4 September 2026
On 31 August 2026, SGI Europe joined the Committee of the Regions at the Fortezza Pisana in Marciana, Elba, for a high-level dialogue on the EU Strategy for Islands and the practical conditions needed to make the Freedom to Stay a reality for island communities. The event brought together local and regional leaders, local SGI providers, entrepreneurs, and island inhabitants to examine how the new Strategy can translate into tangible improvements in SGIs across Europe’s islands.
Held in a historic fortress on a small island, the dialogue highlighted the specific territorial and demographic challenges faced by island communities, and the role of services of general interest in ensuring Freedom to Stay. It was the first local dialogue organised on this theme, with the online participation of Enrico Letta, who called for organising as many local dialogues as possible to listen to the needs of those on the ground to deliver.
It was highlighted that Elba is a living example of why the Freedom to Stay cannot remain an abstract slogan, the debate confirmed the need for a broad, integrated coalition to overcome fragmentation and administrative burdens and turn the Freedom to Stay into a concrete reality for island communities.
The dialogue was organised by Luca Menesini and Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis from the European Committee of the Regions, the Province of Livorno, the Municipality of Marciana and SGI Europe.
Contact: Benoît Cassorla
During the summer, SGI Europe has been confirmed as an official member of the European Commission’s newly established Water Resilience Stakeholder Platform. Representing public service and SGI employers across Europe, SGI Europe will be represented by Dr. Michele Falcone, General Manager of Gruppo CAP and Chair of the SGI Europe Water Task Force.
Through Dr. Falcone’s leadership, SGI Europe aims to ensure that European water policy balances ambitious environmental standards with operational reality, public affordability and accessibility, and long-term infrastructure investment. Key priorities include enforcing the Polluter-Pays Principle, advocating for a total ban on persistent PFAS/TFA chemicals, securing dedicated EU funding, reaching a feasible water efficiency standard and scaling up nature-based solutions.
This appointment comes at a crucial political time. Over the EU summer break, a group of 31 MEPs, led by European Parliament Industry Committee Chairman Borys Budka, sent a letter calling on the European Commission to initiate a targeted revision of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The signatories argue that current WFD rules create obstacles for new critical raw material mining projects in Europe.
SGI Europe firmly opposes reopening the Water Framework Directive. "The WFD is the bedrock of European water protection," states Dr. Falcone. "Reopening the directive risks compromising its core protective nature and undermining water security under the guise of industrial shortcuts. Water resilience requires tackling pollution at its source, not weakening our foundational environmental safeguards".
Contact: Henriette Gleau
Eurofound has published a new report on the involvement of employer organisations and trade unions in the European Semester in 2024 and 2025. SGI Europe contributed to the research alongside the other EU cross-industry social partners, notably through a questionnaire addressed to national member organisations.
The findings highlight a clear gap between formal consultation and effective involvement. While 15 Member States reported consulting social partners in the preparation of their medium-term fiscal-structural plans, five reported no consultation and seven provided no information on consultation at all. More strikingly, only four employer organisations, in Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia and France, and one trade union considered their involvement in the preparation of the plans to be genuinely meaningful. In many countries, social partners reported being merely informed, consulted too late or involved through procedures that did not allow them to influence the final outcome.
This is particularly significant given that ministries of finance led or co-led the preparation of the plans in 24 Member States, while ministries responsible for employment and social affairs often played a more limited role. At the same time, Eurofound shows that social partner involvement works much better where there is genuine dialogue. Participation in European Semester fact-finding missions received a positive assessment in almost all Member States, demonstrating the added value of direct and structured exchanges.
For SGI Europe, these findings underline a simple point: consultation should not become a box-ticking exercise. Social partners need sufficient time, access to relevant information and clear feedback on how their contributions have been taken into account. This is essential if the European Semester is to deliver reforms that are both economically sound and grounded in labour-market realities.
Contact: Guillaume Afellat
On 2 September, the European Parliament’s Committees on International Trade (INTA), Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), and Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) held a joint public hearing on the proposed Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA).
MEPs, economic and trade experts, and industry stakeholders discussed how the IAA could strengthen Europe’s industrial competitiveness, reduce strategic dependencies and support investment in low-carbon production in Europe.
A key focus was ensuring genuine European value creation. MEPs raised questions about how to prevent circumvention and whether final substantial transformation alone should be sufficient for a product to qualify as “Made in Europe”. The scope of the IAA and the flexibility in applying its criteria were also part of the discussion.
Experts broadly agreed that the IAA could help Europe respond to a changing global economic landscape and create a more level playing field for European industry. However, they cautioned that the Act is not a silver bullet. A key challenge will be balancing protection of the EU single market with Europe’s competitiveness in third markets. Greater support for European supply chains and intermediate goods could help address this trade-off.
The hearing also highlighted the potential of predictable demand for European-made products to stimulate investment, strengthen industrial value chains and accelerate the green transition, while also supporting workers and job creation in the EU. Participants stressed that public support should underpin genuine value creation in Europe, going beyond final assembly to create strong European industrial value chains. Following the hearing, the European Parliament is expected to adopt its draft report on the IAA in December.
Contact: Raquel Carro-Andollo
On 18 September 2026, from 10:00 to 12:00, SGI Europe will participate in an online Networking Café bringing together EU-funded projects supporting the integration of migrants into the European labour market. The event will provide an informal space for organisations active in this field to exchange experiences, identify synergies, and explore new opportunities for cooperation.
The programme will feature short presentations of three projects funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). SGI Europe will present LABOUR-INT III, alongside GO2VET, presented by Claudia Ruta from ANOLF Marche ODV, and AMIL, presented by Marjan Shalchian from CIES ETS. The presentations will be followed by a question-and-answer session. During the second part of the event, participants will join breakout rooms for informal networking and discussions on common challenges, good practices and possible areas of collaboration.
SGI Europe members interested in migrant labour-market integration are warmly invited to participate and share their experience. To participate, please register here.
Contact: Cecilia Martin
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