SGI Europe meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission

On Monday 27 March, SGI Europe President Pascal Bolo and General Secretary Valeria Ronzitti met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

During this meeting, SGI Europe addressed the recent proposals of the European Commission to boost the competitiveness of the EU, including the Green Deal Industrial Plan and the Net-Zero Industry Act. O Commenting on the proposals, President Bolo and General Secretary Ronzitti recalled that services of general interest are instrumental in the EU social market economy and key to EU competitiveness. Therefore, they must be at the heart of the EU market economy and its social model. SGI Europe calls for the Green Deal Industrial Plan, the Net-Zero Industry Act, the Critical Raw Materials Act and the upcoming proposal for a Competitiveness Check to reflect this reality.

Discussing the longer-term prospects, SGI Europe highlighted that the upcoming proposal for an EU Sovereignty Fund must be an opportunity to further reinforce EU cooperation on key sectors, identify and optimise the EU added value, and improve the contribution of SGIs to a thriving industrial policy. The Sovereignty Fund could also pave the way to, in the very long run, a discussion on EU Public Goods, which could become a perennial instrument to give the EU the means of its ambitions.