13 May 2026
On Tuesday 12 May, Employers of Poland (SGI Europe’s Polish section) co-hosted an event together with Renew MEP Michał Kobosko on “Fewer barriers, more Europe: simplifying regulation as a condition for EU competitiveness”, with representatives from the European Commission, the European Parliament, the EESC, national authorities, and enterprises.
During the event, Employers of Poland presented the Polish initiative “SprawdzaMY”, which aims to gather proposals from entrepreneurs and citizens on simplification and necessary regulatory reforms, following a bottom-up approach.
Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, opened the discussion, presenting the “simple by design” approach that the Commission will follow in upcoming initiatives to ensure rules are implementable in practice. He also committed to continuing to engage with businesses and enterprises through implementation dialogues and reality checks to gather input on issues faced on the ground.
SGI Europe was represented by its General Secretary, Valeria Ronzitti, who emphasised that simplification is a concrete operational issue: rules that cannot be implemented efficiently do not strengthen Europe’s competitiveness. In the case of services of general interest, simplification is also about remaining competitive in the territories where they are needed. This is why simplification is connected to resilience, territorial cohesion and the Freedom to Stay.
Joanna Makowiecka-Gatza, President of Employers of Poland and SGI Europe Vice-President, emphasised that legislation needs to be tailored to the realities of economic activity. In that sense, simplification and better law-making are essential to make the EU more attractive.
Finally, co-host MEP Kobosko advocated for better dialogue with those directly affected by regulation and explained the difficulties arising from gold-plating in Member States, calling for a 1-to-1 implementation.
Contact: Raquel Carro-Andollo
On 12 May 2026, the European Commission launched the European Housing Alliance, presented as the EU’s first platform dedicated to strengthening cooperation, mutual learning and the exchange of best practices on housing across the Union. The initiative is part of the European Affordable Housing Plan and aims to support its implementation on the ground by bringing together Member States, regions, cities, EU institutions and housing stakeholders.
The Alliance is designed as an open platform to unite actors involved in addressing Europe’s housing challenges. It will support coordination across levels of governance, while recognising that housing competences primarily lie with Member States, regions and local authorities. Its work will focus on sharing expertise, identifying practical solutions and amplifying local, regional and national efforts, rather than duplicating existing structures.
The Commission identifies four key principles for the Alliance: subsidiarity and multi-level governance; openness and inclusive participation; flexibility and a focus on substance; and the connection between political and expert-level cooperation. Regular informal discussions will take place throughout the year, alongside at least one annual event to review progress. An EU-wide mutual learning programme involving Member States, cities, industry and NGOs is also expected to start in 2027.
In parallel, the Commission is developing the Pan-European Housing Investment Platform, which will aim to improve the coordination and effectiveness of existing EU, national and local financing instruments.
Stakeholders can register their interest in joining the Alliance, which will remain open to organisations working on housing-related issues. An information meeting to shape the Alliance is scheduled for 19 June 2026.
SGI Europe welcomes the launch of the Alliance as a useful step to support more coordinated EU action on housing, while respecting the diversity of national and local housing models and the role of services of general interest in ensuring access to affordable, sustainable and decent housing.
Contact: Maxime Staelens
On 7 May, the European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement on a proposal to streamline certain rules on artificial intelligence (AI), as part of the Digital Omnibus package presented in November 2025.
The agreement extends the deadline for applying the rules on high-risk AI systems until the European Commission determines that the necessary standards and tools are available. According to the new timeline, rules related to stand-alone high-risk AI systems will apply from 2 December 2027, while those for high-risk AI systems embedded in products will apply from 2 August 2028. Providers will also have to register AI systems in an EU-wide database for high-risk systems, even if they consider that their systems are exempted from classification as high-risk.
In addition, the establishment of AI regulatory sandboxes by authorities at the national level has also been delayed until 2 August 2027.
The agreement also prohibits all AI practices involving the generation of non-consensual sexual and intimate content or child sexual abuse material.
Regarding sectoral rules on industrial AI, the agreed text introduces a mechanism to resolve situations in which sectoral law includes similar AI-specific requirements to those embedded in the AI Act. In those cases, the application of the AI Act will be limited through implementing acts.
Finally, certain privileges and simplified rules that apply to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), will now also be extended to small mid-cap companies.
The provisional agreement must now be endorsed by both the Council and the European Parliament before its final adoption and publication.
Contact: Raquel Carro-Andollo
On Wednesday 6 May, MEPs on the European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL) endorsed the provisional agreement reached with the EU Council on updated rules for the coordination of social security systems. The vote marks an important step towards the formal adoption of one of the EU’s most significant labour mobility files of recent years.
The revision of Regulations 883/2004 and 987/2009 aims to modernise and clarify the EU framework governing the coordination of national social security systems for citizens moving, living or working across borders within the Union. The updated rules seek to improve legal certainty, strengthen fair labour mobility and facilitate the practical exercise of free movement rights for both workers and employers.
The compromise text focuses on several key areas, including unemployment benefits, long-term care benefits, family benefits, access to social protection for economically inactive persons, and the determination of applicable legislation for posted workers and persons working in two or more Member States. Among the main changes, jobseekers moving to another EU country will be able to transfer their unemployment benefits for up to 6 months, while additional guidance is introduced to clarify which national legislation applies in cross-border employment situations.
The agreement also introduces prior-notification requirements for posting situations while maintaining specific exemptions for short-term activities. In the construction sector, however, prior notification obligations will continue to apply even for short-term postings.
European social partners, including SGI Europe, BusinessEurope, SMEunited and ETUC, jointly called on the Council and the European Parliament to endorse the provisional agreement, underlining that the deal would provide “much-needed clarity and a simplified approach for workers and employers exercising freedom of movement in compliance with social security coordination rules.”
The provisional agreement still requires formal endorsement by the European Parliament plenary and final adoption by both co-legislators following legal-linguistic revision. Once adopted, the revised framework is expected to contribute to a more coherent and enforceable system of social security coordination across the EU, while supporting both labour mobility and fair competition within the internal market.
Contact: Guillaume Afellat
Amid a renewed energy crisis and heightened global geopolitical instability, the EU LIFE programme 2026 Calls for proposals were launched by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) at the end of April 2026.
With a budget of €601.5 million, the EU's funding instrument for the environment and climate action aims to support EU measures to increase competitiveness, close the innovation gap, and decarbonise the economy. Aligned with the priority topics for 2026, LIFE projects are at the heart of the EU's ambition to restore nature and biodiversity, advance the circular economy and zero pollution, and accelerate the deployment of green and clean technologies. They also improve resource efficiency, bolster the resilience of energy systems through energy efficiency and homegrown clean energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen supply chains. LIFE projects create tangible, scalable solutions that drive innovation, enhance resilience and create new markets.
This call may be particularly relevant for SGI Europe members active in sectors such as energy, water, waste management, housing, transport and local and regional services, where the green transition requires both investment and practical implementation capacity. SGI Europe encourages interested members to explore the 2026 LIFE calls and assess opportunities to develop projects that support climate resilience, resource efficiency, decarbonization, and the deployment of clean technologies in the service of general interest.
The deadline to submit project proposals is September 2026, and all information about the call is available here.
Contact: Cecilia Martin
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