The first co-operative in Italy was founded in 1854 in Turin, when the General Workers’ Association opened a welfare warehouse to protect members’ purchasing power – and just over 30 years later, the first congress of Italian co-operators founded Federazione Nazionale delle Cooperative (National Federation of Cooperatives). Later renamed Lega Nazionale delle Cooperative (Legacoop), the federation has supported the economic, social and civil role of co-operative enterprises since 1886.
In October, Legacoop brought together the country’s co-operative movement at the Mall, Milan, for the Biennale dell’Economia Cooperativa (Biennale of Cooperative Economics), to celebrate the milestone and discuss the future of Italy and Europe.
The event included two days of debate on the role of co-operation in addressing the major economic, social and democratic challenges facing Italy and Europe, with more than 1,100 registered participants, over 100 institutional guests and representatives of 400 co-operative enterprises, alongside associations, foundations and 70 journalists from the Italian national press. The event provided a forum for dialogue between political and institutional representatives, the business community, trade unions, academia and the wider co-operative movement.
Under the theme ‘Growing Italy Together’, discussions addressed the contribution of co- operation to economic growth, competitiveness, quality employment, social cohesion and sustainable development. The programme also explored demographic change, healthcare, welfare, industrial policy, gender equality and Europe’s future, highlighting the potential of the co-operative model to respond to changing social needs while keeping people and communities at the centre of economic activity.
The anniversary celebrations were a central feature of the Biennale, linking Legacoop’s contribution to Italy’s development with a vision of the country’s economy and society. A key moment was the presentation by Legacoop president Simone Gamberini of the ‘Manifesto for Italy’, setting out proposals for a new partnership between institutions, businesses, workers and civil society.
The manifesto aims to put the co-operative model at the service of economic growth, social cohesion and the development of local communities and reflects Legacoop’s ambition to contribute to a development model in which growth goes beyond economic indicators to encompass quality jobs, reduced inequalities, innovation, welfare and new opportunities for people and territories, said Gamberini.
He also emphasised that 140 years of history means “taking responsibility for the future and contributing to a new vision for Italy within a stronger and more cohesive Europe”. Leading figures from Italian and European public life, including Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, also participated in the event.
On the second day, International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) president Ariel Guarco highlighted the role of co-operatives in building a fairer, more inclusive and peaceful future, calling for concrete policies to support co-operation and for the development of AI guided by co-operative values and the common good.
“Peace is part of our identity, but there can be no lasting peace without social justice, economic participation and inclusive development,” he said, echoing outcomes of the ICA’s 2026 Global Conference.
Guarco noted the ICA’s 2026-2030 Strategic Plan (‘Practice, Promote, Protect’) reaffirms that co-operatives are not merely fairer businesses, but essential infrastructures for peace, democratic participation and social resilience. When trust in institutions declines, co-operation helps rebuild it; when communities become fragmented, it fosters cohesion; and when conflict prevails, it chooses dialogue. Peace, he said, is built by creating communities.
Against this backdrop, Guarco called on governments around the world to translate their support for co-operation into concrete policies that promote a development model combining competitiveness with solidarity, innovation with democracy, and economic efficiency with social sustainability.
Guarco also stressed that, at a time of profound transformation, the international co-operative movement is called upon to defend its model of socio-economic organisation and strengthen its contribution to the common good. Among the emerging challenges is artificial intelligence – and he called for the development of co- operative AI capable of embedding co-operative values throughout the entire value chain and ensuring that new technologies are used in the service of the common good.
On Legacoop’s anniversary, he said: “We are celebrating 140 years of women and men who decided not to face the problems of their time alone: poverty, unemployment, war and dictatorship. The answer has always been the same: coming together to co-operate, coming together to build a shared legacy and pass it on to future generations.”
Guarco recalled Legacoop’s role as a key pillar of the ICA, paying tribute to Ivano Barberini, former president of the International Cooperative Alliance and a leading figure from Italy’s co-operative movement. Legacoop’s 140th anniversary, he added, is not merely a milestone, but part of an ongoing story, rooted in a rich history and looking firmly towards the future. “It is a story that belongs both to Italy and to the international co-operative community as a whole.
In his keynote speech, ‘Europe: Much More Than a Market’, former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta examined the broader role of European integration, while Paola Profeta, dean for diversity, inclusion and sustainability and full professor of public economics at Bocconi University, explored gender gaps in Italy and Europe.
Other sessions addressed the challenges of demographic change, access to healthcare, welfare provision, industrial development and the future of agriculture. A keynote lecture by Philippe Aghion, French economist and co- winner of the 2025 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, examined how innovation and creative destruction can be reconciled with co- operation and social cohesion, followed by a discussion involving Romano Prodi (Italian economist and politician who served as Italy’s prime minister and president of the European Commission) and other representatives of European institutions.
The Biennale also connected economic debate with the history and culture of co-operation through dedicated initiatives and performances celebrating the movement’s legacy and the values passed down across generations.
“The 2026 edition of the Biennale reaffirmed the role of co-operation as a key economic and social resource for Italy: a model capable of generating shared value, strengthening communities and contributing to responses to major national and European challenges,” said a Legacoop spokesperson.
“By bringing together diverse perspectives and presenting proposals for the country’s future, the Biennale sought to turn the celebration of Legacoop’s 140th anniversary into a starting point for renewed engagement with institutions, businesses, workers and civil society.
“The discussions held in Milan and the proposals set out in the Manifesto for Italy provide a basis for continued dialogue on how co-operation can help shape a more inclusive, sustainable and cohesive future for Italy and Europe.”
