19 January 2024
On 15 and 16 January, the EU Environment Council and Climate Ministers met for an informal meeting, focusing on risk preparations for climate change and the challenges of a just transition towards a sustainable economy. Ministers also exchanged views on the pathways to climate neutrality by 2050, including the upcoming 2040 targets.
On just transition and building upon an opinion by the European Economic and Social Committee, ministers examined the six key elements that should make up a common European policy framework to promote a climate-neutral, ecologically sustainable and fully circular society and economy by 2050. On the second day, ministers focused on circular economy and resource management. Ministers also discussed how the EU governance framework can accelerate and strengthen the transition to a circular economy and the sustainable use of resources.
This meeting started the discussion, aiming to keep the climate transition high on the EU agenda. To ensure a feasible climate transition, SGI Europe calls for a climate 2040 target of a minimum of 80% emissions reduction, in line with the path defined by the EU Green Deal. The EU should accelerate its decarbonisation efforts in each sector, considering the need to ensure an economically and socially feasible pathway. You can find more about SGI Europe’s position on the 2040 climate targets here.
The next Environment Council and Ministers will meet on 25 March in Brussels and 17 June in Luxembourg. In the meantime, complementing the Ministers’ meeting, the European Commission will publish a communication on climate risk management in spring.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
On 15 January, the plenary session of the European Parliament discussed an oral question on the role of social award criteria in public procurement in strengthening social rights. Introduced by Dragoş Pîslaru (RE, RO), chair of the Employment Committee of the European Parliament (EMPL), the debate allowed numerous MEPs to express calls for the 2014 directive on public procurement to be revised to ensure that criteria, particularly social and environmental criteria, were increasingly used when it came to public procurement contracts.
Representing the European Commission, Nicolas Schmit, Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, highlighted that public procurement is a powerful leveraging tool to encourage innovation and encourage socially responsible behaviour for companies. He acknowledged that the 2014 public procurement directive aimed to deliver change in Europe and that more contracts could be awarded based on criteria such as the social and strategic impact rather than the lowest price. He also emphasised other initiatives undertaken since 2014 to improve the collection of procurement data, such as the European-wide database on procurement to be launched in 2024. Concluding the debate, Nicolas Schmit recognised that social and environmental criteria must be better defended under public procurement, called for reflecting on how to integrate these aspects into public procurement better and expressed the commitment of the Commission to looking into whether further actions of a legislative nature were required.
Public procurement being a cornerstone of the EU Single Market, the topic was extensively discussed during SGI Europe’s event with Enrico Letta on 7 December 2023. On this occasion, SGI Europe members highlighted how the 2014 public procurement package has impacted their operations, including opening new opportunities and the extra administrative burden it may bring to companies (significantly impacting the efficiency of SMEs providing SGIs).
Contact: Maxime Staelens
On 25 January 2024, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU will organise a conference on "Fair Mobility in the EU and the role of the European Labour Authority”.
The conference has two objectives: to promote ELA's activities and evaluate its achievements, bearing in mind the first evaluation of ELA that the Commission will carry out in 2024. SGI Europe already responded to a public consultation by the Commission on the evaluation of the ELA on 5 January 2024, which emphasised the importance of the ELA's supporting role for Member States and its added value for Social Partners' activities. SGI Europe will also attend the conference on the ELA evaluation which will focus on the following four priorities: improving access to information for individuals, employers and social partner organisations; mediating and facilitating the exchange of information between Member States; organising and supporting concerted and joint cross-border inspections and combating undeclared work and coordinating EURES (European Employment Services Network designed to facilitate the free movement of workers).
These four priorities will be central during the conference, with four break-out sessions. Jeanette Grenfors, chair of the SGI Europe Social Affairs Board, will participate in the breakout session dedicated to the EURES, where she will answer questions such as: “What could ELA do to make the EURES services more attractive to the public employers and employers in general?”
Contact: Guillaume Afellat
On Wednesday 17 January 2024, during the plenary session of the European Parliament, members of the European Parliament held a debate with representatives of the European Commission and of the Council on the review of the economic governance framework.
This exchange of views allowed the Council to highlight the critical elements of the agreement found on the proposed reforms on 20 December 2023, followed by a plenary vote on the Parliament's position. In the vote, MEPs adopted the position of the European Parliament, showing large support in favour of the report prepared by co-rapporteurs Esther de Lange (EPP, NL) and Margarida Marques (S&D, PT). Support came from centre-right, centre-left, and liberal groups, which gathered 431 votes in favour, 172 against, and four abstentions. On this occasion, the European Parliament also approved the mandate to begin the trilogue negotiations with the Council and the European Commission (which effectively started on the same day).
SGI Europe welcomes the decision to open inter-institutional negotiations on reforming the EU’s economic governance rules and looks forward to it.
Contact: Benoît Cassorla
On 16 and 17 January, SGI Europe attended the kick-off conference of the ShaPE project, which will examine the role social partners have played in treaty-making and law-making for social Europe.
Implemented by the European University Institute (EUI) over the course of two years, the project will focus on the Social Partners and the role played in making and shaping social Europe. During the implementation of the project, the partners and associated beneficiaries will explore social Europe’s foundations through innovative archival and multidisciplinary analysis of EU Treaty-making and law-making with the aim to provide a meta-archive and public history digital exhibition to serve as a template and anchor for future research.
While reflecting on the project's main objective, Valeria Ronzitti, SGI Europe Secretary General, mentioned that this project can have a significant impact, especially in times when social dialogue at the EU level is going through a crisis and looking for answers. She highlighted that the creation of a digital archive on EU social dialogue will be of great importance to remember where we, as social partners, come from and what our responsibilities lie.
SGI Europe will continue to monitor the development of the project and looks forward to further contributing to the initiatives developed in that context.
Contact: Cecilia Martin
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