The Third Sector Platform of Catalonia and the Government Delegation to Portugal launch a week-long exchange to foster collaboration, share best practices, and build a stronger European social network.
The Taula d’Entitats del Tercer Sector Social de Catalunya (Third Sector Platform of Catalonia) and the Government Delegation to Portugal are organizing a week-long knowledge exchange trip to Portugal aimed at strengthening ties between Catalan and Portuguese social organizations and promoting European cooperation in the social sphere.
The initiative seeks to showcase the Catalan model of the social third sector in Portugal, increase the visibility of participating organizations, and identify shared challenges and priorities between the Catalan and Portuguese social agendas. It also aims to expand the international alliance network of Catalan organizations and foster new collaboration opportunities.
The exchange will deepen the understanding of Portuguese third sector policies and best practices in key areas for the Taula:
- Children and Youth: exchange of experiences between Catalan and Portuguese entities working with at-risk children in poverty, education, and leisure.
- Housing, Employment, and Poverty: learning about innovative Portuguese initiatives addressing housing access difficulties and their social consequences.
- Digitalization: within the Taula’s m4Social innovation and digitalization project, exploring Portuguese third sector digitalization processes and potential data-sharing collaborations.
- Impact Measurement: identifying tools and models for social evaluation, management, and investment.
- Hate Speech: a cross-cutting issue present in all areas of work.
Throughout the week, the Catalan delegation will hold institutional meetings with major Portuguese third sector federations and confederations — CPES (Portuguese Confederation of Social Economy), CASES (António Sérgio Cooperative for the Social Economy), CNIS (National Confederation of Solidarity Institutions), and FENACHE (National Federation for Cooperative and Affordable Housing) — to share strategies and explore joint action lines.
The delegation will also visit social innovation projects and associations, including ANIMAR, Associação CAIS, Ares do Pinhal, CEPAC, Fundação Aga Khan Portugal, Fundació “la Caixa” – Programa Incorpora Portugal, Coopérnico, Lar do Livramento, and GAF – Gabinete de Atendimento à Família.
A roundtable titled “The Third Sector in Portugal and Catalonia: Model, Influence, and Network Scalability” will be held in collaboration with the Social Economy area of the Portuguese Catholic University of Porto. The session will address governance models and legal frameworks in both countries — at a key moment when Catalonia’s Social Third Sector Law is being debated in Parliament — and emphasize the importance of cooperation to strengthen a more social Europe.
“Initiatives like this are highly valuable for third sector organizations in both Catalonia and Portugal, allowing them to share best practices, set priorities, and expand European networks,” said Rui Reis, Government Delegate to Portugal. “This agenda is possible thanks to the Delegation’s strong knowledge and relationships with Portuguese institutional and social networks,” he added.
“Learning how specific groups are supported and finding common ground in transversal themes such as digitalization, impact, and combating hate speech are complementary perspectives shaping this knowledge exchange in Portugal,” explained Marta Cid, head of International Affairs at the Taula. “In times of political and social uncertainty, identifying alliances and shared values is key to building the social Europe and Catalonia we aspire to,” she emphasized.
The federations of the Taula participating in the exchange include ECAS, Catalan Federation of Social Volunteering, FEDAIA, Sant Joan de Déu Catalunya, Cohabitac, COCARMI, FEICAT, and the Pere Tarrés Foundation.
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