18 October 2024
On Wednesday 16 October, SGI Europe and the EU cross-industry social partners exchanged views with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice President for an Economy that Works for People, and Nicolas Schmit, Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights.
In the context of the new legislative term and the agenda-setting for the new European Commission, the meeting centred around the topic “How to enhance the conditions for productive investment and quality jobs in Europe?”. Participants also discussed two sub-topics, “the future of European competitiveness” and “a clean industrial deal for competitive industries and quality jobs”.
Addressing the opening round, President Pascal Bolo insisted on the need for investments to maintain EU competitiveness through additional support for SGIs, which are at the heart of the EU’s productivity and are undergoing major transitions. He added that the future EU competitiveness should feed local economies, be built with the support of SGIs, and rely on modern critical infrastructures. He further called for the involvement of social partners in the conception of the Clean Industrial Deal to ensure that it is both achievable and deliverable.
In the moderated discussion, General Secretary Valeria Ronzitti highlighted that the preparation of the Quality Jobs Roadmap should involve social partners at its core to address the fair, green and digital transitions in a balanced way. She added that its main goal should be improving collective bargaining coverage and increasing labour market participation. However, she argued that the new initiatives of the European Commission should not come at the cost of undue complexity, increased compliance costs or reduced flexibility for enterprises in the context of high labour shortages.
Contact: Guillaume Afellat
On Wednesday 16 October 2024, in the margin of the high-level meeting between EU social partners and the European Commission, SGI Europe and its partners from the SGIs Network put forward a joint declaration focusing on the crucial role of services of general interest (SGIs) in the future of EU competitiveness.
This joint declaration highlights that SGIs are instrumental in the long-term and sustainable competitiveness of the EU economy and in developing innovative technologies that make green and digital transitions possible. They are crucial to developing local and regional economies and increasing social, economic, and territorial cohesion. Finally, SGIs allow all EU territories to benefit from and contribute to the Single Market.
In that sense, members of the SGIs network are calling for:
The SGIs Network gathers associations representing providers and employers of services of general interest (SGIs) and public services.
Contact: Benoît Cassorla
On Thursday 17 October, the Fit-for-Future (F4F) Platform held its ninth and final plenary session. Between 2021 and 2024, the platform supported the European Commission in simplifying and modernising EU law. This plenary session marked the end of its mandate.
For three years, the Platform brought together various stakeholders, representatives from the Committee of the Regions and the SME envoys network. Throughout its mandate, it adopted 41 opinions, including eight during this last plenary.
Amongst those, Valeria Ronzitti, SGI Europe General Secretary, was co-rapporteur for the opinion on actions/methodology to avoid the build-up of unnecessary reporting obligations, together with Veronique Willems, SMEunited Secretary General. This opinion argues that including reporting requirements in an ever-greater number of legislation means that the administrative burden has become too large for small enterprises and local and regional public administration.
It gives several recommendations for reducing this burden:
SGI Europe will remain actively involved in the efforts made to reduce the administrative burden of EU legislation under the next Commission’s mandate. In particular, we will seek to be involved as much as possible in the Implementation Dialogues announced in the Political Guidelines and Mission Letters.
Contact: Ruben Sansom
On 15 October, members of SGI Europe’s Environment Task Force met in a meeting chaired by Vice-Chair Jansuz Karwot in order to discuss the policy priorities for the EU's environmental and waste agenda for the remainder of the year and set the groundwork for 2025.
On this occasion, members exchanged views with William Neale, Policy Advisor for a Circular Economy at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment (DG Environment). Mr Neale shared crucial insights on the future actions of the Commission to advance the EU's circular economy ambitions. The discussions focused on the critical role of waste management, resource efficiency, and innovative energy solutions in achieving the EU's green goals.
Finally, a site visit to the Bruxelles-Energie waste-to-energy plant was organised following the meeting. The facility, a cutting-edge example of sustainable waste management, incinerates non-recyclable municipal waste from households and businesses, converting it into local energy. Beyond energy production, the plant also plays a vital role in the city’s circular economy by recovering metals from waste and repurposing bottom ash for construction, showcasing how waste-to-energy can complement recycling efforts and reduce reliance on landfills.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
On Tuesday 15 October 2024, the Hungarian Presidency of the Council organised a meeting of the Energy Council. On this occasion, energy ministers discussed the energy sector’s contribution to the EU's competitiveness, the state of play on wholesale electricity prices, and winter preparedness.
To follow up on the recommendations in the Draghi report, ministers publicly exchanged views on the energy sector's contribution to the EU’s competitiveness. Energy ministers identified recommendations that should be prioritised and those that would contribute most to the EU’s objective of keeping energy costs affordable and competitive without losing sight of the need for decarbonisation and energy security. They also discussed ways to address the need for large-scale investment in grids, digitalisation, storage and interconnections, including by leveraging private capital.
Ministers also held an exchange on the divergence of wholesale electricity prices within the EU, focusing on price spikes in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Energy ministers shared the concerns prompted by high prices in the region and their impact on the economy. They concurred that coordinated EU action is needed to stabilise prices and improve energy security in the region and in the EU. They also reflected on possible targeted measures to increase cross-border capacity and stressed the need for investment in interconnections and for enhanced coordination at a wider regional level.
Finally, energy ministers discussed preparedness for the upcoming winter, including an update on the security of supply in the EU and a presentation of the Commission’s action plan for stepping up the EU’s energy support to Ukraine while ensuring the security of supply within the EU.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
Join us, stay informed
Subscribe to have all the latest news and developments delivered straight to your inbox.