On 10 April 2002, the main European social economy actors, represented by the CEP-CMAF (European Standing Conference of Co-operatives, Mutuals, Associations and Foundations), predecessor of Social Economy Europe, adopted the Social Economy Charter, revised in 2015, defining the identity, core values and characteristics shared by all social economy actors.

The CEP-CMAF Social Economy Charter has been of key importance to define the social economy in Europe and worldwide. For instance, the Charter is mentioned in the preamble of the Spanish Social Economy Law (5/2011).