26 June 2026
On Tuesday 23 June 2026, SGI Europe organised its annual SGI Day at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), hosted by the Employers’ Group, bringing together representatives from the EU institutions, social partners and key stakeholders to discuss how Services of General Interest can support the operationalisation of the Freedom to Stay across Europe.
The discussion gathered a wide variety of stakeholders, from EU Institutions representatives to local and regional authorities and SGI providers. This was the occasion to take stock of the progress achieved by the Coalition for the Freedom to Stay and explore how to move from political recognition to concrete delivery on the ground.
Seamus Boland, EESC President, Sandra Parthie, EESC Employers’ Group President, and Ingbert Liebing, SGI Europe President, addressed the welcoming remarks. This was followed by keynote speeches from Roxana Minzatu, Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs, and Preparedness, as well as a stage-setting introduction by Vincenzo Matano, head of cabinet of EC EVP Raffaele Fitto.
Ivailo Kalfin, Eurofound Executive Director, also gave a quick introduction to the work Eurofound has been conducting on the Freedom to Stay.
The first panel focusing on how to streamline the Freedom to Stay in upcoming EU policies, gathered MEP Camilla Laureti, Joanna Makowieca-Gatza, SGI Europe Vice-President, Alberto Mazzola, CER Executive Director and Daniel Wisniewski, EFEE General Secretary.
The second panel discussion examined how to deliver the Freedom to Stay on the ground, through investment and governance. Botond Szebeny, PostEurop Secretary General, Sylvie Slangen, HOSPEEM General Secretary and Yuri Santagostino, SGI Europe Vice-President, all contributed to the debate.
At the close of the event, both MEP Maravillas Abadia Jover and Philippe Laurent, SGI Europe Vice-President, called for strengthening the Coalition for the Freedom to Stay.
Contact: Benoit Cassorla
In the morning of 23 June, SGI Europe also held its statutory meetings in Brussels, bringing together members to take stock of the organisation’s priorities and consolidate its work for the years ahead.
A key moment was the re-appointment of Valeria Ronzitti as SGI Europe General Secretary for a new five-year mandate, running until 2031. General Secretary since 2012, Ms Ronzitti highlighted in her address to members the need to underline the central role of services of general interest in the European project and to set out a clear direction for the next mandate: consolidating SGI Europe’s influence, deepening solidarity among members, and turning the political recognition of SGIs into concrete European commitments.
The meetings also confirmed SGI Europe’s ambition to remain a proactive European social partner, able to put forward policy solutions, build alliances and contribute to EU debates from the perspective of SGI providers on the ground. Looking ahead, members discussed the need to translate this collective strength into practical results.
The General Assembly also adopted SGI Europe’s Opinion “Digital Sovereignty and the operational reality of SGIs”. The Opinion stresses that Europe’s digital transition must be anchored in operational reality, with digital infrastructure planned alongside essential utilities such as energy, water, wastewater, and waste management (more below).
Together, these outcomes provide a strong mandate for SGI Europe’s work in the coming years: defending SGIs as foundations of Europe’s resilience, cohesion and competitiveness.
Contact: Maxime Staelens
On 23 June 2026, the SGI Europe General Assembly officially approved the Opinion on "Digital Sovereignty and the operational reality of SGIs". The document addresses the proposals under the EU Tech Sovereignty Package, specifically the Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA) and the Energy Digitalisation Roadmap, outlines investment security, and aligns the digital transition with the operational reality of SGIs.
The approved opinion centres on five core policy recommendations:
Moving forward, SGI Europe will closely monitor the next legislative steps of this package. The Sustainability Board will actively track these policy developments to ensure that upcoming EU frameworks provide the necessary financing, simplified procedures, and safeguards to empower local SGI providers.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
On 24 June, the European Commission published two new Omnibus packages as part of its simplification agenda.
The Taxation Omnibus introduces targeted amendments to several direct taxation instruments. It aims to eliminate overlaps between existing rules and clarify legal provisions, while maintaining a strong level of protection against tax fraud, avoidance and evasion. Among other measures, the proposal removes restrictions on third-party and market financing, with the objective of facilitating investment across the Single Market.
Alongside the Taxation Omnibus, the Commission presented a recast of the Directive on Administrative Cooperation (DAC). The proposal seeks to simplify and modernise the framework for administrative cooperation in the field of direct taxation. Key changes include reduced reporting obligations for certain cross-border arrangements and improved taxpayer identification procedures.
The second Omnibus package concerns energy-related product legislation. It introduces simplification measures for energy and tyre labelling rules, aiming to offer more flexibility in how labels are displayed, while preserving consumer access to essential product information. The proposal also facilitates the updating of labels when energy ratings are rescaled and clarifies the responsibilities of authorised representatives of non-EU manufacturers.
On the same day, the Council adopted its negotiating mandate on most elements of the Environment Omnibus (Omnibus VIII), including proposals on simplification and administrative burden reduction, as well as amendments to the INSPIRE Regulation. However, Member States decided not to proceed with negotiations on the provisions concerning extended producer responsibility (EPR), in light of the forthcoming review of EPR frameworks under the future Circular Economy Act.
Negotiations with the European Parliament will begin once Parliament has adopted its position on the various proposals included in the Omnibus VIII package.
Contact: Raquel Carro-Andollo
On 19 June, SGI Europe joined the launch meeting of the European Housing Alliance, “From principles to practice”, hosted by the European Commission in Brussels. As one of the key deliverables of the EU Affordable Housing Action Plan, the Alliance is expected to serve as a practical platform for connecting EU institutions, Member States, local and regional authorities, social partners, housing providers, and civil society around concrete solutions to Europe’s housing crisis.
The discussions at this first meeting focused on how to make the Alliance work for all, which priorities to address, and how stakeholders can cooperate effectively in practice. Participants also exchanged on the need to link political and expert-level discussions, strengthen multilevel governance, and ensure synergies with other EU initiatives, including the forthcoming housing simplification package and the Pan-European Investment Platform.
For SGI Europe, housing must be addressed as a service of general interest and as a core condition for the Freedom to Stay. People cannot remain in, return to, or build a life in a territory if they cannot access decent, affordable, sustainable and well-connected housing. The housing crisis affects households, workers, enterprises and local communities, and directly impacts territorial cohesion, competitiveness and social resilience.
SGI Europe will continue to contribute to the Alliance to help turn shared principles into delivery for people and territories across Europe. This will be essential to move from diagnosis to measurable progress.
Contact: Maxime Staelens
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