16 January 2026
On Monday 12 January, SGI Europe’s General Secretary Valeria Ronzitti met with Seamus Boland, the new President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), to exchange views on shared priorities for the new institutional mandate and to explore areas of convergence between the two organisations.
The discussion underlined the central role of services of general interest (SGIs) in the EU’s social and economic model. SGIs were highlighted as essential instruments to support social and territorial cohesion and to contribute to the fight against poverty, by ensuring access to affordable and quality services across regions and population groups. In this context, SGI Europe stressed the need for a better recognition of the specific contribution of SGI enterprises to Europe’s sustainable competitiveness, including through a regulatory framework and funding instruments aligned with their long-term missions.
A second focus of the exchange concerned the emerging challenges facing the EU, notably geopolitical instability, strategic dependencies, demographic change and the acceleration of the green and digital transitions. These developments call for a renewed paradigm of sustainable competitiveness that goes beyond short-term cost considerations, and places at its core resilience, security of supply and social acceptance. SGIs were identified as strategic actors in addressing these challenges, particularly in sectors such as energy, transport, housing, health and water.
The meeting confirmed a strong convergence between SGI Europe and the EESC on the importance of structured dialogue with organised civil society and social partners in shaping EU policies. President Boland committed to an increased dialogue with SGI Europe acknowledging our potential to contribute to a more balanced and forward-looking EU agenda, capable of reconciling economic performance, social cohesion and Europe’s strategic autonomy.
Contact: Maxime Staelens
During a dedicated hearing organised by the European Commission on the revision of the EU Public Procurement Directives on Tuesday 13 January 2026, the SGI Europe delegation highlighted the need for a simplified, flexible and practical EU public procurement framework.
SGI Europe called for the new procurement rules to focus on ensuring the best value for money in the award and execution of public contracts. Reducing administrative burden, increasing legal certainty, and preserving flexibility for contracting authorities should also be key features of this revision.
The interventions and examples provided by the SGI Europe delegation illustrated that strategic considerations are already being considered by contracting authorities, often in the technical specifications phase. Additionally, existing EU rules, such as the broad labour law acquis, are already applicable to all employers, including in the context of public procurement procedures. While strategic objectives – whether environmental, social, industrial, or other – can be encouraged through the public procurement framework, it should not be done through mandatory, one-size-fits-all solutions that would increase complexity and hinder effective enforcement.
Highlighting the specific voice of SGI Europe as representative of both contracting authorities and enterprises of services of general interest, members of the delegation called for a balanced revision that will strengthen the effectiveness of public procurement while ensuring that it remains a practical, flexible, strategic, and reliable tool for public buyers and contracting authorities alike.
SGI Europe was represented by Valeria Ronzitti, General Secretary, and the chairs and/or vice-chairs of its three boards. The voice of Services of General Interest was further reinforced through the participation of CER (Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies) and of CEMR (Council of European Municipalities and Regions), both partners of the SGIs Network.
Contact: Raquel Carro-Andollo
SGI Europe has responded to the European Commission's Call for Evidence on the evaluation of the 2009 Communication on the application of State aid rules to public service broadcasting, known as the Broadcasting Communication.
In its response, SGI Europe highlights that, overall, the Communication is fit for purpose and has been effective in providing guidance to stakeholders on how State aid rules for the financing of public service broadcasting are applied. It has consolidated case practice and significantly improved transparency. However, profound market changes since 2009 and a new globally converged ecosystem could justify a targeted amendment of the text. Among others, this should prioritize the update of definitions and eliminating the ex-ante evaluations to reduce administrative burden, as well as removing any other obsolete constraints that hinder the ability of public service media to fulfil their activities or to finance big technological investments.
Nonetheless, any revision should maintain the architecture and core features of the current Communication and ensure coherence with the broader SGEI architecture.
Overall, SGI Europe sees the evaluation of the Broadcasting Communication as an opportunity to acknowledge the innovation needs and the role of public service media in strengthening democracy and ensuring pluralism in the EU. Furthermore, it can serve as a footprint for the revision and update of other public funding rules for SGEIs, reaffirming that they are not residual interventions resulting from market failures, but structural contributors to Europe’s competitiveness, resilience and social model.
The Commission plans to adopt the revised Broadcasting Communication in the 4th quarter of 2026.
Contact: Raquel Carro-Andollo
Over the past year, Malta Employers Association (MEA) has implemented the Erasmus+ project Unlock, developing a concrete and transferable solution to support SMEs in accessing local and EU funding opportunities. This initiative responds directly to one of the most persistent challenges faced by enterprises, namely the complexity, fragmentation and limited visibility of available funding schemes.
A flagship outcome of the project is the establishment of the EU Funding Helpdesk, a comprehensive one-stop shop for information, guidance, and tailored support. The Helpdesk aims to simplify access to both EU and national funding by helping members identify relevant schemes, understand eligibility criteria, and navigate application processes. It functions around three pillars: regular information webinars to raise awareness on funding programmes, training sessions designed to build capacity and familiarity with funding stages, and one-to-one expert meetings to advise on specific funding needs.
Importantly, the Helpdesk is designed to be a long-term service. It will continue to operate beyond the lifetime of the Unlock project, offering sustained support to MEA members and reinforcing institutional capacity under active leadership.
Recognizing that SMEs across Europe face similar barriers, the project also produced an EU Helpdesk Manual. This practical guide serves as a blueprint for social partners and NGOs seeking to replicate the Helpdesk model in their own contexts. It outlines how to design a Manual of Procedures, covering preparatory work, operational guidance, communication strategies, and monitoring and evaluation. The Manual aims to empower organizations to support their members more effectively in accessing funding.
The Manual and its scope will be formally presented at the SGI Europe Internal Market Board meeting on 4 February 2026 to illustrate how SGI Europe members can use EU funding strategically to strengthen enterprises’ capacity, promote access to finance, and reinforce support structures at national level.
Contact: Cecilia Martin
On 14 January, member of SGI Europe EDF held in Brussels a presentation on its technical-economic analysis to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050 in the context of the up-coming EU Electrification plan. In their analysis it underscores that electrification is the primary lever for decarbonisation, highlighting two essential drivers: an ambitious EU strategy supported by robust, long-term CO2 pricing to provide investor certainty, and the acceleration of disruptive innovations, including Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
While EDF’s roadmap provides an option for a driving technical foundation, SGI Europe’s position paper, adopted in late November 2025, emphasises that a successful transition requires a diverse and strictly technology-neutral electrification approach that supports all low-carbon sources. Central to this vision is the safeguarding of workforce resilience. To manifest this transition on the ground, the EU must implement a structured Climate and Energy Dialogue with Social Partners in the format of the EU Just Transition Platform, ensuring that comprehensive re-skilling and up-skilling initiatives align with "Union of Skills" goals.
Furthermore, the financial architecture must be both stable and inclusive. SGI Europe calls for a technology-neutral financing plan that mobilises ETS revenues and utilises the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for urgent infrastructure modernisation. To ensure a socially fair transition, we must strengthen the Social Climate Fund to shield vulnerable households from the regressive impacts of carbon pricing and sustain the Just Transition Fund (JTF) to mitigate economic upheaval in regions dependent on high-carbon industries.
By combining technical foresight with a commitment to social equity and industrial competitiveness, we can ensure the transition to 2050 remains mindful of the standards of living for all European citizens.
The next Energy Task Force meeting will be held on 5 March to which all SGI Europe are invited to further discuss the electrification path and the implementation of the EU Energy and Climate plans.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
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