12 December 2025
On Wednesday 10 December 2025, SGI Europe General Assembly elected Mr Ingbert Liebing as President of the association. Currently CEO of VKU (Verband kommunaler Unternehmen e. V.) and chairman of bvöd (Bundesverband Öffentliche Dienstleistungen, German section of SGI Europe), Mr Liebing succeeds Mr Pascal Bolo, who has led the organisation since 2020.
Following his election, Mr Liebing commented: “Taking on this role is an honour, and I am deeply grateful for the trust placed in me. SGI Europe has long stood for dialogue, partnership and a shared commitment to shaping practical solutions that work for people and territories. I look forward to building on this strong spirit of cooperation. Together, we will continue strengthening the capacity of services of general interest to support Europe’s transitions, while ensuring that the EU agenda promotes clarity, effectiveness and smart simplification that helps providers deliver high-quality SGIs across the Union.”
In SGI Europe's renewed Presidential Team, Mr Liebing will work with Vice-Presidents Joanna Makowiecka-Gatza (PL), Philippe Laurent (FR), and Yuri Santagostino (IT) for the new three-year term. Stefan Chaykov (BG) was also co-opted as Vice-President for one year.
Contact: Maxime Staelens
On 10 December 2025, SGI Europe and MEP Camilla Laureti organised a meeting of the Intergroup at the European Parliament in Brussels - a first milestone in SGI Europe’s strategy to build an alliance of stakeholders committed to making the Freedom to Stay a cornerstone of the Single Market.
The event featured Kata Tüttő, President of the European Committee of the Regions, Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms, Enrico Letta, author of the “Much more than a market” report, as well as MEPs Cristina Guarda and Elena Nevado del Campo and members of the new Presidential Team of SGI Europe including Ingbert Liebing, President. They all took this opportunity to recognize SGIs as cornerstones of the EU social, economic and territorial cohesion and its competitiveness.
Across keynote speeches and panel discussions, speakers emphasised three main messages. First, the future EU cohesion policy must remain ambitious and place SGIs at its core. SGis are not ancillary tools but structural pillars of a resilient, competitive, and cohesive Union. Second, SGIs should be seen as a long-term investment beneficial for regional development and citizens’ quality of life. Third, the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework should turn into reality the concept of Freedom to Stay by ensuring strategic and long-term funding SGIs.
The first milestone has been set. SGI Europe, together with its partners from the SGI network and MEPs supporting the Intergroup on Social Economy and Services of General Interest, will build on this momentum to make sure SGIs are at the core of the future of the Cohesion Policy and the MFF, turning the Freedom to Stay from a concept to a concrete reality.
Contact: Benoît Cassorla
On Tuesday 9 December 2025, Employers of Poland, SGI Europe Polish member, organised, together with the support of the EPP Group at the EU Parliament, an event hosted by MEP Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz, on “The competitiveness of Europe: Challenges and opportunities – How simplification can support the EU economic development?” at the European Parliament. Valeria Ronzitti, SGI Europe General Secretary, also highlighted the idea that simplification and implementation need to go hand in hand.
MEP Kamila Gasiuk Pihowicz opened the discussion with a point on the role of simplification in the future of EU competitiveness. Joanna Makowiecka-Gatza, President of Employers of Poland, followed with introducing the example of the simplification measures Poland put in place and how this successful attempt should inspire the EU. Mr Bartlomiej Banaszak, Director of EU affairs at the Polish Ministry of Development and Technology, echoed President Malowiecka-Gatza's speech by making the case for how the Polish government has taken steps towards simplification and administrative burden reduction.
The EU Commission representatives, from EC General Secretariat, DG Connect, DG CLIMA and DG GROW) took the floor to explain the extent to which all the EU Commission DGs are involved in the EU-level simplification agenda. They all stressed the importance of these initiatives, omnibuses, and further initiatives to come in strengthening the Union's competitiveness.
The last part of the session was dedicated to business representatives from Poland, Romania and Italy. A2A, one of the SGI Europe Italian section members, participated in the discussion and exchanged views with its counterparts.
Contact: Benoît Cassorla
On Monday, 8th December, SGI Europe held an information stand at the first Water Resilience Forum, organised by the European Economic and Social Committee and the European Committee of the Regions. The all-day event marked the start of further cooperation to implement the Water Resilience Strategy.
Personal greetings were received from Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Veronica Manfredi, Deputy Director for Zero Pollution, and Pernille Weiss-Ehler, Cabinet Member responsible for water resilience. The High-Level opening session featured remarks from Commissioner Jessika Roswall, Teresa Ribera (Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition), Kata Tüttő (President of the Committee of the Regions), and Séamus Boland (President of the European Economic and Social Committee).
President Kata Tüttő stressed the vital role water plays in society and the economy, highlighting the need for better protection and more efficient use across heavy water users such as agriculture and industry.
The Water Resilience Strategy will be underpinned by two major platforms set to launch in Q1 2026. The Water Resilience Academy aims to upskill and reskill workers for new technological challenges and ensure essential service operations continue. The Water Smart Industry Alliance will allow heavy industries to address challenges and implement best practices.
However, the forum addressed a significant controversy. MEP Thomas Bajada heavily criticised the European Commission’s recent plan to revise the Water Framework Directive (WFD) under the RESourceEU action plan, viewing it as a move to eliminate environmental barriers for industries and ease critical raw material extraction. SGI Europe echoed this concern, stating its firm opposition and calling upon the Commission to fully compensate for any impact such extraction may have on Europe's water bodies. SGI Europe warns that simplification measures could lead to long-term damage to the water sector.
Overall, the event was a significant success, allowing SGI Europe members to connect, form new alliances, and ensure the implementation of crucial water legislation and that future platforms for exchange are appropriately addressed.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
On Wednesday 10 December, the European Commission, led by Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera and Commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis and Jessika Roswall, adopted the first Omnibus on Environment simplification package, aiming to streamline environmental laws in industrial emissions, circular economy, assessments, and geospatial data. This is the first of several planned simplification packages.
SGI Europe broadly welcomes the intent to cut administrative burden for Services of General Interest to accelerate the net-zero transition, enhance public mobility, meet climate targets, and boost the circular economy. We welcome a faster Digital Passport for products (due Q3 2026) and the creation of a one-stop-shop platform for cross-border circular activities, provided local and regional specificities are respected and the water quality is safeguarded by ensuring that the list of chemicals will not be watered down. SGI Europe also supports the view that the simplification package addresses elements related to the rollout of the EU Grid Package, which is a crucial enabler of a rapid energy transition.
However, SGI Europe identifies critical counter-elements that threaten to slow the pace of sustainable practice. The European Commission's approach to simplify the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme by requiring producers to report at most once per year is highly concerning. This undermines public waste management systems, creates a transparency deficit, and weakens the foundational "polluter pays" principle, potentially shifting costs back to local taxpayers.
Furthermore, SGI Europe is deeply concerned about the call for revision of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) under the ResourceEU Action Plan, particularly the goal of extracting critical materials. We stress that the introduction of new exemptions and streamlined reporting obligations poses a severe risk to sustainable water management across Europe. The WFD is the minimum necessary safeguard for water quality.
SGI Europe will closely monitor these developments to safeguard essential SGIs and environmental standards.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
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