22 July 2022
On Wednesday 20 July 2022, the European Commission presented the “Save Gas for a Safe Winter” package. With a proposal for a Council Regulation on Coordinated Demand Reduction Measures for Gas and a communication “Save gas for a Safe Winter”, the package answers the risk of further gas supply cuts. The measures put forward by the European Commission aim at reducing the risks and the costs for Europe and anticipate a potential complete disruption of gas imports. You can find SGI Europe’s comments on our press release here.
Contact: Ariel Carpanini
On Tuesday 19 July 2022, SGI Europe published its Policy Kit, prepared in light of the programme of the Czech 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 Czech Presidency. The Policy Kit is available here.
The Social Affairs programme of the Czech presidency will focus on issues caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and challenges posed by the double transition. The integration of Ukrainian refugees, as well as the consequences of the EU-wide increase in energy prices, are prioritised in the social policies of the Czech presidency. The Czech presidency will organise the informal EPSCO on these topics in Prague on 13-14 October. The Tripartite Social Summit will take place on 19 October.
On the side of employment policies, the Czech presidency will focus on quality jobs. This includes implementing the Package of Measures for Disability and Labour Market Integration and the Action Plan to Support the Social Economy.
The presidency will also prioritise reaching a general approach on the Directive on working conditions of workers on online platforms and the Directive on the protection of workers exposed to asbestos at work. Furthermore, the Czech presidency will focus on the new EU Care Strategy, a Council Recommendation on the revision of the Barcelona targets about childcare, and a proposal for a Directive on ensuring transparency in the remuneration of men and women.
In health matters, the Czech presidency aims to contribute to boosting the resilience of European healthcare providers through a proposal for a Regulation on the European Health Data Space, a draft Council Recommendation on cancer screening, and Council’s conclusions on the issue of vaccination.
Overall, the Czech presidency’s agenda for social affairs intends to strengthen the adaptability of the European Union in the face of the war in Ukraine while incorporating longer-term issues that stem from the challenges of the double transition.
Contact: Guillaume Afellat
Strengthening energy security will be an essential topic for the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU. Implementing the ‘REPowerEU’ plan will be one of the main focuses to ensure and strengthen the EU’s strategic energy autonomy.
In this context, the top priority of the Czech Presidency will be to strengthen energy security by ensuring stable and accessible energy supplies and cost-effective decarbonisation. In this context, implementing the REPowerEU Plan will be critical, together with the discussions around five identified Fit-for-55 (FF55) files: the Gas Package, EED, RED and the Regulation on methane emissions reductions in the energy sector. The Czech Presidency intends to highlight the role of nuclear energy and low-emission hydrogen as effective tools for decarbonisation.
In the transport sector, reducing emissions and efficient mobility will be high on the agenda, with the development of the transport infrastructure (with an emphasis on high-speed railways and the revision of the TEN-T), the continued negotiations of the AFIR and the Efficient and Green Mobility package, with a significant focus on the ITS Directive.
Finally, the Czech Presidency will continue to progress on the Social Climate Fund (linked to the proposal to extend the EU ETS to buildings and road transport), the proposal for a Regulation on the shipment of waste and the revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive. The second semester of 2022 will also see the start of the work on the review of the frameworks on water protection and packaging waste and chemicals.
Amongst other vital events, the Czech Presidency scheduled a Conference on Raw Materials Security of Europe on 12 September in Prague, a dedicated event on “Need for Heat and Hydrogen: The Role of Low-Carbon Nuclear” on 11 October in Prague, the Urban Mobility Days on 20-22 September in Brno and the EU Designing Resilient Landscape, focusing amongst others on water management, on 13 September in Brno.
Contact: Ariel Carpanini
Several issues at the heart of the activities of the Public Services Board and the Working Group on Digital Policies will be on the agenda of the Czech presidency of the Council of the EU. Amongst others, the Czech Presidency will organise discussions on the role of the cohesion policy after 2027, aimed at adopting Council conclusions on the topic. It will also lead the negotiations on the legislative proposal of the European Commission to help Member States deal with the impact of the Russian war in Ukraine.
Aimed at supporting the growth of the EU data economy, the Data Act is now the focal point of SGI Europe’s Working Group on Digital Policies. Aimed at creating a broader and open European data market governed by conditions set at the EU level, it will significantly contribute to Europe's digital transformation goal during this decade by establishing rules for the fair use of data generated by the Internet of Things. SGI Europe will monitor the developments, highlighting the need for clear definitions and keeping a human-centric approach, preserving the rights and freedoms of the individuals.
In light of the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic and the impacts of the war in Ukraine on the EU economy, the Czech presidency will hold a dedicated Public Procurement Conference on 4-5 October 2022 in Prague.
Finally, ongoing activities on the EU Industrial Strategy will offer additional opportunities for SGI Europe to highlight the contribution of SGIs and local public services enterprises (LPSEs) to the EU economic ecosystem and further push for updating the legal framework applicable, such as the Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC on the SME definition and the de facto exclusion of LPSEs. This situation mainly affects LPSEs by restricting their ability to fulfil their mission of general interest as providers. Given their strategic role in the EU territories, these public enterprises need to be supported, particularly in the context of the recovery and their contribution to the resilience of the EU economy in times of crisis.
Contact: Manca Pocivavsek
Amongst its priorities, the Czech presidency finally identifies energy poverty as a key challenge for social cohesion across the EU. SGI Europe invites the Czech presidency to address this issue in the broader scope of access to essential services, covering all the services highlighted by the European Pillar of Social Rights.
SGI Europe calls for an approach that acknowledges the interconnection between the root causes of poverty and access to all essential services. In line with this, promoting the renovation wave and investing in social housing should be seen as an investment, not a cost. SGI Europe believes that in the absence of accompanying policies, regressive effects from, i.e. carbon pricing and energy taxation, may risk exacerbating energy and transport poverty. Enabling access to essential services, focusing on vulnerable groups and regions, is of utmost importance for maintaining a good social acceptability towards the EU climate targets and enabling a just transition. Further developing data collection and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms remain very important.
We encourage the Czech presidency to promote further the implementation of the Council Recommendation on ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality and start discussions on the future report on access to essential services.
Contact: Stefan Enica
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