13 May 2022
Decarbonising urban and peri-urban mobility is essential to achieving the EU's climate neutrality in 2050, with the relationship between transport and energy even more crucial than ever.
With SGI Europe members at the core of this interconnection between energy and transport, the event will gather key stakeholders, enabling the transition towards zero-emission mobility from energy suppliers to public transport providers.
As an opportunity to share practices from across the EU, this event will also offer SGIs a platform to engage with EU decision-makers and key stakeholders on how to achieve the zero-emission objective. MEP Ismail Ertug (DE/S&D), lead rapporteur on the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) at the European Parliament, will join us as keynote speaker on this occasion.
To participate in SGI Europe's in-person event, please fill in the registration form as soon as possible to secure your participation.
Contact: Ariel Carpanini
On Friday 13 May 2022, SGI Europe submitted its response to the European Commission's public consultation on Data Act.
In our position, SGI Europe acknowledges that the proposal aims to create fairness in the data economy by increasing access and further use of data. More public and private actors could benefit from Big Data and machine learning techniques. As it stands now, the conditions of access and further usage in B2B relationships are often regulated by private contracts, concluded between parties with often uneven negotiation stances. Furthermore, the proposal also improves access to private sector data for the public sector in case of emergencies and other exceptional situations and the interoperability between the sectors.
SGI Europe generally welcomes the Commission's proposal on the Data Act and the challenges raised by the proposed regulation, which will stimulate the development of a market for data from competitive connected objects and innovation. SGI Europe's main suggestion for improvement is to prevent further legal uncertainty, calling for better clarifying some very broad definitions, such as "products," "related services," "connected objects," "data," public emergency", and "exceptional need". You can read our complete response here.
Contact: Manca Pocivavsek
On Europe Day (9 May), the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) held its closing ceremony in Strasbourg and with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Emmanuel Macron representing the Council Presidency.
The three leaders received the final report, outlining the main outcomes, from the Co-Chairs of the Conference. The report wraps up 49 proposals, including objectives and more than 320 measures for the EU institutions to follow up. The three Presidents commented positively on the outcome of the CoFoE by indicating that this participatory democratic exercise should function as a starting point to chart the future of the Union around the citizens' priorities.
On 4 May, the European Parliament also passed with a wide majority a resolution welcoming and endorsing the conclusions of the CoFoE, acknowledging that the proposals would require Treaty change and asking the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) to work on specific proposals oriented toward reforming the EU Treaties.
The three EU institutions will now examine how to follow up effectively on these proposals, each within their spheres of competence and following the Treaties. A feedback event will take place to update citizens in autumn 2022. You can find here a dedicated Newsflash wrapping up SGI Europe activities in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe.
Contact: Antonio Astolfi
On 12 May 2022, the European Commission organised a dedicated hearing on access to essential services ahead of the expected publication of the first EU "Report on access to essential services" by the end of the year.
The report will build upon principle 20 of the European Pillar of Social Rights, which provides that everyone has the right to access essential services of good quality and that support for access shall be available for those in need. The principle also includes a list of these essential services, including water, sanitation, energy, transport, financial services, and digital communications.
The report will aim to bring together all available evidence and information on access to essential services in a comprehensive and structured way while pointing to existing knowledge gaps to inform future work. It will present the state of play for each of the six essential services listed in principle 20 of the European Pillar of Social Rights, providing available quantitative and qualitative information on the main barriers and describing national and local measures supporting access.
In line with the approach indicated in the European Pillar of Social Rights, the focus will be on the access and support for people in need and at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
SGI Europe welcomes this initiative of the European Commission, emphasising the conditions necessary to deliver quality, affordable and accessible services, particularly education, training, and funding. SGI Europe looks forward to further providing evidence and suggestions to the European Commission ahead of this publication, considering its potential to renew the understanding at the EU level of the crucial role of SGIs in securing social and territorial cohesion.
Contact: Guillaume Afellat
On 17-18 May, Employment and Labour Ministers of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) will gather in Marrakech for the 5th Union for the Mediterranean Ministerial Meeting on Employment and Labour.
The two-day event will include the policy conference "Employment and employability of the most vulnerable, especially among youth and women", presenting the ambition behind the UfM Youth Strategy, focusing on women's employability and the lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The discussions will shape the agenda for employment policy based on job creation, social dialogue, inclusive labour markets and mobilisation of actors and stakeholders in the Mediterranean region.
Together with the EU social partners (ETUC, BusinessEurope, SMEunited), SGI Europe will participate in those meetings, highlighting the involvement of social partners in improving the employment condition, legal migration framework and building solid relations with EU partner countries.
Contact: Stefan Enica
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