11 February 2022
In the framework of the 8th edition of its CSR Label, SGI Europe will hold the Awarding Ceremony of this edition on 23 February 2022, from 09.00 – 17.00, with the support of SGI France and Électricité de France.
SGI Europe will welcome, amongst others, Mr Pierre-André Imbert, Deputy Secretary General of the Presidency of the French Republic, who will provide a keynote speech.
The 8th edition of the CSR Label will highlight in particular the enormous contributions SGIs have been making since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis to support the citizens, businesses, and territories they serve, showing their responsible behaviour, and their involvement in the recovery actions for building a more resilient society.
In the context of the key role the sustainable finance plays in achieving the objectives of the EU Green Deal, the first part of the Awarding Ceremony (morning) is dedicated to a special learning event about the ‘EU Taxonomy Regulation’ which comes as a first step in creating a new learning framework for SGI providers.
The workshop will have as special guests Mr Nathan Fabian, Chair of the Platform on sustainable finance, Ms Helena Vines Fiestas, Chair of the Subgroup 5 of the Platform, and Ms Antje Schneeweiß, chair of the Subgroup 4 of the Platform.
You can find the agenda of the ceremony here and register through the following link.
Contact: Stefan Enica
On Thursday 10 February, the social partners met with European Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis for an informal exchange focusing on the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plans (RRF) and the review of the EU economic governance.
In preparation of a particularly intense year of negotiations and work between the EU institutions, Members States, social partners, and stakeholders on ensuring a robust and lasting post-pandemic recovery, the meeting was a very timely opportunity to take stock of the state of play of the RRF but also to reflect on the remaining challenges and the necessary future improvements.
In the context of the Commission’s winter forecasts pointing to a slowing economic recovery across Europe in 2022, with energy prices, inflation and supply chain bottlenecks dragging down growth and potentially eroding businesses confidence, it is of paramount importance that all tools and initiatives are oriented towards ensuring a sustained and lasting post-pandemic recovery in line with the key priorities of the EU.
To that objective, and in order to build the EU strategic autonomy and drive a successful twin transition ensuring a socially fair and sustainable growth model, SGI Europe highlighted the need to reform and adapt the existing fiscal rules to the new post-pandemic reality.
Contact: Antonio Astolfi
Today, 11 February, SGI Europe responded to the Public Consultation on the State aid for Broadband networks, one of the most important sectoral state aid Guidelines within the EU state aid rules. In the context of the revision of rather “old” Broadband Guidelines from 2013, the Commission was consulting stakeholders from 19 November to 11 February.
SGI Europe response to the Draft Guidelines is taking into account the perspectives of our members as broadband operators as well as providers of other services of general interest, such as utilities that have to make their infrastructure available to the operators of public communications networks.
Our concerns can be summarised as calling for more ambitious and efficient support when it comes to allocation of state aid by prioritising promotion of the expansion of fibre-optic networks. Furthermore, SGI Europe calls for more coherency between the Broadband Cost Reduction Directive (which is also in the process of a revision) and the State aid Guidelines, in particular regarding the definitions, for longer consultation periods, burdensome methodology of mapping the broadband supply (in particular reporting obligations). SGI Europe particularly welcomes the Commission's clarification regarding the contribution of private investments by aid recipients and access demanders for the development of adjacent areas and the introduction of State aid for demand-side, such as social and connectivity vouchers.
You can read our full response here.
Contact: Manca Pocivavsek
On 9 February 2022, the European Commission’s DG Competition (DG COMP) organised a hearing with SGI Europe and the EU social partners to discuss the draft guidelines on collective bargaining for solo self-employed.
During the meeting, representatives from the European Commission presented the perspective on the situation for solo-self-employed. In their views, the rise of the platform economy meant greater flexibility but led to difficult working conditions for some self-employed. Whilst collective agreements of self-employed persons are an important tool to improve working conditions, there is a risk of infringement of Article 101 TFEU. Those guidelines aimed at addressing this legal uncertainty and clarifying when collective agreements on working conditions by solo self-employed fall in or outside the scope of Article 101 TFEU.
SGI Europe took an active role during the hearing, supporting the objective to provide clarity on the interplay between collective representation of solo self-employed and competition policy. However, the use of the terminology ‘collective agreement’ and ‘collective bargaining’ in the draft guidelines in relation to solo self-employed does not adequately respect national and social partner competences on collective bargaining.
We support that the guidelines are restricted to working conditions but are concerned about the possibility provided by the guidelines to exempt from competition policy joint agreements on fee-setting of solo self-employed with other undertakings. SGI Europe also raised the question on the consistency with the proposed directive on working conditions of platform workers.
A public consultation on those draft guidelines is open until 24 February 2022. The Commission will then assess the inputs of stakeholders, with the aim to publish the guidelines in the second quarter of 2022.
Contact: Guillaume Afellat
The EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) was launched in 2005 with the aim of capping emissions through a 'cap and trade' principle. The Proposal for the revision of the EU ETS and its annexes have been presented by the European Commission to the European Parliament on 14 July 2021 as part of the Fit-for-55 Package.
The Rapporteur, MEP Pieter Liese (DE/EPP), from the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) presented his draft report on 24 January 2021. It includes several amendments to bring municipal waste incineration installations to be temporarily covered by the EU ETS.
SGI Europe considers this as counterproductive in achieving the EU's climate goals and rejects the inclusion of municipal waste and its thermal treatment in the EU ETS. Yet, SGI Europe agrees that waste incineration avoids the practice of landfilling, which is extremely damaging to the environment, and prevents waste export to third countries with very low environmental standards.
In accordance with the waste hierarchy, strict regulation or an EU-wide landfill ban would have to start at the lowest level – waste disposal – before a possible pricing of thermal waste treatment could be discussed. Since this is not yet foreseeable, pricing within the framework of the ETS would be counterproductive.
SGI Europe will propose its amendments to law-makers ahead of the deadline set on 16 February.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
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