It is estimated that there are about 70,000 social enterprise in the United Kingdom. This is quite an increase since 2006 and 2004 when 55,000 and 15,000 social enterprises were identified, respectively. (Social Enterprise UK, 2013; Harding, 2006). Just over half (52 per cent) of social enterprises surveyed in 2013 actively employ people who are disadvantaged in the labour market including disabled people (Social Enterprise UK, 2013). Till today, Malta has no legally recognised form of social enterprise, however several Voluntary Organisations (VO) and cooperatives can be considered as a social enterprise. There are two main national legal documents at a national level, which support the existence of social enterprises. The first legal document is the Voluntary Organisations Act of 2007 that created an authority responsible for the registration and monitoring of Vos. The second legal document is Cooperative Societies Act of 2001. In 2015, there was the launch of the first Social Enterprise Act White Paper. This launch was considered a milestone towards creating a White Paper, including specific legal framework for social enterprises. Notwithstanding this achievement, the White Paper is still to become law. This first attempt acknowledges the role of the European Commission (EC) as an external body to develop and support this White Paper in a legal framework. However, the EU also suggest that there is the need to further develop and sustain the sector beyond what is already possible through the existing legal frameworks that regulate VOs and Cooperatives.
Tonio Axisa 