6 March 2026
SGI Europe took part in the conference “Helping vulnerable people in the clean transition: the role of the Social Climate Fund”, organised by the European Commission on 5 March 2026 in Brussels. The event brought together EU institutions, social partners and stakeholders to discuss how to ensure that the green transition is both environmentally ambitious and socially fair.
On this occasion, the Commission officially launched the European Fair Transition Observatory (EFTO), a new initiative aimed at strengthening the monitoring and analysis of the labour market and social impacts of the transition towards climate neutrality.
Speaking during the launch session, SGI Europe highlighted the central role of services of general interest in delivering the green transition. He stressed that sectors such as energy networks, water services, waste management, local transport and housing provide the infrastructures that make decarbonisation possible across Europe.
SGI Europe underlined that the success of the transition will depend on the capacity of these sectors to address labour shortages, ageing workforces and growing skills needs, while maintaining quality employment and strong local services.
SGI Europe also welcomed the creation of EFTO as a tool to strengthen the evidence base on the employment impacts of the transition, in line with the implementation of the Council Recommendation on ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality.
As a member of the EFTO Advisory Board, SGI Europe will contribute by bringing the operational perspective of employers delivering essential services across Europe and by supporting exchanges between stakeholders on workforce and territorial challenges linked to the transition.
Contact: Guillaume Afellat
After multiple delays, the European Commission published on Wednesday 4 March, a legislative proposal for the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), an instrument designed to create manufacturing jobs in Europe and boost its industrial base, all while supporting cleaner and future-ready technologies. It sets a goal of increasing manufacturing's share of EU GDP to 20% by 2035.
The IAA introduces “Made in EU” and low‑carbon requirements for public procurement and public support schemes in selected strategic sectors, such as steel, cement, aluminium, cars, and net‑zero technologies, which could also be extended to other energy-intensive sectors. Through these measures, the Commission aims to strengthen the EU’s production capacities and boost demand for EU-made clean-tech and other products.
The proposal also encourages greater reciprocity in public procurement, providing equal treatment for countries that grant EU companies access to their own markets. Manufactured content from countries with which the EU has concluded free trade area or customs union agreements, or that are part of the Agreement on Government Procurement, will be considered Union origin as long as those agreements include relevant obligations.
Furthermore, under the proposal foreign direct investments above €100 million by companies originating in countries that hold more than 40% of global production capacities in Electric Vehicles, batteries, solar technologies, and critical raw materials will be subject to conditions, such as EU shareholding majority, technology transfer, integration into European value chains, or the creation of high-quality jobs in the EU, as well as a minimum of 50% level of European employment.
Finally, Member States will also be required to adopt a single digital permitting procedure to streamline and accelerate manufacturing projects.
Contact: Raquel Carro-Andollo
On 5 March, the Energy and Transport Task Force met in Brussels, led by Energy TF Vice-chair Eleonora Capaccioli (Utilitalia) and Transport TF chair Mihai Chirca (Transdev). The discussions addressed the EU Climate and Energy Agenda, looking at the current debates on the Emission Trading System and the socially fair transition.
Both Task Forces were also discussing the value and challenges of Digital sovereignty in light of the upcoming Cloud and AI Development Act and the Strategic roadmap for Digitalisation and AI in the Energy sector. The Sustainability Board, announced during its meeting on 25th February, will collect topics in each Task Force on the challenges that giga factories can pose to critical infrastructure, the opportunities and risks that may arise from the new digital economy, and how SGIs can cope with the new demands.
During the Energy TF meeting, members welcomed guest speaker Mr Lorenzo Paliotta from DG Ener, who presented the Staff Working Document on the EU Framework to strengthen energy security. This evaluation focuses on the two pillar regulations: the Security of Gas Supply (2017/1938) and the Electricity Risk Preparedness (2019/941). It marks a critical step towards the legislative revisions planned for the first half of 2026. The comprehensive document analyses how the EU’s energy architecture performed over recent years, specifically examining the 2021-2023 energy crisis and the April 2025 blackout across the Iberian Peninsula. SGI Europe has been at the forefront of this evaluation process. Following our active participation in the Commission's stakeholder consultations, our efforts have ensured that essential social services must now be taken into account when evaluating security of supply for both gas and electricity.
The publication is foreseen by the European Commission on 19 May together with the Electrification Action Plan and the Heating and Cooling strategy.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
SGI Europe has launched the LABOUR-INT project's new website. This website showcases the project’s objectives, partners, ongoing activities and national initiatives, while serving as a hub for stakeholders interested in the project’s work.
The LABOUR-INT initiative promotes multi-stakeholder cooperation between employers, trade unions, public authorities and civil society organisations to support labour-market integration pathways for migrants and refugees. By bringing together these actors, the project aims to improve skills assessment, training and job placement while strengthening cooperation between labour-market institutions across Europe.
SGI Europe, together with national and EU-level partners, is currently implementing the third edition of the project, LABOUR-INT III, which builds on the experience and results of the previous phases. Through capacity-building activities, networking, and pilot initiatives in Poland, Bulgaria, Slovenia, and Italy, LABOUR-INT III aims to strengthen labour-market actors' ability to support migrants’ integration and to ensure that their skills and qualifications are effectively matched with labour-market needs. The new website will serve as a key tool for disseminating project developments and fostering cooperation among stakeholders across Europe.
Read more about the project and explore the new website here: https://www.labour-int.eu/
Contact: Cecilia Martin
On 4-5 March 2026, the European Committee of the Regions held its 170th Plenary Session in Brussels. During this plenary, two opinions were unanimously adopted, urging the European Union to improve and simplify the Single Market and to place local and regional authorities at the heart of both its broader reform strategy and its funding programme, especially in view of the adoption of the EU long-term budget 2028-34.
The opinion on the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (2028-2034) has been approved after sharing CoR's main concerns about the next long-term budget of the European Union, 2028-2034, with Piotr Serafin, EU Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration. The main message was about the need to strengthen the role of regions and cities in enhancing competitiveness and security, supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy, reversing demographic decline, and tackling external threats and unexpected crises.
The debate on the long-term budget has been followed by another on Europe’s competitiveness, linked to the newly presented Industrial Accelerator Act, with Commission Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné. Local and regional leaders stressed that fully involving local and regional authorities is key to harnessing regional strengths and ensuring balanced territorial industrial development.
These two debates echoed SGI Europe's initiative on the Coalition for the Freedom to Stay, highlighting the need to address structural disparities between regions, including unequal access to high-quality services of general interest, as a key enabling factor of the completion of the Single Market and the future of the EU Competitiveness.
Contact: Benoît Cassorla
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