Former French Minister Benoît Hamon has been elected as the new president of ‘ESS France’, the representative association of actors and networks in the French social and solidarity economy, recognized by the SSE Law of July 31, 2014. Benoît Hamon will officially succeed the current president, Jérôme Saddier, on June 12, during the Congress organized by ‘ESS France’ on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the SSE Law in France.
As a politician, Benoît Hamon held various positions in the government of the French Republic, first as Secretary of State for Social and Solidarity Economy and Consumption, and later as Minister of National Education, Higher Education, and Research. He is the author of two laws, the so-called “Hamon Law,” aimed at strengthening consumer rights in France, and the law relating to SSE. He has also been a Member of the European Parliament and a Member of the French National Assembly. Since 2021, he has been the Director General of an international NGO: SINGA Global, which works in the field of refugee and newcomer inclusion.
Regarding his appointment, Jérôme Saddier expressed his satisfaction, stating: “I am pleased with this decision, which brought together a large majority of our 33 members, representing the voices of our entire ecosystem.” He added: “The choice of Benoit Hamon, in addition to being my friend and travel companion, is a strong signal. As a former minister, he left a lasting mark on the SSE through the law that bears his name. By choosing a different path from active politics, he opted for associative commitment and social entrepreneurship, remaining true to his humanist convictions. All of this has been recognized by ‘ESS France’ in appointing him president.”
For his part, the newly elected president of ‘ESS France’, Benoît Hamon, accepted his new responsibility with gratitude, stating: “My roadmap is clear: to give the SSE the recognition it lacks and deserves; to improve and disseminate its best practices; to promote the scaling up of the SSE; to give the SSE faces that resemble French society, and to resist all movements that disrupt society in order to deliberately turn towards the ecological transformation of the economy.”
About ‘ESS France’
ESS France is the reference voice of the SSE “as a mode of entrepreneurship and economic development.” It brings together organizations and enterprises that operate according to democratic principles, “with controlled profitability and for the purpose of serving social or collective interests.”
It encompasses the associative world, mutual societies, foundations, cooperatives, and social enterprises, as well as cross-sectoral organizations and the network of regional chambers of the SSE. According to its data, in France, the ESS employs 2.5 million people (1 private job out of 7) in over 200,000 enterprises across all sectors of activity and in the daily lives of French citizens.
