EMN’s Values

The members of EMN recognise the capacity of all human beings to create and become entrepreneurs. By trusting them, they help them recover self confidence. By seeing them as actors and not objects of social policies, they help to change public opinion as regards people excluded from the labour market. By supporting development of self-employment and of microentreprises, they participate in the new economic revolution, which is not based only on wage labour.

The members of EMN consider that beyond emergency situations and solidarity with those who are not able to work, relations between citizens should be based on exchange and not grant. By integrating itself into the market economy microcredit contributes to open it towards social issues.

The members of EMN consider that microcredit is a financial tool and should, as such, respect the principles of financial management. Its goal is to support the creation of sustainable microfinance programmes and institutions opening access to credit and other financial services to all segments of population. These programmes or institutions should therefore cover progressively their costs.

EMN's action is part of the European social model based on the Lisbon Strategy. The Lisbon Strategy is based on the idea that growth and competitiveness are closely linked with social cohesion and that the mobilisation of the potential of growth requires the participation of all men and women which are presently neglected by economic policies or excluded from economic activity.