ENSIE unites European national and regional networks of work integration social enterprises. The European Network of Social Integration Enterprises (ENSIE) was officially established in Bruges (Belgium) on May 11, 2001. For several years, exchanges between national networks for social integration enterprises have made possible the identification of common identifying principles for these initiatives through the various countries of the European Union. ENSIE takes for its objective the representation, maintenance and development within the European Union of networks and federations for work integration social enterprises. ENSIE takes for its objectives: to reinforce the power of the actors in economic social integration enterprises through the interchange between the member organisations, to stimulate co-operation and partnerships by promoting proper practices, research results, new applications, to organise the exchange of information on the legislative national and local policy levels between member organizations, to represent the network and to promote all of its activities on all pertinent European levels, to elaborate on the contributions and propositions in order to participate in the definition of a European policy against social exclusion, to develop a close and solid collaboration with other European networks active in the social economy with the objective of obtaining synergetic results. The ENSIE wants to contribute to a sustainable development within the European Union. This includes the following aspects: the labour market and the social integration of disadvantaged risk-groups by improving their employment opportunities and productivity, the economic viability of social enterprises and the integration and reinforcement of their role in the general economic landscape, the promotion of equal opportunities while maintaining the strategy advocated by the European Union in terms of gender mainstreaming.