8 November 2024
On Monday 4 November 2024, Valeria Ronzitti, SGI Europe General Secretary, addressed the meeting of the Macro-Economic Dialogue. The meeting brought together, amongst others, Mihály Varga (Minister of Finance, Hungary), Valdis Dombrovskis (Executive Vice-President, European Commission), Paschal Donohoe (President, Eurogroup), Christine Lagarde (President, ECB), and social partners. It focused on two core topics: the recent developments in the economic situation and a thematic topic chosen by the Hungarian Presidency on “demographic changes impacting competitiveness”.
On this occasion, SGI Europe highlighted the historic responsibility of the EU to turn the current challenges into opportunities and ensure that our fiscal and structural policies make our economy more productive, competitive, and resilient. It will be essential to mitigate the impact of demographic ageing on our competitiveness while ensuring that future investments do not suffer from expanding national budgets related to ageing.
With the ETUC and SMEunited, SGI Europe also called for effective social partner consultations to implement the new EU economic governance and strike the right balance between investments.
Contact: Guillaume Afellat
On 7 November 2024, SGI Europe held a meeting of its Transport Task Force in Cologne, hosted by its member Stadtwerke Köln. This event offered a platform to connect with local partners Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG (HGK) and Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe (KVB) and their projects focused on mobility and climate policies.
Following a networking dinner with SGI Europe members and partners from Stadtwerke Köln, HGK, and KVB, Task Force members exchanged views with representatives of the European Commission’s DG MOVE, providing insights on the upcoming EU port strategy and the need to enhance sustainable logistics networks across Europe.
After the meeting, Task Force members visited the KVB’s new electric bus depot in Porz, which is set to house 100+ e-buses as part of the transition of the entire bus fleet to alternative drives by 2030. It includes infrastructures to support charging, maintenance, and daily operations, with five bus lines already converted to electric.
Stadtwerke Köln, Cologne’s infrastructure and services company, oversees essential city utilities through subsidiaries like RheinEnergie (water and energy) and waste management, housing, and public transport operations. KVB and HGK are crucial players in the sustainable and climate-friendly transportation vision, managing urban and industrial transportation systems, respectively. HGK, a leader in intermodal freight, highlighted its efforts to shift cargo transport to rail and waterways, reducing CO₂ emissions in the supply chain.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
On Tuesday 5 November 2024, SGI Europe participated in the Ukrainian European Business Association’s (EBA) event focused on EU-Ukraine Economic Partnerships. This was the occasion to discuss enhancing EU-Ukraine relations, financing opportunities, and energy cooperation.
Around the table, experts and members of the EU and Ukrainian economic and industrial communities exchanged thoughts, questions, and proposals on strategies for strengthening cross-border cooperation between EU and Ukrainian businesses. Karin Karlsbro, the European Parliament’s Lead Negotiator for Economic Support to Ukraine, also attended the meeting. The occasion for participants to question her on the EU support to Ukraine and its economy, as well as the ongoing process of accession negotiation to the European Union, launched in 2023. In the meantime, MEP Karin Karlsbro confirmed the EU’s unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and economic resilience.
This conference allowed SGI Europe to recall the role it can play as an EU social partner in the EU accession process of Ukraine, especially regarding the EU social dialogue bit. SGI Europe also reminded it remains ready to stand by Ukraine’s side and provide its expertise to authorities and employer organisations.
This meeting has been followed up with a meeting between Valeria Ronzitti, SGI Europe General Secretary, Iaroslava Savastieieva, EBA Deputy Director for Operations, and Svitlana Mykhailovska, EBA Director for Advocacy, on Thursday 7 November 2024. An opportunity for both organisations to introduce their respective works and fields of expertise, and to explore avenues for cooperation in the near future.
Contact: Benoît Cassorla
SGI Europe and its partners of the A.C.C.E.S. project will organise the first sectoral workshop dedicated to the housing sector on Thursday 28 November 2024, from 12:00 to 17:30. The meeting will take place in Paris, with online participation possible.
One of the main objectives of the A.C.C.E.S. project is to define indicators for monitoring and evaluating the progress of access to essential services, considering the providers' needs. Together with experts, policymakers, and stakeholders, this workshop will explore ways to define and measure the accessibility, affordability, and quality of these services while responding to the evolving challenges posed by climate change. During the workshop, we will explore data collection on housing across Europe and discuss what aspects and characteristics should be considered when developing future indicators, particularly in the context of climate change and its impacts.
The event will be an opportunity to engage directly with EU representatives and national stakeholders, explore data and findings, share ideas and network with experts operating in the European housing sector. Travel and accommodation costs will be covered, but as places are limited, please register here as soon as possible.
Contact: Cecilia Martin
On Monday 4 November, the Eurogroup adopted a statement on the need to boost the competitiveness of the European economy. The Eurogroup, consisting of the finance ministers of the 20 Member States that use the Euro, emphasises the need to use public and private investment to finance EU priorities.
In particular, the Eurogroup believes that more synergies are required between public and private funding. It highlights that as public funding is currently limited, it should be primarily used to leverage private capital. This should happen both on a national and European level, in the latter case, through the increased involvement of the European Investment Bank.
The Eurogroup also expressed the opinion that European financing should focus on what can be most effectively delivered through the joint efforts of multiple Member States. While SGI Europe recognises the importance of such joint initiatives, the vital role that EU funding plays in supporting public services and services of general interest provided by local and regional authorities should not be understated.
Many such services are best provided on local or regional levels, in line with the principle of subsidiarity. Local and regional authorities have the local knowledge that is required to deliver these services effectively. The EU should continue to ensure that they have sufficient financial capacity by providing support through the Cohesion Fund. SGI Europe will continue to highlight this message as the EU works towards establishing the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
Contact: Ruben Sansom
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