SGI Europe and members of the SGIs Network launched the Coalition for the Freedom to Stay

On 23 February 2026, SGI Europe, together with members of the SGIs Network and MEPs from the Intergroup on Services of General Interest and the Social Economy, launched the Coalition for the Freedom to Stay.

Launched during a high-level event featuring Enrico Letta, author of the report on the future of the EU Single Market, as well as MEPs Camila Laureti (S&D, IT), Marion Walsmann (EPP, DE) and Karlo Ressler (EPP, HR), the Coalition builds on a simple principle: while the Single Market guarantees the Freedom to Move, Europe’s long-term competitiveness depends equally on ensuring that people are not compelled to leave their regions due to structural gaps. Indeed, many citizens leave their regions and companies relocate not because they want to, but because access to affordable and high-quality SGIs such as hospitals, education, transport and other essential services is insufficient due to decades of underinvestment.

Opening the event, Enrico Letta highlighted that “as one of the cornerstones of the Single Market, the Freedom to Stay must ensure that mobility remains a choice, not an obligation.”

Speaking at the launch event, Valeria Ronzitti, SGI Europe General Secretary, underlined:

“Thanks to Enrico Letta’s report, the Freedom to Stay has finally been embedded in the European debate at the highest level. The challenge ahead is to turn it into reality.

As the European Council prepares a roadmap for completing the Single Market, the territorial dimension mustn't be overlooked. While other enabling pillars are already moving forward, the Freedom to Stay risks remaining the ‘Cinderella’ of the agenda.

This is why we have launched today a broad, bottom-up coalition: territorial access to essential services must become a concrete European priority. We aim to create a political signal that EU institutions cannot afford to ignore.”

The Coalition will bring together enterprises, social partners, local and regional actors, policymakers and civil society organisations committed to a balanced European model that combines competitiveness, social cohesion and preparedness.

Find more and join the Coalition on www.freedomtostay.eu.