16 May 2025
SGI Europe is pleased to invite you to the final high-level conference of the Accessible Climate Conscious Essential Services (A.C.C.E.S.) project, taking place on the morning of Wednesday 25 June 2025, at the European Economic and Social Committee, in Brussels.
Together with project partners and key stakeholders, this conference marks a key milestone in our collective work to support the implementation of Principle 20 of the European Pillar of Social Rights – access to essential services of good quality for all.
Highlights include
Please save the date and join us in shaping the future of the European Pillar of Social Rights!
Contact: Cecilia Martin
On 13 May 2025, the European Parliament’s Intergroup on the Social Economy and Services of General Interest hosted a high-level event on revising public procurement directives.
The event brought together over a hundred participants at the European Parliament to examine how the forthcoming revision of EU public procurement directives can ensure high-quality services of general interest (SGIs) for citizens across Europe. It also had a strong focus on how it can support the objectives of the social economy, which is the priority of the co-organiser of the event, Social Economy Europe. All speakers reaffirmed the essential role of public procurement in building a more resilient and competitive European economy. They also underscored the need for an enabling legislative framework that empowers SGIs, while ensuring the responsible and effective use of public funds.
In the keynote address, Roxana Minzatu, EVP for Social Rights and Skills, stressed the importance of public procurement as a key element of the EU economy and one of its strengths. National policy insights from Yolanda Diaz Perez, Second Vice-President of the Government of Spain and Minister for Work and Social Economy and Véronique Louwagie, French Minister Delegate for Trade and the Social and Solidarity Economy followed this.
During the roundtable discussion, SGIs and social economy representatives shared the stage with MEP Ignazio Marino and MEP Irene Tignali, about the conditions to play a positive role for the development of the EU Single Market, as opposed to an obstacle to its development because of its current complexity.
Pascal Bolo, SGI Europe President, together with MEP Camilla Laureti, concluded the event by making the case for a simpler and more enabling procurement.
Contact: Benoit Cassorla
On 13 May, the SGI Europe Sustainability Board held its second meeting of the year in Brussels, chaired by Alain Taccoen, with guest speaker Martin Spolc, Head of Unit for EU Climate Adaptation at DG CLIMA.
Mr. Spolc underlined that the upcoming EU Climate Adaptation Strategy, expected in Q3 2026, marks a critical moment for shaping Europe’s preparedness. "The current trajectory shows worsening environmental and climate conditions," he warned, pointing to risks of a 2°C global rise potentially translating to a 4°C increase in Europe.
He called for deeper engagement with service providers of general interest (SGIs) at the European level, stressing the importance of learning who SGIs are and establishing lasting connections to inform the strategy. The Commission seeks cross-sectoral coherence, integrating mitigation and adaptation measures that serve people and businesses. Key areas include governance, technical assistance for businesses, sustainable finance tools and identifying barriers to climate preparedness.
SGI Europe welcomed the Commission’s focus, emphasising that resilience must be built into all sectors, from water and waste to buildings, to prevent pollution and enable adaptation. The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme in the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive was highlighted as a clear example of preventive action supporting resilience.
The Commission’s “Preparedness by Design” concept was discussed as a cornerstone for structuring the upcoming strategy, along with better regulatory coherence, cross-border planning for climate risks, and improved access to finance.
As Europe faces increasing climate pressures, SGI Europe remains committed to shaping inclusive, future-proof policies with the Commission.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
On Wednesday 14 May 2025, SGI Europe, together with some of its members, addressed the targeted stakeholder consultation of the European Commission on the revision of the public procurement directives, dedicated to utilities, concessions, and energy stakeholders. The consultation provided another opportunity to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the current public procurement directives and their implementation, as well as possible areas for improvement of the public procurement legal framework.
Building upon the key messages identified in SGI Europe’s response to the public consultation, as well as the discussions held during the meeting of the Internal Market Board on 13 May, SGI Europe General Secretary Valeria Ronzitti emphasised a clear need to ensure that public procurement is an economic activity rather than a judicial exercise through the simplification of the legal framework for public procurement, as well as ensuring a level playing field for all companies (especially when it comes to downstream procurement). SGI Europe also highlighted that while strategic procurement can be encouraged, it should not be done through a one-size-fits-all approach, with public authorities and Member States having the freedom to select bids based either on price and/or the use of strategic criteria.
Those key messages were backed up by concrete examples from SGI Europe’s members, highlighting the articulation between key policy requests and concrete examples. SGI Europe will further engage with the European Commission in this evaluation phase of the public procurement directives, which should conclude in the second half of 2025.
Contact: Maxime Staelens
On 29 April 2025, the European Commission held a consultation with EU-level social partners to gather input on the forthcoming EU Anti-Racism and LGBTIQ Equality Strategy. These strategies, expected to be adopted in the final quarter of 2025, aim to build on the progress made under the respective 2020–2025 frameworks and address issues such as persistent discrimination, structural inequality, and rising hate speech across the EU.
The new Anti-Racism Strategy will prioritise the fight against structural racism, improve access to equal rights, and promote intersectional approaches across sectors including education, employment, and housing. Similarly, the upcoming LGBTIQ Strategy will tackle hate-motivated violence, empower LGBTIQ people, and mainstream equality in EU policymaking and funding.
SGI Europe welcomed the Commission’s efforts and emphasised the need for a holistic, lifelong approach to inclusion. We underline the connection between equality, labour market inclusion, and skills and labour shortages in the EU. SGI Europe also highlighted the potential of EU financial instruments to support capacity building, education, and training and urged the EU to lead globally in defending fundamental rights.
Contact: Astrid Nordberg
Together with HOSPEEM and HEAG Holding AG, SGI Europe invites you to the final conference of the EU-funded project Finance for the European Pillar of Social Rights (Finance4EPSR). Following the input collected during the past project activities in which representatives of healthcare and hospitals, energy, water, transport, and housing sectors explored sustainable financing and social taxonomy, this event will showcase the project's outcomes and explore how sustainable finance can support the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Antje Schneeweiß, former Rapporteur of the Social Taxonomy and organiser of the Social Investment Framework, will address the conference.
The event will take place on Wednesday 11 June, in Brussels and online. The registrations are now open, and you can already register here!
Contact: Cecilia Martin
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