National Council for Cooperation, Social Entrepreneurship and Agricultural Enterprise

The National Council for Cooperation, Social Entrepreneurship and Agricultural Enterprise (CNC in French) is an advisory body set up by the Law of 20 July 1955 establishing a National Council for Cooperation, Social Entrepreneurship and Agricultural Enterprise, whose mission is to disseminate the principles of cooperation and preserve the cooperative ideal.

Missions

The CNC has two main missions:

to study and promote all measures likely to disseminate the cooperative principles and ideal as defined, in particular, by the International Cooperative Alliance;
to send any opinion or proposal on questions relating to cooperative activity to the Minister and, in matters within its jurisdiction, to the Central Economic Council, either at their request or on their own initiative and in the form of reports expressing the various points of view within it.

Composition

The CNC is composed of a General Assembly and a management body called the Bureau.

General Assembly

The General Assembly is composed of representatives of groupings of approved cooperative societies and cooperative societies not affiliated to a grouping.

approved cooperative societies not affiliated to a grouping may appoint a representative;
the groupings may appoint two representatives;
approved cooperative societies not affiliated to a grouping, with more than 100,000 associates, may also appoint two representatives.

Each representative has one vote at the General Assembly.

The mandates of the members of the General Assembly last for six years and are renewable.

The Bureau

The Bureau is composed of a maximum of 20 members with equal votes.

The members are appointed by the King, on a proposal of the general meeting, according to the following modalities:

5 seats are allocated to candidates representing the groupings representing the largest number of approved cooperative societies;
5 seats are allocated to candidates representing the groupings or cooperative societies not affiliated to a grouping, with the largest number of associates belonging to an approved cooperative society;
3 seats are allocated to candidates representing cooperative societies not affiliated to a grouping with more than 250,000 members;
7 seats are allocated to groupings or cooperative societies not affiliated to a grouping, which do not fall into the three categories listed above.

From among the members of the Bureau, the King appoints a president and a vice-president, on the proposal of the Bureau approved by the General Assembly.

The mandates of the members of the Bureau, the President and the Vice-President last for six years and are renewable.

Committees

A maximum of three standing committees whose purpose is to prepare opinions or to analyse particular issues may be set up by the General Assembly or the Bureau.

The General Assembly has currently set up two committees, namely the “Communication Committee” and the “Legislation Committee”.

Temporary committees may also be set up by the General Assembly or the Bureau in order to respond to a specific request in a given sector.

The Secretariat

The secretariat of the CNC is run by the FPS Economy.

Members of the General Assembly

In accordance with article 3 of the Royal Decree of 24 April 2014 determining the composition and functioning of the National Council for Cooperation, the persons named below have been appointed members of the General Assembly of the CNC for a period of six years from 1 June 2021, in accordance with the Royal Decree of 25 May 2021:

On the proposal of groupings of approved cooperative societies and approved cooperative societies not affiliated to a grouping with more than 100,000 members:

Mr. Luc Vanoirbeek
Mrs Ann De Craene
Mrs Valentine Huys
Mr. Nicolas Nelis
Mrs Orphee Mariën
Mr. Thomas Blondeel
Mr. Peter Bosmans
Mr. Jacques Debry
Mr. Stephan Olaerts
Mr. Luc De Bolle
Mrs Sofie Donneaux
Mr. Pieter Marinus
Mr. Guy Vandepoel
Mr. Bernard Bayot
Mrs Veerle Vandenabeele

On the proposal of approved cooperative societies not affiliated to a grouping:

Mrs Marina Viaene
Mr. Luc François
Mrs Laetitia Devaux
Mr. Jo Op De Beeck
Mrs Anne-Catherine Rizzo
Mr. Willem Janssens
Mr. Dominik Ronse
Mrs Frauke Van Goethem
Mr. Erwin Schöpges
Mrs Elisabeth De Rudder
Mr. Tom Balthazar
Mr. Olivier Wenin
Mrs Thérèse-Marie Bouchat
Mr. Bart Onsia
Mr. Martin Raucent
Mr. Fabrice Collignon
Mr. Geert Reyniers
Mr. Geert Van De Woestyne
Mr. Jérôme Herman
Mr. Joris Cnockaert
Mrs Morgane Tock
Mrs Gitte Heirman
Mr. Eric Derycke
Mrs Kristien Hermans
Mr. David Noelmans
Mr. Mario Hustinx
Mr. Jabo Mutsinzi
Mrs Carine Vrayenne
Mr. Pieter-Jan Van De Velde
Mr. François Leboutte
Mr. Adrien Louis
Mr. Steven Decat
Mr. Gilles Doutrelepont
Mr. Cedric Depuydt
Mr. Jan Verbrugge
Mrs An Schaubroeck
Mr. John Vanwynsberghe
Mr. Daniel Dirickx
Mr. Sébastien Cassart
Mrs Marlies Vlasselaer
Mrs Dana Vierendeel
Mrs Nathalie Devriese
Mr. Niko Deprez
Mr. Hervé Pirard
Mrs Anneleen De Smet
Mr. Maxime Dechesne
Mrs An Berden

Members of the Bureau

In accordance with article 4 of the Royal Decree of 24 April 2014 determining the composition and functioning of the National Council for Cooperation, the persons named below have been appointed members of the Bureau of the CNC for a period of six years from 9 November 2021:

On the proposal of the groupings representing the largest number of approved cooperative societies:

Mrs Sofie Donneaux
Mr. Guy Vandepoel
Mrs Orphee Mariën
Mr. Jacques Debry
Mrs Valentine Huys

On the proposal of groupings one of whose associates has the largest number of associates or on the proposal of cooperative societies, not affiliated to a grouping, which have the largest number of associates:

Mr. Luc Vanoirbeek
Mr. Bernard Bayot
Mr. Luc François
Mr. Martin Raucent
Mrs Elisabeth De Rudder

On the proposal of cooperative societies not affiliated to a grouping with more than 250,000 associates:

Mr. Joris Cnockaert
Mr. Geert Reyniers
Mr. Stephan Olaerts

On the proposal of the groupings or cooperative societies not affiliated to a grouping, which do not fall into the three categories listed above:

Mrs Anneleen De Smet
Mr. Mario Hustinx
Mr. John Vanwynsberghe
Mr. Adrien Louis
Mrs Anne-Françoise Rulmont
Mr. Gilles Doutrelepont
Mrs Nathalie Devriese

Members Acting as President and Vice-President

Following the renewal of the mandates of the members of the General Assembly and the Bureau of the CNC, the President of the CNC and the Vice-President of the CNC announced their resignation during the meeting of the Bureau of the CNC held on 23 November 2021.In accordance with Article 6 of the Law of 20 July 1955 establishing a National Council for Cooperation between Social Entrepreneurship and Agricultural Enterprise, the CNC Bureau proposed the candidacy of Mr. Stephan OLAERTS for the mandate of President of the CNC and that of Mr. Jacques DEBRY for the mandate of Vice-President of the CNC.The two candidacies proposed by the CNC Bureau were approved at the General Assembly of the CNC also held on 23 November 2021.

Opinion

Recent newsletters can be consulted via the following link:

NRC-CNC Newsletter

The Annual Report

Last update

27 March 2023

National Council for Cooperation, Social Entrepreneurship and Agricultural Enterprise

Missions