Newsflash - 28 November 2025

SGI Europe adopts its position paper on the upcoming Electrification Action Plan

On 20 November, the SGI Europe Energy Task Force adopted its position paper on the upcoming EU Electrification Action Plan. SGI Europe welcomes the European Commission's plan as a key pillar for achieving climate neutrality by 2050, but insists that the framework must be adaptive, fair, and technology-neutral.

The paper outlines three core demands to ensure a successful and socially fair transition:

• Tripartite electrification agreements: SGI Europe proposes a mechanism to overcome high upfront costs for consumers and undertakings. This involves mandated pre-financing of investments by entities, backed by a State guarantee against default risk, to mobilise crucial private funds.
• Workforce resilience: SGI Europe calls for safeguarding a resilient workforce, urging EU Institutions to establish a structured EU Climate and Energy Dialogue with Social Partners. This dialogue is essential for managing skill development and workforce adaptation, aligning with the "Union of Skills" objectives.
• Targeted social funding: SGI Europe demands the maintenance and strengthening of both the Social Climate Fund (to mitigate ETS II impacts) and the Just Transition Fund (to alleviate economic upheaval in high-carbon regions). Furthermore, all financing must be technology-neutral, supporting all low-carbon sources.

SGI Europe emphasises that the practical success of the Electrification Action Plan depends on the dedication and capabilities of its cross-sectoral membership in the energy, housing and transport sectors and is fully prepared to collaborate with EU institutions to advance these recommendations and ensure a fair and resilient EU energy framework.

Contact: Henriette Gleau

European Semester 2026: Key messages from the Autumn Package and SGI Europe’s intervention at EMCO–SPC

The 2026 European Semester cycle was formally launched with the publication of the Commission’s Autumn Package on 25 November. The package places a strong emphasis on productivity, labour market participation and human capital, which the Commission identifies as the structural drivers of Europe’s competitiveness. The Communication highlights persistent labour and skills shortages, declining basic competences, demographic pressures, territorial disparities, and rising housing affordability constraints as key factors limiting growth capacity and service provision across Member States.

A significant element of this year’s package is the new Council Recommendation on Human Capital, which calls on Member States to reinforce foundational skills, teacher supply, VET quality, STEM capacity, and digital and AI competences. The Recommendation stresses that addressing skills gaps requires coordinated action across education, labour market and territorial policies, particularly in regions facing structural shortages. It also recognises that education systems alone cannot meet current skill needs: around 90 per cent of employee training is financed by employers, and reaching the EU’s adult learning target will require better incentives, simplified access to EU funds and targeted support for smaller enterprises.

The package also announces the creation of a Social Investment Knowledge Hub to improve ex-ante and ex-post evaluation of human capital investment. SGI Europe underlines that the Hub’s effectiveness will depend on operational clarity and on linking it with actors experienced in social investment, such as national promotional banks and the EIB Group.

At today’s joint EMCO–SPC meeting, the Commission presented the Autumn Package to Member States, social partners and civil society organisations. In its intervention, SGI Europe welcomed the focus on productivity and human capital, stressed the importance of territorial disparities in skills and service provision, highlighted employers’ central role in financing training, and called for stronger support measures to scale up workplace learning. SGI Europe also emphasised the need for forward-looking workforce planning, better coordination across sectors, and long-term investment and multi-level governance as preparations for the next Multiannual Financial Framework advance.

Contact: Guillaume Afellat

SGI France delegation in Strasbourg for the EP Plenary

On Wednesday, 26 November 2025, a delegation of SGI France members, composed of representatives of Caisse des Dépôts, EDF, Union Sociale pour l’Habitat (USH), RTE and FedEpl, organised a visit to Strasbourg during the EP Plenary week to meet with several MEPs. SGI Europe's general secretariat was also represented.

The delegation first met with MEP Christophe Grudler, a member of the RENEW group in the European Parliament's ITRE Committee, specialised in energy-related issues. The second meeting was with MEP Nora Mebarek, S&D group Vice-Chair of the EP REGI committee and member of the HOUS committee as well. Then we met with Pierre Jouvet, an S&D member of the IMCO committee and the group leader on the revision of the public procurement directives. Following this meeting, we met with MEP Isabelle Le Callenec, EPP group member of both REGI and HOUS committees at the European Parliament. The last meeting of the day was with MEP Bruno Tobback, S&D group member of the EP ITRE committee.

These very insightful meetings were the occasion to share with the different MEPs SGI France members' and SGI Europe's views on several files: the upcoming Grids Package, the Electrification Action plan, the next MFF and its Competitiveness Fund, and the issue related to the reform of the State Aid Rule for SGI and the upcoming European Plan on Affordable Housing. But also, on the ongoing revision of the public procurement directives and the currently open European Commission for public consultation.

Finally, we took these opportunities to exchange on the Intergroup on Social Economy and Services of General Interest and their potential involvement in its upcoming work.

Contact: Benoît Cassorla

European Parliament and the Council reach an agreement on the Talent Pool

On 19 November, the Danish presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Parliament concluded negotiations on an EU law establishing an EU Talent Pool.

To make the EU labour market more competitive, the Talent Pool will be an EU-wide digital online platform to facilitate international recruitment in sectors where European Member States experience shortages, matching job vacancies of European employers with the profiles of non-EU jobseekers residing outside the Union. Participation will be voluntary for Member States, and the platform will be free for both employers and candidates. Employers will be able to publish vacancies in occupations in short supply. At the same time, jobseekers will register skills, qualifications and experience, supported by clear information on rights and working conditions in the Union.

While offering a more transparent, predictable and cost-efficient way to recruit international talent, the agreement includes safeguards to ensure compliance with labour and recruitment standards, including the possibility for Member States to suspend employers in cases of repeated non-compliance.

As implementation progresses, SGI Europe emphasises the need for simple, harmonised employer procedures, a user-friendly digital platform, and strong cooperation with social partners to support fair recruitment and decent working conditions for third-country nationals. SGI Europe will continue to monitor developments and inform members on the platform’s roll-out and practical implications.

Contact: Cecilia Martin

Publication of the European Commission's 2025 Study on National Policies and Cohesion

On 25 November, the European Commission published its Study on National Policies and Cohesion 2025. In it, the European Commission provides an analysis of how Member States use national funding to support territorial cohesion, complementing EU Cohesion Policy.

The report builds a common taxonomy of cohesion-related interventions. It examines 59 nationally financed measures across six thematic areas, including business support, connectivity, living standards, human capital, research and innovation, and climate-related initiatives. It finds that national cohesion spending remains highly uneven, with Connectivity projects accounting for nearly 73% of all identified national funding, primarily focused on transport infrastructure. Measures supporting businesses and enterprises are the most common, while national investment in human capital, R&I, and climate/environment remains limited.

The study highlights that, in many Member States, especially cohesion countries, EU funds play a dominant role, often accounting for 80–90% of public investment in regional development. National cohesion policies tend to be fragmented, modest in scale, and heavily reliant on grants rather than on financial instruments. Governance structures are predominantly centralised, with few multi-level or place-based approaches.

Importantly, the study reinforces the message that Cohesion Policy is a cornerstone of Europe’s Freedom to Stay, ensuring that people have genuine opportunities to build their lives in all territories. Accessible, affordable and high-quality SGIs are essential enablers of this freedom, providing the conditions for territorial fairness, economic participation, and social inclusion.

For SGI Europe, these findings underline the continued need for strong Cohesion funding, better-aligned national policies, and long-term investment in SGIs as key drivers of territorial well-being.

Contact: Maxime Staelens