20 July 2023
SGI Europe has just published its Policy Kit, prepared in light of the programme of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU. It highlights SGI Europe’s ongoing priorities and how, together with its members, SGI Europe intends to contribute to the success of the Spanish Presidency in the second semester of 2023. The Policy Kit is available here.
Contact: Maxime Staelens
On Wednesday 19 July 2023, SGI Europe published a position paper, “The EU Single Market at 30: SGIs in the Single Market”. Building upon the discussions held during the event “The EU Single Market at 30: What role for SGIs?”, the position paper reflects on the place of services of general interest (SGIs) and public services in the EU social market economy.
It highlights the evolution of the Single Market since its creation in 1993, including the emergence of new challenges and priorities and the development of the perception of SGIs and public services. As recognised in the Treaty of Lisbon (2009) and the Monti Report (2010), SGIs can play a central role in reconciling market and social components, fulfilling the Single Market’s objectives and achievements, and supporting its future.
Building upon the conclusions of this event, this Position Paper highlights the contributions and the pre-conditions for SGIs to contribute to the future of the Single Market, including:
You can consult the position paper on our website.
Contact: Maxime Staelens
On 18 July 2023, the European Parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) adopted its position on the Single Market Emergency Instrument (SMEI). This instrument establishes general crisis management procedures for the EU to enable efficient and fast responses to future crises. The regulation focuses on safeguarding the free movement of goods, services and people in Europe and ensuring the availability of vital crisis-relevant goods.
Learning from the COVID-19 pandemic and the impacts of the Russian war in Ukraine, and given the global challenges ahead of us, SGI Europe welcomes this new step further in establishing a Single Market Emergency Instrument and stands ready to contribute to the reflection on making the Single Market future- and crisis-proof.
One of the core features of the SMEI will be the creation of a dedicated advisor group comprised of the Commission and Member States. As a central element of the architecture proposed by the European Commission and kept in the European Parliament position, the advisory group will play a significant role in bringing to life the SMEI. Considering the importance of its responsibilities, it will be crucial to ensure broad active participation beyond representatives of Member States and member of the European Union institutions. With their experience and expertise, SGI Europe and the EU social partners will guarantee the instrument’s success and ensure its pragmatism in the implementation.
Contact: Benoît Cassorla
The European Commission published its Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) Report 2023 last week.
The report reveals that despite the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the accompanying economic slowdown in the second half of 2022, EU labour markets have demonstrated remarkable resilience in 2022. Employment rates were at a record high of 74.6% (with 213.7 million people employed) in 2022, and unemployment rates reached a historic low of 6.2%. However, the report also highlights persistent challenges, with a low labour market representation of certain groups such as women or persons with a disability. At 14.5%, youth unemployment also remains a significant challenge.
The ESDE report also addresses labour shortages faced by enterprises, as well as the need for both employers and workers to adapt to evolving skill needs in the context of the green and digital transitions. It emphasises that persistent labour shortages are found in a diverse range of occupations across all skill levels, mainly in specific sectors requiring highly specialist skills such as healthcare, technology (notably ICT) and engineering. Shortages in both high-skilled and low-skilled occupations are expected to continue as the population ages and the green and digital transitions advance.
Amongst the policy options highlighted in the report to address labour shortages, the ESDE report strongly focuses on improving education and VET. It calls for further investing in adult learning, skills development and training programmes, as well as making available accessible, affordable, and high-quality early childhood education and care, enhancing social dialogue and involving social partners in training, improving working conditions, and facilitating adult learning opportunities.
Contact: Guillaume Afellat
On 13 July, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted the opinion paper of rapporteur Milena Angelova (SGI Europe Vice-President) on “Water efficient consumption and consumer awareness about their water footprint”. The opinion recommends more sustainable use of water sources via water-efficient appliances and devices.
For this, the paper calls for more incentives to motivate producers to keep innovating to improve water efficiency and the customers to buy and use them. It stresses the need to ensure a fair price for water services based on full-cost recovery while guaranteeing affordability for vulnerable groups. While the Member States should take measures to ensure the accessibility and affordability of water services for the most vulnerable groups, the water tariff must reflect the actual cost of water services.
Furthermore, recommendations have been included to promote a more circular water economy and increase water reuse. This calls for efficient use in households and cities by better climate adaptation measures that include collecting rainwater while implementing effective control at source measures to ensure that wastewater is not further contaminated.
The Opinion is part of a broader EESC policy agenda on water as a cross-cutting theme in 2023. To build a comprehensive approach to European water policies, the EESC will adopt a set of own-initiative opinions, addressing the topic from sectoral perspectives and making concrete proposals.
As expressed in SGI Europe’s Opinion on the Climate Targets for 2040, SGI Europe calls upon the European institutions and Member States to put the transversal issue of water quality and availability in Europe on top of the EU Agenda for 2024-2029 and put forward an “EU Blue Deal”.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
Join us, stay informed
Subscribe to have all the latest news and developments delivered straight to your inbox.