SOCIAL ENTERPRISES IN EUROPEAN UNION. THEORETICAL ASPECTS

In present, at global level, there are important economic and social issues - unemployment, poverty, social exclusion, population aging, environmental issues- that require new approaches. Thus, an important role is held by social enterprises, which represent a business where the main purpose is not economic (obtaining a higher profit), but a social one, the profit returns to the community or is limited distributed between members, respectively members participate actively in decision making. In our paper we define the concepts of social economy and social enterprise and their specific social and economic dimensions. We also try to realize a comparative analysis of these structures in the European Union Member States and their role in increasing the employment of disadvantaged persons.