Mr Apostolos IOAKIMIDIS is a lawyer who has worked for the last ten years in the European Commission, as a policy officer for the promotion of a favourable legal and administrative environment for cooperatives, mutual insurers, associations and foundations. He is the author of various texts such as the Regulation for a European Cooperative Society, the drafts for the European Mutual and the European Association and of various policy texts promoting social enterprises. He also participated in a large number of working groups and conferences prioritising the activities of social enterprises. He started working in the Commission on the accession of Greece to the EU. He served as a civil servant in various positions including in the Competition DG (application of anti-trust rules to inland and maritime transport services, inter-Community dumping cases), the Company Law Unit (directive on mergers of companies limited by shares (plcs), the Statute for a European Company plc, and the rights of employees to participate in the decision-making process of their company, the Labour Law Unit (promotion of employees’ financial participation through profit sharing, share ownership, stock-options etc.), the ex-DG Enterprise Unit examining draft decisions on State Aid and the Internal Market department dealing with simplifying the regulatory and policy environment for SMEs, the transfer of businesses, the problems of family enterprises, the issue of swift licenses for SMEs etc.