 affiliated co-operatives, 2,236 points of sale, 6.3 million members, and ten million weekly customers. The total number of employees amounts to 59,516 across its various branches, while there are 6,121 own-brand products and 5,330 suppliers. These numbers represent the strong presence of consumer co-operatives throughout the national territory, which is characterised as an open, autonomous, and supportive society that operates for the benefit of consumers and the community, without private speculation, and where democratic participation among free and equal individuals is a fundamental pillar.

In his speech, Mathias Fiedler emphasized Euro Coop's mission of representing consumer co-operatives' innovation in sustainability and their mission to further consumer protection in EU policy. He expressed his recognition of ANCC/Coop Italy making "an important contribution to the importance that consumer cooperatives play in Europe and also an important contribution to the work of our common federation, Euro Coop." He added, "With your active support, we can advocate for a whole range of important issues in Brussels."

Euro Coop maintains this constant balance of representing the priorities of responsible business and the needs of individual consumers, especially in leading EU policy files such as NGTs, front-of-pack labelling, food waste, energy performance of buildings and the framework law for sustainable food systems. In all these, ANCC-Coop Italy is among the active member shaping Euro Coop’s position.

In conclusion, he underlined the importance of members’ active participation in the life of the Association, as this ensures effective co-operative advocacy, as well as far-reaching interco-operation. The Euro Coop President thanked the management of ANCC-Coop, and specifically the president Marco Pedroni, for the invitation and wished the Italian colleagues the best of success and co-operation.

Coop Ukraine Chairman Illia Gorokhovskyi shared the experience of Ukraine’s co-operative movement in the context of the unprecedented times of devastation brought on by the war.

The co-operative movement demonstrates its ability to transcend borders and overcome any obstacles. Chairman Gorokhovskyi said     “Co-operatives represent their members and serve the communities of which they are an inherent part. It is through direct co-operation among co-operatives, showmanship of solidarity and the application of the co-op values and principles, that the co-operative movement rises above everything that divides us and reminds us of everything that unites us”.

Coop Ukraine has made extraordinary efforts, first to prevent shortages of food and essential goods, and then, despite all the wartime threats and difficulties, to reorganize supply chains and the production lines of their manufacturing enterprises, baking factories and bakeries to meet the demands of the local population. Almost 15 thousand temporarily displaced persons found shelter on the campuses of Coop Ukraine’s colleges and universities.

Chairman Gorokhovskyi expressed his gratitude to ANCC-Coop and other national movements for their support – moral, co-operative and financial – to Coop Ukraine and reiterated that all this solidarity guarantees tangible and much-needed aid to Ukraine’s local communities, their consumers and citizens through the special Coop Ukraine Special Charitable Foundation for the purpose of restoring cooperatives and providing assistance to members.