Fundación Espriu

The organisations that make up the Espriu Foundation constitute one of the largest networks of healthcare cooperatives in the world

familia paseando

The Social Economy: a fairer and more sustainable model

The social economy is a sector that includes organisations and enterprises that seek to integrate economic objectives with social and community values. These are organizations such as cooperatives, mutual societies, foundations and associations that prioritise social welfare, solidarity and sustainability over profit maximisation. There are currently 2.8 million social economy enterprises in Europe, which adds up to 10% of all businesses in the EU.

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The International Year of Cooperatives

Cooperatives are social economy enterprises that seek to generate economic, social and cultural benefits for their members through a democratic, equitable and sustainable management model. The United Nations (UN) has proposed 2025 as the second International Year of Cooperatives with the aim of fostering support for these organisations, which are crucial for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. This event will address issues such as access to information technologies and the promotion of gender equality.

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Año internacional de las cooperativas

News / International Year of Cooperatives

Housing cooperatives in Uruguay

Cooperatives in the world

Uruguay: the cooperative housing model used as a state policy

The International Year of Cooperatives 2025 (IYC 2025) has put the global spotlight on how the cooperative company model can be an essential tool for sustainable development. A brilliant example of this thesis can be found in Uruguay, a country that has turned housing cooperativism into a successful, internationally renowned public policy. 
Cooperatives in emply Spain

Rural Spain

Healthcare cooperatives in rural areas: a safeguard against depopulation in Spain's increasingly empty regions

In so-called “empty Spain”, having a doctor nearby or accessing treatment is not always easy. Villages with few inhabitants and winding roads mean that many elderly people have to travel dozens of kilometres to reach the nearest hospital. In these empty areas, where the public model is overwhelmed and the private model is not profitable, health cooperatives in rural areas have proven that a different way of organising healthcare is possible. 

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Cooperativismo sanitario

Healthcare cooperatives: serving society.

Healthcare cooperatives are organisations that focus on providing services based on cooperation and solidarity. Their primary goal is not to generate profit, but to provide quality medical care, placing the patient at the centre of their work. In 1989 the Espriu Foundation began its process of development within the healthcare cooperative movement, drawing on the cooperatives Scias, Autogestió Sanitària, Asisa and Lavinia to assemble its board of trustees

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Autogestió Sanitaria Lavinia SCIAS asisa

The Espriu Foundation, cooperation and self-governance since 1989

The Espriu Foundation brings together the Spanish institutions which implement the co-operative healthcare model created by Dr Josep Espriu. The main objective of the Espriu Foundation is to oversee the development, promotion and defence of the cooperative healthcare model, centralising the efforts and commitment of Grup Assistència and Grupo Asisa with the dissemination and promotion of the co-operative model as a tool for improving healthcare systems.

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La Fundación Espriu

/Our values

1

Not-for-profit

Surplus balances are reinvested for the benefit of members, users, improving the quality of care and technological innovation, thus ensuring sustainability.

2

Direct involvement in management

All stakeholders are involved in management, engaging the full range of participants in the care process in a spirit of solidarity.

3

Open organizations

The Foundation is made up of organisations that are private but also open and very willing to collaborate with the public healthcare system.

4

Social commitment

All the entities that participate in the Foundation are committed to society and maintain a real commitment to the people and the environment that surrounds them.

web Compartir magazine

Stay up to date with the magazine Compartir

COMPARTIR magazine is a print and digital publication which reflects current medical, social economy and health co-operative issues brought to you by the professionals who participate in the co-operatives of the Espriu Foundation. 
COMPARTIR is published in three languages (Spanish, Catalan and English) and combines health and wellbeing features, promoting a healthy lifestyle and offering recommendations for cultural and leisure activities. Quality information backed by health professionals and experts who work with Assistència Sanitària and Asisa.

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