In less than a month, the ballot boxes open and no one wants to be left out. This Friday, the campaign officially kicks off and the parties fine-tune the drafting of their electoral programs. It is customary for political parties, besides surrounding themselves with experts and agreeing internally on the pillars of their program, to maintain contacts with civil society and with the sectors.
In this regard, the Spanish Confederation of Worker-Associated Cooperatives (COCETA) has already made known its proposals to the general elections of next 29N, with which it calls on political parties and the future Government for tax reforms, greater access to public procurement, and new financing tools. Among its main requests is reserving 5% of public contracts through the Public Sector Contracts Law, as well as making it easier for viable companies threatened with closure to be able to continue their activity under a cooperative formula.
The organization, which represents about 21,000 worker-associated cooperatives in Spain, has sent a document titled "Cooperatives of work: companies with roots that build the future" to the political parties. In it, it sets out seven priorities for the next legislature and specifies the legislative changes it considers necessary in matters of taxation and financing, public procurement, subsidies, and territorial development.
Seven items
One of COCETA’s first demands is to complete the reform of the Cooperatives Law approved in April 2026. According to the Confederation, issues related to the percentage of working days of the people workers and specific equality plans for cooperatives remained pending.
It also requests updating the Tax Regime Law 20/1990 for Cooperatives, with a more favorable tax treatment for these companies due to their contribution to the productive fabric and their response to social challenges. The proposal includes reviewing corporate tax, introducing deductions for reinvestment, and expanding tax incentives for research, development, and innovation.
Regarding institutional participation, the Confederation calls for a greater presence of representative organizations of the cooperative movement and the social economy in the social dialogue tables and in the bodies tasked with preparing public policies.
One of its priorities is to drive reindustrialization through national and participatory ownership companies, in line with the commitment to "Made in Europe". COCETA argues that cooperatives can help strengthen industry and promote greater participation of workers in ownership and business management.
The fifth proposal seeks to facilitate the transformation of viable companies facing closure into worker cooperatives. To that end, it calls for legal and economic support mechanisms, as well as expanding the circumstances in which the one-off payment of unemployment benefits can be used.
The last two measures focus on reducing bureaucracy to create cooperatives, digitalizing administrative procedures, and promoting the development of companies that maintain economic activity and employment in territories affected by depopulation.
A state fund for cooperatives
In addition to these seven priorities, COCETA sets out the legislative changes it wants to push for during the next parliamentary term.
In public procurement, the Confederation proposes a 5% set-aside of contracts, the mandatory inclusion of social criteria in award procedures, and the simplification of requirements so that small and medium-sized cooperatives can access tenders.
It also calls for modifying the reindexation-free regulation to allow increases in the interprofessional minimum wage (SMI) and salary increases derived from collective agreements to be passed on in the price of public service and maintenance contracts that are already in effect.
Regarding financing, it proposes creating a state fund to promote cooperativism and specific lines from the Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO). It also asks for the inclusion of nonprofit cooperatives in the Law on Patronage and in the regulation governing alternative compliance with the reserved employment quota for persons with disabilities.
In the area of grants, it requests multi-year calls for applications, their publication during the first quarter of the year, the advance payment of aid, and compliance with the administrative deadlines for resolution.
Depopulation, dependency, and energy communities
The proposals also reach public services and territorial development. COCETA asks for specific measures to favor cooperative activity in the areas most affected by depopulation, as well as prioritizing quality criteria in essential social and health services within the dependency and care regulations.
In energy matters, it calls for protecting and strengthening energy communities, while, to improve recognition of the sector, it proposes preparing statistics and studies that make it possible to know its economic and social impact.
The president of COCETA, Luis Miguel Jurado, has called on the parties for the proposals to be translated into decisions during the next legislature. "Beyond verbal acknowledgments, which are also necessary and appreciated, it is necessary to show it with decisions," he said.