30 October 2026
In the latest episode of Eurofound’s podcast ‘Eurofound Talks’, SGI Europe General Secretary Valeria Ronzitti discussed how services of general interest underpin the Freedom to Stay. Mary McCaughey, Head of Information and Communication in Eurofound, hosted the conversation.
On this occasion, Valeria Ronzitti emphasised that the Freedom to Stay must reconnect the Single Market with Europe’s territories. SGIs provide the energy, connectivity, transport, housing, healthcare and education that enterprises and their workers need to thrive. Providers of SGIs are therefore both enablers of competitiveness and economic actors themselves.
An integrated, place-based approach is vital to essential services, as needs vary between territories: rural and remote areas may face depopulation, brain drain and inadequate connections, while cities contend with congestion and shortages of affordable housing and childcare. There can therefore be no single solution applied everywhere.
Valeria Ronzitti identified coherence across three areas as essential: investment, people and policy. Europe must close the investment gap in SGIs and recognise infrastructure, including its long-term maintenance, as an investment rather than simply a cost. Providers must be able to recruit, retain and develop the skilled workers needed to operate services, including by making SGI sectors more attractive to young people. EU legislation must also provide a coherent framework that enables providers to expand and manage essential infrastructure effectively. Social dialogue is a key tool for anticipating change and adapting service provision with workers.
You can listen to the episode here.
Contact: Benoit Cassorla
On Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 October, SGI Europe participated in the national conference “An Inclusive Labour Market – The Bulgarian Perspective”, organised in Sofia, Bulgaria by LABOUR-INT III partners CITUB and Caritas Sofia.
The event brought together representatives of European and national social partners, public employment services, international organisations, and civil society to discuss challenges and opportunities for integrating refugees and third-country nationals into the labour market in Bulgaria.
During the conference, SGI Europe presented the background, objectives, and multi-stakeholder approach of LABOUR-INT III, emphasising the importance of cooperation among employers, trade unions, public authorities, and civil-society organisations to achieve sustainable integration.
An ETUC representative presented the project's pilot actions and key results across participating countries, while colleagues from CITUB and Caritas Sofia provided a detailed overview of the Bulgarian pilot activities and their outcomes. Throughout the project implementation period, 544 people participated in training activities covering Bulgarian language, digital skills, labour and social rights, and vocational qualifications.
Discussions also addressed the refugee workforce's untapped potential, current labour market challenges, and opportunities for inclusive employment. The Bulgarian experience illustrated how language learning, vocational training, and information on workers' rights can combine to support more comprehensive pathways to employment.
Co-funded by the EU's Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, LABOUR-INT III continues until 2027. As project coordinator, SGI Europe remains committed to strengthening cooperation among social partners and other stakeholders to promote fair, inclusive and sustainable labour markets across Europe.
Contact: Cecilia Martin
On 27 October, SGI Europe took part in the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) conference “Decarbonisation starts locally – empowering cities and regions for Europe’s energy transition” in Brussels. The event brought together EU institutions, local authorities, social partners and energy stakeholders to discuss decentralised energy systems and an affordable, community-driven energy transition.
During the discussions, SGI Europe emphasised the importance of decentralised energy production, resilient infrastructure and local energy autonomy to strengthen Europe's security of supply and reduce strategic dependencies. Municipal utilities and providers of services of general interest (SGIs) play a crucial role in deploying renewable energy, district heating, smart grids and innovative energy solutions.
SGI Europe also highlighted the need for fair electricity network tariffs, ensuring that the costs of modernising energy infrastructure are distributed equitably without undermining the financial capacity of SGIs.
Financing remains another key challenge. Modernising infrastructure, deploying clean technologies and supporting local operators will require a combination of public and private investment.
SGI Europe stressed that social dialogue is essential to a successful energy transition. Anticipating skills needs, investing in workforce development and ensuring fair working conditions must accompany technological transformation. The voluntary European tripartite framework provides an important foundation for cooperation between governments and social partners.
It will be key that Europe's energy transition becomes affordable and reliable, and builds resilient services for citizens and businesses across all territories.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
On 27 October, the European Commission presented its EU Framework for Climate Resilience, comprising a Communication and a proposal for a European Climate Resilience Law. The initiative seeks to strengthen Europe's capacity to anticipate, assess and manage climate risks through coordinated planning, clearer responsibilities and improved risk assessments.
The proposed Law introduces common requirements for climate risk management across the EU. These include a shared global warming reference trajectory for long-term planning, regular national climate risk assessments, clearly designated public authorities responsible for managing major risks, and national strategic resilience plans outlining measures, objectives and financing needs. Member States would conduct their first assessments by 2029 and adopt resilience plans by 2030.
SGI Europe welcomed the initiative, emphasising that climate resilience must translate into concrete investment in Services of General Interest and its critical infrastructures. Disruptions affecting water, energy, transport or waste management can generate cascading effects across sectors, requiring integrated planning and cooperation between public authorities and SGI providers.
SGI Europe stressed that identifying risks and assigning responsibilities must be accompanied by predictable financing, technical assistance and workable implementation requirements.
Support was also expressed towards the proposal of nature-based solutions adapted to local conditions. For SGI Europe, a combined approach with resilient infrastructure, pollution prevention at source, and sufficient resources for long-term maintenance will be key to building resilience successfully.
SGI Europe underlined the importance of preparing the workforce for increasing climate risks both at the workplace and the skills needed for the transition. Social dialogue can help anticipate these exact skills needs, improve working conditions and protect exposed workers.
SGI Europe further called for improved access to affordable climate insurance, including for essential waste-management infrastructure, whose operators may face difficulties obtaining adequate coverage
Contact: Henriette Gleau
On 20 October, the European Parliament adopted, at first reading, the regulation establishing a European interface for declaring posted workers. The text, agreed with the Council, still needs formal adoption by the latter.
The multilingual interface, connected to the Internal Market Information System, will allow enterprises to submit declarations using a common electronic form. Participation will remain voluntary for Member States. However, those joining the system must use it exclusively and cannot impose parallel declarations or additional information requirements.
SGI Europe welcomes this step towards simpler and fairer labour mobility. The diversity of national forms, portals and procedures generates costs for employers providing services in several Member States. According to Commission estimates, the common form could reduce the time spent completing declarations by 73% and, if all Member States participated, cut the overall administrative cost by 81%.
This simplification should also facilitate enforcement of the rules and strengthen the protection of posted workers. Information exchange between national authorities, the possibility of submitting documents through the interface and workers’ access to their declarations should contribute to more transparent enforcement.
SGI Europe calls on the Council to finalise the regulation’s adoption. Broad participation by Member States and an interoperable interface will be essential for the initiative to reduce administrative fragmentation in practice and support the cross-border provision of services within the Single Market.
Contact: Guillaume Afellat
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