The International Cooperative Alliance has launched a call for practitioners with a background in co-operative law interested in examining the impact of Covid-19 on co-operative legislation.
The apex is inviting lawyers, legal experts and academics to join its Cooperative Law Committee in exploring the legislative changes that have occurred across the world since the start of the pandemic and which can impact the co-operative sector.
The discussion will be moderated by the committee via Loomio, a discussion and decision-making website owned by a worker cooperative in New Zealand.
Florence Raineix, ICA board member, board liaison to the ICA Cooperative Law Committee and executive director of the National Federation of Caisses d’Epargne (FNCE), said: “This network makes it possible to detect very early on the evolutions that appear and may become widespread. Our ability to pick up weak signals is essential to remain adapted to the expectations of our environments and our members.”
Ann Apps, lecturer at the New Castle Law School (Australia) and member of the ICA Cooperative Law Committee, said: “As a member of the global law committee, I would like to lend my support to this call. We are keen to hear from you about how the pandemic has impacted laws or regulations, both positive and negative, in your country and to learn from you about reforms that have been implemented or are likely to be needed.
“Co-operative lawyers are often siloed and this is an opportunity to build a new network of knowledge and practice and to learn from each other.”
Ifigeniea Douvitsa, a visiting research scholar at the Ruralia Institute in Helsinki and co-Founder of Ius Cooperativum, and a member of ICA Cooperative Law Committee said: “It is very important to create a network of legal experts who work with cooperatives because we can in this way discover how co-operatives are affected in their daily operation by legislation under different legal systems.”
Those interested have until 31 January to apply to join the group. They can apply by emailing [email protected] with ‘Cooperative Lawyers’ in the subject line, expressing your intention to be part of the discussion and we will respond with all the details.
