The Experiences of employees participation in Spanish workers' cooperatives and their impact on EC's social and labor policy

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The recent development of workers' cooperative movement in Southern Europe, particularly in Spain centering around Mondragon Cooperatives, has given a desirable impact on the international cooperative movement. It is significant not only because such development demonstrates the viability of workers' self-management in cooper-ative sector but also it may give some alternative model of development to the third world after the collapse of Soviet-type socialist economy.The workers' cooperatives are now understood as a nucleus institution for 'social economy', an important concept of European Unions. Social economy could be explained as all kinds of economic activities which aims at acheeving various social purposes rather than simple making profits through democratic management by working poeple themselves. The recent draft proposal by the EC Commission over the Directive for a European Cooperative Statute is just an example which indicates tnat EC sees the legal framework of cooperatives at European level more important as ever.On the other hand the debate over the method and extent of employees' participation in the capitalist companies, multi-nationals in particular, has still continued, searchig for some compromising point. Yet it is certain that the realization of employees' participation in Europe in whatever form as well as the recent development of the cooperatives sector will give an great impact on Japanese economy.