There is no specific policy framework for social enterprise. However, the concept of social enterprise forms part of some national strategic policy documents. It is a part of the National Action Plan of Social Integration for the Years 2008-2010 and the National Plan of Support for and Integration of Citizens with a Disability for the Period 2010-2014. The broader concept of social economy has been included in the Concept of Roma Integration for the Period 2010- 2013 and is a part of the Strategy of the Fight against Social Exclusion. It is also a part of the Sustainable Development Strategy and the Strategy for Combating Social Exclusion 2011 – 2015 and it was mentioned in the Strategy of SME support 2014 – 2020. Social economy will also be included in the Strategy of the employment policy 2014 – 2020 (Bednarikova & Francova 2011).
The government has recently added social enterprise to its legislative plan, acknowledging its rising importance in Czech circumstances. It is going to be discussed in the first quarter of 2015.
Recently, TESSEA has published a proposal on how to include the concept of social enterprise in Czech legislative. It specifies the following three options (RAVL, 2013):
- Create a separate legal act defining the main attributes of a social enterprise irrespective of its legal form. This can be followed by further measures specifying in more detail the support aimed at social enterprises.
- Include the support of social enterprises into the currently existing Employment Act435/2004 Coll. The support measures for social enterprise would have to respect the basic principles of this legal act. There is an option to extend some of the support measures for employment of disadvantaged individuals to social enterprises.
- Pilot evaluation of application of existing active employment measures to social enterprises. The evaluation would be carried out in two to three regions and provide more information about how to design support for social enterprises at the national level.
The Czech Republic is currently in a state of transition as it moves from its previous Civil Code to a New Civil Code regime. Under the new regulation, some legal forms will continue without change, while others will need to adapt to the new regulatory provisions. The new regime also introduces new legal forms.
