# STATE OF SOCIAL PROCUREMENTRegion Profile: European Union

Advancing Social Procurement with Strong Policy Support and Pioneering Partnerships.


**4.3M** social enterprises

**10%** of all EU businesses

**11.5M** people employed

**€912bn** annual revenue


## Overview

Europe’s social procurement landscape is deeply intertwined with its deep social economy tradition. Home to 4.3 million social economy enterprises, including cooperatives, mutual societies, associations, and foundations, the sector represents 10% of all EU businesses and employs nearly 11.5 million people. With €912 billion in collective revenue in 2021, the EU’s social economy is a cornerstone of sustainable economic development.


## Environment and context

The European Commission has for a considerable length of time recognised the scale of this economic contribution and pursued initiatives to drive its development and growth, with publications such as “business in the social economy sector: Europe’s frontier-free market” dating back to 1989.The EU’s current Social Economy Action Plan was launched in 2021. It positions the social economy as one of the key economic drivers across the bloc. Over €2.5 billion will be invested in the sector over the lifetime of the plan. And for the first time, B2B social procurement has been explicitly referenced as a key driver of the development of the sector and economy in Europe, with the number one action of the new plan being “Promoting access to markets with socially responsible public procurement: social procurement.”This is being driven by social enterprises themselves. In the last edition of the European Social Enterprise Monitor, 60.5% reported that they were already selling products and services to profit-oriented businesses (SMEs and corporates), while at least 27.8% reported already making such sales to multinational corporations (MNCs).


## Current State of Social Procurement

The EU and its member states have long prioritized social procurement, particularly through socially responsible public procurement (SRPP), which includes social and environmental clauses in public contracts for over two decades. More recently, B2B social procurement has gained attention, with initiatives like Buy Social Europe B2B, led by Euclid Network and 23 partners, co-funded by the EU and SAP. It connects Mainstream Enterprises (MEs) with Social Enterprises (SEs) across 17 countries to build sustainable trade partnerships. It focuses on market-building activities, enabling discoverability of social enterprises, popularizing the People and Planet First verification, and raising general awareness amongst businesses.Similarly, the Buy WISEly program, operating in Austria, the Netherlands, Italy, and Ireland, focuses on raising awareness, improving trade readiness for Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs), and fostering partnerships with businesses. Independent initiatives like the Buy Social Europe program, launched by Social Enterprise UK and now managed by Telos, extend social procurement efforts across EMEA with support from corporations like AstraZeneca and Siemens.


## Outlook

There is a continued interest from the European Commission, as well as the private sector and social enterprises across Europe, in continuing to grow and develop social procurement and the social economy. In particular, the EU has indicated interest in joining up the work on social procurement with wider strategic and economic drivers such as the circular economy. Continuing to build the data and understanding of the supplier base across Europe, and how to join this up with support, investment and capacity-building, will also be key in leveraging current activity to create future success.


## Key Programs and initiatives

Regional programs and initiatives offer opportunities for companies to get engaged in social procurement in this region.


## Frequently Asked Questions

*Common questions and answers*


## Regional Case Studies


## Frequently Asked Questions

*Common questions and answers*


### National Partners

This country profile has been prepared by Euclid Network and telos.


*Partner organizations and sponsors*

Last update was made on 13 January 2026.