2 July 2021
In the framework of the European project ‘Green Skills in VET’, project partners SGI Europe and European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE) will hold the kick-off conference of the project on 6 July 2021, from 10:00-12:45.
SGI Europe and EFEE will welcome, amongst others, Mr Nicolas Schmit, Commissioner for Jobs and Social Affairs, who will provide a keynote speech.
The kick-off conference will raise awareness on green skills shortages within SGIs, whilst addressing the development of teaching methods and staff competences to deliver green-oriented trainings by providers of vocational education and training.
The event will take place online via the Zoom platform. Interpretation will be provided in French, German, and Spanish. You can find all the information here, and register through the following link.
Contact: Stefan Enica
On Wednesday 30 June 2021, The European Commission announced its Long-Term Vision for the EU’s Rural Areas, with an overall objective to make rural areas stronger, connected, resilient and more prosperous.
The Long-Term Vision for the EU’s Rural Areas proposes a Rural Pact, which will mobilise public authorities, and stakeholders to act on the needs and aspirations of rural residents, and a Rural Action Plan that will pave the way to fostering territorial cohesion and create new opportunities to attract innovative businesses, provide access to quality jobs, promote new and improved skills, ensure better infrastructure and services, and leverage the role of sustainable agriculture as well as diversified activities. The Long-Term Vision takes into account both the EU’s digital transition and the EU’s Green Deal whilst also taking on board the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
SGI Europe welcomes in particular the Long-Term Vision for the EU’s Rural Areas’ recognition of the importance of the services of general interest, such as water, sanitation, healthcare, energy, transport, financial services, and digital communications as key tools for overcoming disparities between the EU's rural and urban areas. As expressed in SGI Europe’s response to the public consultation, strengthening local services of general interest must be at the heart of the long-term vision for rural areas. SGI Europe will continue advocacy on ensuring equal opportunities and living conditions regardless of the place of living.
Contact: Manca Pocivavsek
On 28 June 2021, the EU Commission adopted the new strategic framework on health and safety at work 2021- 2021. Through the strategic framework and the staff working document accompanying the strategic framework, the European Commission is renewing its commitment to update existing occupational safety and health rules, which consist of a framework directive and 24 specific directives, to improve workers' health and safety over the coming years.
The strategic framework focuses on three key objectives. First, anticipating and managing change in the new world of work brought about by the green digital and demographic transitions. Second, improving prevention of workplace accidents and illnesses and third, increasing preparedness for any potential future health crises.
To reach those key objectives, the EC will, amongst other measures, review the Workplaces Directive and the Display Screen Equipment Directive and update protective limits on asbestos, lead and diisocyanatos and cobalt. Putting a particular focus on psychosocial risks, the EC will launch an “EU-OSHA healthy workplaces campaign” 2023-2025 on creating a safe and healthy digital future covering in particular the psychosocial and ergonomic risks. Furthermore, the strategic framework will promote a “vision zero” approach to eliminate work-related deaths in the EU and develop guidance for potential future health crises.
The actions in the strategic framework will be implemented through strong social dialogue, strengthening evidence based policy-making, strengthening enforcement and monitoring of existing EU legislation, awareness-raising, and mobilising funding.
SGI Europe welcomes the package on health and safety at work as presented by the European Commission. SGI Europe will make sure that the interests, needs and expertise of SGI Employers are taken into account when tackling the important issues related to occupational safety and health in a changing world of work.
Contact: Guillaume Afellat
On Monday 28 June, SGI Europe General Secretary Valeria Ronzitti addressed the high-level event on the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) “Trade Unions for a Fairer and More Social Future of Europe” organised by ETUC.
Besides Valeria Ronzitti, the panel “A renewed Social Contract for a fair recovery: a new economic governance and the European Pillar of Social Rights”, moderated by ETUC Confederal Secretary Lina Carr, also featured Clément Beaune, French Minister of State for European Affairs, Iratxe Garcia Perez, President of the S&D Group at the European Parliament and Piotr Sadowski, President of the Social Platform.
On this occasion, General Secretary Ronzitti highlighted that the discussion on how to better shape an EU institutional framework for an inclusive and sustainable recovery comes at a crucial moment with the European Commission endorsing the Member States National recovery and resilience plans (NRRPs).
With regard to the CoFoE, and in the aftermath of its first plenary Session held on 19 June, Ms Ronzitti restated SGI Europe’s goal of laying the foundations for a new paradigm, including a reform of the Economic and Monetary Union, and enabling the separation of productive investments from the current fiscal and budgetary rules. However, she also restarted that this objective would only be achieved if there is a bottom-up critical mass which would allow to steer the discussion towards meaningful changes.
Finally, Mrs Ronzitti recalled that, in the context of the lessons drawn by the COVID-19 crisis, ensuring access to high-quality SGIs to every person, family and company – particularly across deprived regions and communities, is a pre-condition progress towards a sustained and inclusive recovery.
Contact: Antonio Astolfi
The long-awaited adoption of the European Commission’s Renewed Sustainable Finance Strategy is announced to be published on 6 July. The strategy will set out the framework on Sustainable Finance, focusing on three main building blocks, namely the EU Taxonomy, Disclosure rules for both non-financial and financial companies (Rules of the EU Taxonomy Regulation under Article 8) and a set of standards and labels for sustainable financial instruments.
The aim will be to find a balance between a recovery of the COVID-19 crisis and dealing with the increasing threats of climate change through fostering sustainable investments. It is planned to identify four main areas, where additional actions are needed for the financial system to fully support the transition towards sustainability, namely providing policy tools helping to identify companies transition plans, further support for SMEs and micro-businesses via simplified reporting measures, a guidance to tackle greenwashing and enhancing more resilience, and finally setting a global sustainability agenda.
SGI Europe is in general very supportive in setting the right framework to redirect capital flows towards environmentally and socially sustainable economic activities. The initiative for a sustainable finance mechanism and the Taxonomy Regulation can act as an enabling tool to realise the objectives of the EU Green Deal.
At the same time, SGI Europe strongly recalls ahead of its publication that it must be ensured that the vulnerability of public services and services general interest, who are fully supporting a sustainable strategy to reach for climate neutrality by 2050 but could not afford burdensome extra reporting requirements within the old schedule of the implementation of the first Delegated Act, which is significantly shortening the transition phase for many companies, is taken into account.
You can read the full policy recommendation to the reporting obligation of the EU Taxonomy Regulation under Article 8 here.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
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