An essential foundation.
The Cooperative belongs to its Members. Not its Board of Directors.
It is essential to recall a fundamental principle that is too often forgotten: a cooperative is a community of people, not an entity led by an elite. The Board of Directors is not the owner of the cooperative; it serves the members. Its power is a temporary delegation, subject to a mandate of trust and accountability. We exist to ensure that this hierarchy is respected, both in law and in practice.
Our Mission: Restoring Trust, Defending Rights
The cooperative model holds immense potential: that of a democratic, participatory, and human-centered economy. But when governance becomes opaque, this ideal is betrayed. Decisions are made in restricted circles, balance sheets become indecipherable, and the members, who should be at the heart of the project, are silenced or treated with condescension.
This imbalance of power is not merely an administrative deviation; it is a betrayal of the founding principles of the cooperative movement.
The OETC is the structured response to this betrayal.
We are not simply an aid association; we are a European observatory, a legal entity designed to act as a counter-power.
Our mission is to provide members with the legal and informational shield they lack, to restore balance, and to ensure that management is held accountable. We exist to transform individual feelings of powerlessness into a collective, organized force.
Independence
We answer to no political or economic entity. Our sole loyalty is to the members and to cooperative principles. This total independence is your best guarantee and their greatest source of unease.
Our Core Values
Rigor and Expertise
Our analyses are not based on opinions, but on facts, figures, and a rigorous interpretation of statutes and laws. Each case is handled with technical expertise that makes our conclusions difficult to challenge. We counter arbitrariness with precision.
Radical Transparency
We demand of others the same transparency we demand of ourselves. Our statutes, reports, and methodologies are public. We use light as a tool, because nothing disciplines power more effectively than the obligation to hide nothing.
European Action
Your problem is no longer a local matter. By contacting the OETC, you place it on the European radar. Our French legal status and transnational vision allow us to act with a broader perspective, using legal instruments that transcend national borders.
Unyielding Defense
We do not seek compromise at any price. When a right is violated, our goal is not to negotiate a watered-down solution, but to ensure it is fully enforced. Our approach is firm, resolute, and does not shy away from legitimate conflict.
Justice and Fairness
Beyond strict legality, we fight for what is right. An act can be legal yet profoundly unfair. Our scope of action covers not only compliance with the law but also the defense of fair and dignified treatment for every member.
