On 4 April 2023, Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, visited EASPD member ADV Romania Foundation, one of the largest social enterprises in Romania. Commissioner Schmit was in Romania for the official launch of the of the national Cohesion Policy Programmes for 2021-2027. ADV Romania was one of the few selected organisations for the official visits tour.

ADV Romania supports vulnerable people, helping them find a job through their three social enterprises: Utildeco, JobDirect, and WISE.travel.

UtilDeco is a work-integration social enterprise established in 2008, currently employing 19 persons with disabilities. Employees benefit from an integrated package of services such as training, mentoring, coaching and psycho-social support.

JobDirect is the first Romanian employment agency for people with disabilities and vulnerable groups, while WISE.travel is Europe’s first social impact travel broker, whose profit is completely dedicated to social projects.

During the visit, Commissioner Schmit met the management teams and employees of these three social enterprises and learned about their operations and impact on the local community. Mr Schmit was impressed by the diversity of activities developed by ADV Romania to address the problem of unemployment among persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups.

"Happy to discover the social economy here in Iasi, Romania. The social economy is a dynamic sector that brings innovative new ideas. It is part of the response to the many challenges we face in this period of transformations" - said Mr Schmit on his Twitter page.

Ms Angela Achiței, president of ADV Romania, met Mr Schmit again after taking part together last year at the conference on Social Economy in Strasbourg. She is sure that the discussions sparked from the visit will "lead to the consolidation of the social economy sector in Romania and the European Union."

Learn more about the visit and watch Commissioner’s testimonial.