Organized in Toulouse on March 26 and 27, 2026, the 38th National Congress of Cooperative Societies was marked by a strong mobilization of overseas territories. With a delegation of 16 people from three oceans, the Scop and Scic Overseas Program (POM) highlighted overseas cooperatives.
The cooperative entrepreneurial model covers several approaches and statuses, mainly those of Scop and Scic. Can be SA, SARL or SAS, a SCOP is a participatory cooperative society : its employees are the majority partners. La Scic (Cooperative society of collective interest) brings together the actors of the same project of goods or services of collective interest. At the Toulouse congress, the Scop and the Scic of Reunion, Guyana and Martinique were represented by six entities : for Reunion, Perma’culture, Up in the meantime, Machinery and Imagen ; for Guyana, Kola Faya, and CAE South Guyana ; for Martinique, It was Matnik. Three representatives from the Economic Development Agency (ADE, structure dependent on the government of French Polynesia), as well as an elected representative of the Congress of New Caledonia, were also there. Major meeting in the life of the Scop and Scic movement, the Congress brought together nearly 1,500 participants. Conferences, thematic workshops, cooperative village and friendly times punctuated these two days, illustrating the values of movement : sharing, cooperation, impact social et territorial, and also well-being at work. Among the notable moments are the handover of the presidency of the movement between Jacques Landriot and Cyril Zorman, 96% adoption of the orientation text for the next four years, as well as the presentation of the new national leadership.
National dynamics
At the end of 2025, the Scop and Scic movement counted 4,583 companies for nearly 95,000 jobs. Over the entire 2022-2025 term, the number of companies increased by 7%. Despite a slight decline in the number of structures in 2025 alone (-0,5 %), the movement confirms its economic robustness. With a 12% increase in the number of employees between 2022 and 2025, cooperative employment continues to grow , thus demonstrating the capacity of the model to create sustainable jobs and strengthen existing businesses.
Cooperative Overseas Territories
In the overseas territories, out of 100 cooperatives in operation, 59 join the Scop and Scic movement. They represent €68 million in operating income and 2,118 jobs. Among them, 32% are SCOP and 42% SCIC, including 8 activity and employment cooperatives (CAE)*. The remaining 26% are mainly secondary establishments located in France. Reunion has the largest number with 49 cooperatives for 1,954 jobs. Their sectors of activity are of a diversity that is often unknown outside of port handling with the famous Reunion Workers’ Cooperative. (COR) – one of the oldest (founded in 1992). The cooperative model also exists in engineering, Training, personal services, accountability, crafts (brasserie, restoration), welcoming young children, or even support for live shows. * Cooperative structure allowing you to launch into entrepreneurship while benefiting from employee status.
THE OVERSEAS PROGRAM
The POM supports creative projects, transformation or transfer of cooperative societies. Throughout their existence, the companies thus created benefit from monitoring, of training, network events and funding. The POM shines in the overseas territories of the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. In those of the Pacific, it legally supports the adoption of cooperative law adapted to local realities. In 2025, three cooperatives were created with the support of the POM. Five more are being created.
