18 September 2026
On 16 September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered her annual State of the Union address, setting out the Commission’s priorities for the year ahead. She identified economic renewal as the EU’s foremost priority, with a focus on energy, investment, climate resilience, artificial intelligence and simplification.
Amongst other announcements, President von der Leyen linked the social dimension with the Right to Stay, highlighting the importance of accessible, affordable and quality SGIs in that context. She linked it with the proposal to launch a European Care Deal, bringing to life the Affordable Housing Act as well as an upcoming Summit to uphold the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights ahead of its tenth anniversary.
The President also called for faster investment in electricity grids, connections and storage to support Europe’s electrification and reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels. She also announced further measures to accelerate permitting and proposed a pact with Member States against gold-plating. On climate resilience, the Commission will present a new framework in October, identifying 100 of Europe’s most vulnerable territories and strengthening risk management down to the local level.
A European Heatwave Plan, European Water Initiative and proposals for a possible European Firefighting Fleet are also expected. The address also focused on applying AI in sectors including healthcare, transport and energy. President von der Leyen stressed that AI should empower rather than replace professionals and confirmed that the Quality Jobs Act will be presented before the end of 2026.
SGI Europe stressed that these priorities can only be delivered through sustained investment in all Services of General Interest and critical infrastructure. Accessible, affordable and high-quality services are also the practical foundation of the Freedom to Stay, enabling businesses and people to remain, invest and thrive across Europe’s territories. SGI Europe will engage with the forthcoming initiatives to ensure they reflect providers’ operational realities, workforce needs and long-term investment requirements.
Contact: Maxime Staelens
On 10-11 September 2026, the European Hospital and Healthcare Employers’ Association - HOSPEEM organised a study visit to Local Government and County Employers (KT) in Helsinki, Finland.
As part of the EU-funded BRIDGES project, the study visit brought together healthcare employers from Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Latvia and Portugal to exchange their national perspectives and practical approaches to preparedness. BRIDGES is an EU-funded employers’ project on building a resilient healthcare system through the exchange of good practices and capacity-building among employers’ organisations.
Participants discussed the current state of play on EU preparedness, exchanged experiences, learned how social dialogue works in Finland but also visited Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) and heard from the Wellbeing Services County of North Karelia about the existing initiatives and practices on strengthening readiness of the Finnish healthcare system. It was a great start to the BRIDGES study visits and an important step towards strengthening cooperation on building more resilient and prepared healthcare systems across Europe.
More on HOSPEEM website.
The European Commission has published its Fair Labour Mobility Package, bringing together proposals on the European Labour Authority, the European Social Security Pass, skills portability and the recognition of EU and third-country qualifications.
SGI Europe welcomes the package’s overall ambition to make cross-border labour mobility simpler, more digital and more effective. Services of general interest employers face persistent labour and skills shortages. Better mobility and faster recognition of qualifications can help them recruit the workers needed to provide essential services.
Several proposals reflect priorities previously identified by European employers. These include moving ESSPASS beyond its pilot stage, applying the once-only principle and building on existing tools such as EQF, Europass, ESCO and the European Digital Identity Wallet. Faster and more predictable recognition procedures could also reduce recruitment delays and improve access to third-country talent.
The package must, however, deliver genuine simplification in practice. New digital procedures should replace existing administrative steps rather than create an additional layer. Interoperability and effective Member State participation will be essential.
SGI Europe will also carefully examine the proposed revision of the European Labour Authority’s mandate. Employers had called for the Authority to make full use of its existing mandate before considering further changes. While Member State participation in inspections would remain voluntary, the proposal gives ELA a more proactive operational role and broader access to data.
SGI Europe will now assess the proposals with its members, focusing on administrative burdens, national implementation and the implications for SGI employers.
Contact: Guillaume Afellat
On 8 September, the co-rapporteurs from the EP Committees on International Trade (INTA), Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), and Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) published their draft report on the proposed Industrial Accelerator Act.
The draft text proposes a number of changes to the Commission proposal, including a stronger use of Union-origin and low-carbon requirements in public procurement and public support schemes. In particular, the co-rapporteurs suggest progressively increasing the minimum share of steel, concrete and mortar concerned, reaching 50% in 2036. The report would furthermore introduce requirements for certain plastic construction products, including pipes, insulation products and windows.
The co-rapporteurs also propose changes to the treatment of products from third countries. Instead of automatically considering content originating in countries covered by EU free trade agreements, customs unions or the WTO Government Procurement Agreement as equivalent to Union-origin content, they propose a system under which the Commission could recognise third-country content as equivalent through delegated acts, provided a number of conditions are fulfilled. These include reciprocity in market access, security of supply, comparable conditions of competition and respect for fundamental labour standards and climate commitments, among others.
The draft report also proposes requiring contracting authorities and contracting entities to exclude economic operators from the procurement procedures concerned where they do not comply with applicable social and labour law obligations, collective agreements or the fundamental ILO Conventions.
The draft report will be considered by the INTA, ITRE and IMCO committees before the Plenary vote, currently scheduled for 14 December 2026.
Contact: Raquel Carro-Andollo
SGI Europe will take part in the renewed EU Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform following its appointment as a member. Through its participation, SGI Europe will bring the perspective of essential public services and Services of General Interest into discussions on pollution prevention and Europe’s transition towards a cleaner, more resilient economy. The first meeting will take place on 22 September in Brussels.
This comes at an important moment for EU water policy. Considering the 2026 State of the Union address, in which President Ursula von der Leyen announced a new European Water Initiative, renewed attention is being placed on the resilience of Europe’s water systems. With close to one in four litres of water lost through network leakage, the initiative underlines the importance of secure and resilient water systems for industry, agriculture and supply chains.
For SGI Europe, improving Europe’s water resilience must begin with a systemic approach. Tackling leakage and modernising infrastructure are essential, but they must go hand in hand with stronger pollution prevention at source. Drinking-water resources should be protected before contaminants enter the water cycle, rather than relying increasingly on costly end of pipe solutions. This approach can help avoid shifting pollution-related costs onto public utilities and citizens and preserve investment capacity for maintaining and modernising critical infrastructure. This is essential for resilient, affordable and high-quality public services.
This reflects SGI Europe’s wider approach to climate resilience: water, energy, transport, waste management, postal services and telecommunications are deeply interconnected. Solutions designed for one sector alone can create costs or pressures elsewhere. Effective zero-pollution policy therefore requires cross-sectoral thinking that connects water quality, circularity, infrastructure resilience, climate objectives and long-term financing.
SGI Europe looks forward to contributing this perspective to the Platform and to working with EU institutions and stakeholders on solutions that prevent pollution at source, strengthen essential services and support Europe’s climate and resilience goals.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
This week SGI Europe took part in the AMIF Projects Online Networking Café, an exchange bringing together the project partners involved in EU-funded initiatives supporting the integration of migrants into the European labour market.
The informal networking event created a space for the three projects funded under the AMIF budget line, specifically the GO2VET, LABOUR-INT III and AMIL projects, to share experiences, compare approaches and identify potential synergies and opportunities for future cooperation. Participants heard short presentations of the three project which were followed by smaller breakout discussions designed to encourage more direct exchanges among organisations.
SGI Europe presented LABOUR-INT III, highlighting its multi-stakeholder approach and the involvement of national, European and international actors in supporting labour-market integration. Beyond individual project presentations, however, the main value of the meeting layed in bringing together organisations working on similar challenges from different perspectives and national contexts. Exchanges of this type are particularly important for EU-funded projects: they help avoid working in isolation, facilitate the transfer of practices and tools, and create opportunities to build on complementary expertise. They can also help ensure that lessons generated through pilot activities and local experience are shared more widely and contribute to stronger cooperation across initiatives.
The Networking Café provided a useful opportunity to strengthen links across the AMIF project community and explore how ongoing work can reinforce broader efforts towards more effective and inclusive labour-market integration.
Contact: Cecilia Martin
Join us, stay informed
Subscribe to have all the latest news and developments delivered straight to your inbox.