SGI Europe addresses the future of cohesion policy and calls for the Freedom to Stay to become a reality for all

On 10 December 2025, SGI Europe and MEP Camilla Laureti organised a meeting of the Intergroup at the European Parliament in Brussels - a first milestone in SGI Europe’s strategy to build an alliance of stakeholders committed to making the Freedom to Stay a cornerstone of the Single Market.

Featuring high-level speakers such as Kata Tüttő, President of the European Committee of the Regions, Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms, Enrico Letta, author of the “Much more than a market” report, as well as MEPs Cristina Guarda and Elena Nevado del Campo and members of the new Presidential Team of SGI Europe including Ingbert Liebing, President, this meeting marks an important step for the recognition of SGIs as cornerstones of the EU social and economic cohesion and its competitiveness.

Across speeches and interventions, three key takeaways further emphasised the key role of SGIs in the EU social and economic model:

1. Cohesion policy must remain ambitious and place SGIs at its core

There was strong institutional consensus that a robust cohesion policy is essential to reduce territorial disparities and to ensure that all regions can navigate the green, digital and demographic transitions. Services of general interest are not ancillary tools but structural pillars of a resilient, competitive and cohesive Union, and should be explicitly embedded in the future cohesion framework.

2. SGIs are long-term strategic investments that underpin territorial attractiveness and fairness

High-quality and accessible SGIs, from healthcare and education to energy, water, transport and digital connectivity, are decisive for regional development and citizens’ quality of life. Sustained investment in SGI infrastructure delivers multiple policy objectives simultaneously: territorial cohesion, local green jobs, lower living costs and long-term environmental sustainability. Treating SGIs as long-term investments is therefore essential to equal opportunities across territories.

3. The next MFF must operationalise the Freedom to Stay

Participants warned that chronic underinvestment in SGIs risks deepening territorial divides and creating a two-speed Europe. The Freedom to Stay must become a concrete policy objective in the next MFF, ensuring that citizens are not compelled to leave their regions due to inadequate services or limited opportunities. Long-term, strategic funding for SGIs is key to turning this principle into reality.

Throughout 2026, SGI Europe will build on this momentum with further initiatives that place SGI providers at the centre of Europe’s territorial development, reaffirming their vital contribution to the daily lives of citizens and enterprises across the Union.