In a context where the quality and cost of essential services have a tremendous impact on the overall prosperity and inequality levels across the European Union (EU), SGI Europe and its members have long called for trustworthy and accessible data and indicators to monitor progress on access to quality essential services.
With this in mind, SGI Europe, together with its partners UFE, USH and BDEW, led the two-years project Accessible Climate-Conscious Essential Services (A.C.C.E.S.), funded by the European Commission under the SOCPL strand. The project aimed to strengthen SGI Europe members’ capacity to engage in national social dialogue and contribute to policy development at both national and EU level by generating new research and evidence on the accessibility, affordability, and climate resilience of key essential services. Specific focus was placed on the water, energy, and housing sectors, and on integrating climate action as a core parameter of access to services in the context of the twin transition.
The COVID-19 pandemic clearly highlighted the shortcomings of the current indicators to measure the needs of both end users and providers of essential services, as well as the growth, prosperity, and wealth of our societies. Data available are inconsistent and incomparable because the definitions and measurements criteria of essential services vary across Member States, and dedicated research aiming at collecting information and inputs on certain aspects of existing and planned measures to improve access to essential services is lacking. The emergence of new social and economic trends (as, for example, the just transition objective, high energy prices and the inflation context to mention a few) adds up in causing a widespread lack of coherence and efficiency of support measures for facilitating access to essential services.
In this context, SGIs have shown their indispensable role as stabilisers of the European socio-economic model. Yet, fulfilling the ambitions of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) and, especially, Principle 20 on access to essential services, requires a renewed, structured approach to assessing service gaps, enabling long-term investment, and integrating the climate and social dimensions of service provision.
The A.C.C.E.S. project sought to develop a new approach to evaluating access to essential services by producing a report that maps existing indicators and data gaps, while also identifying practical barriers to implementation on the ground. The focus was placed on cross-sectoral issues (e.g. affordability, infrastructure resilience, security risks) and on developing qualitative insights through:
The A.C.C.E.S. project served as a platform to strengthen SGI Europe’s longstanding political message: services of general interest are strategic assets for Europe’s green and social transitions. Throughout the project, SGI Europe reaffirmed that access to high-quality and affordable services is not only a fundamental right but also a prerequisite for achieving EU climate and cohesion goals.
At the project’s final conference, SGI Europe formally called on the European Commission to adopt a dedicated Action Plan on Services of General Interest, fully embedded in the forthcoming Action Plan on the EPSR. This would:
The project results will contribute, among other initiatives, to the forthcoming Action Plan on the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Affordable Housing Initiative and the first EU Anti-Poverty Strategy expected in 2025 and to broader EU efforts to coordinate adaptation planning, social investment, and green skills development.
SGI Europe and its members remain committed to working with EU institutions, social partners, and local providers to deliver affordable, resilient, and inclusive essential services across Europe.