15 September 2023
On Wednesday 13 September 2023, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, presented the 2023 State of the European Union address (SOTEU) at the plenary session of the European Parliament. In her one-hour-long speech, Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the main achievements of the European Commission since 2019 and outlined the flagship initiatives planned until the European elections of June 2024.
President von der Leyen also presented a letter of intent to Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, and Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain currently holding the Presidency of the Council. In it, the President of the European Commission details the actions intended to take the following year through legislation and other initiatives.
In both the SOTEU and the letter of intent, President von der Leyen strongly focused on social and economic issues, particularly the need to strengthen further the competitiveness of the EU economy and the Single Market, and the EU Green Deal. A key element for SGI Europe is the announcement of a dedicated Summit with social partners to be organised with the Belgian Presidency of the Council in the first semester of 2024 at Val Duchesse, as well as the launch of a series of Clean Transition Dialogues with industry and the mandate to be given to Mario Draghi (former President of the ECB) to prepare a report on the future of European competitiveness. You can find here SGI Europe’s comments on the SOTEU.
The ambition of the European Commission for the end of the mandate will be further expanded with the Commission Work Programme, expected to be presented in mid-October.
Contact: Maxime Staelens
On 11 September 2023, the European Commission presented its Summer 2023 Economic Forecast report. Less than a year before the end of von der Leyen's college mandate, the report showed a reduced growth momentum, declining inflation and a robust labour market.
The Summer Forecast revises growth in the EU economy down to 0,8% in 2023, from 1% projected in the Spring Forecast. It also revises growth expectations within the Euro area, down from 1,1% to 0,8% in 2023 and from 1,6% to 1,3% in 2024. Even if the growth rate is a bit lower than previously announced, both the EU and the euro area are expected to enter in a recession as feared in 2022. The most recent forecast shows a lower inflation rate: it is now projected to reach 6,5% in 2023 and 3,2% in 2024 in the EU. The EU area is doing even better, projecting inflation to be 5,6% in 2023 and 2,9% in 2024.
The outlook shows the resilience of the EU economy, facing several shocks, such as the post-Covid situation, the war in Ukraine or disasters related to climate change. During the press conference presenting the forecast, Paolo Gentiloni, Commissioner for Economy, mentioned the strength of the EU labour market as a testimony of the resilience of the EU economy. Even if inflation is declining, many challenges remain ahead, especially with a weak growth outlook.
Contact: Benoît Cassorla
On 11 September, the European Commission published its revised international rail interoperability standards, with the review of the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSIs). The new package lays paths for creating smoother cross-border train trips across Europe and set new standards and recommendations for new innovative technologies. When applied across the EU, it can eliminate the different sets of national rules currently hampering fluent train connection travel. The revised standards also align with the TEN-T requirements and introduce a common framework for technical and operating conditions for the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), the European Rail Traffic Management System and combined transport. This may allow for more flexibility for operators in intermodal transportation.
SGI Europe highlights the importance of harmonised data and logistics management, including in the rail sector. SGI Europe’s vision towards a climate-neutral Europe in 2050 includes a stronger focus on shifting from private vehicle and air mobility to public transportation and ensuring a harmonisation of transport operators' interoperability. This can only be reached with good access to alternatives in cities and across borders, which includes good information to plan, book, and pay for multiple types of mobility. A complete overview of our climate vision can be read in the SGI Europe Climate Target for 2040 Opinion here.
For the revised TSIs, the rules will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the official EU Journal, foreseen by 28 September 2023.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
EU-OSHA – the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work – will launch in October 2023 its new campaign: the ‘Safe and Healthy Work in the Digital Age’. With this campaign running until 2025, EU-OSHA will address the integration of digital technology in workplaces.
Digitalisation is impacting our everyday lives, society and the world of work. For workers and employers in many workplaces and all sectors, digital technology offers increased opportunities but presents more significant challenges and risks regarding safety and health. EU-OSHA assesses that digital technologies will be safe and productive if designed, implemented, managed and used in line with the human-centred approach. However, as the use of digital technologies at work is on the rise and its impact on employment and workplaces is not yet fully understood, it is important to raise awareness about fine-tuning strategies that promote and protect workers’ safety and health.
The campaign aims to stimulate collaboration for a safe and productive digital transformation of work. The agency sets out five key objectives:
As an EU social partner, SGI Europe is committed to contributing and disseminating the campaign across its membership and stakeholders in order to identify innovative best practices to adapt workplaces to the digital age.
Contact: Guillaume Afellat
On Tuesday 12 September, the Commission presented a series of initiatives to address the needs of Europe's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the current economic environment, including new measures providing short-term relief, boosting SMEs' long-term competitiveness, and strengthening fairness in the business environment across the Single Market.
The SME Relief Package also includes new proposals for a Regulation on late payments in commercial transactions to tackle payment delays. The new rules aim to replace the 2011 Directive on late payments with a Regulation. The proposal introduces a stricter maximum payment limit of 30 days, eliminates ambiguities and addresses the legal gaps in the current Directive. The proposed text also ensures an automatic payment of accrued interest and compensation fees and introduces new enforcement and redress measures to protect companies against bad payers.
In addition, the Commission's SME Relief Communication proposes several non-legislative measures to support SMEs and ensure their full economic potential is harnessed, such as:
Contact: Maxime Staelens
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