SGI Europe meets European Council President António Costa

On 28 May 2026, SGI Europe President Ingbert Liebing and General Secretary Valeria Ronzitti met with António Costa, President of the European Council, to discuss the issues at the top of the agenda for the next meeting of the European Council, and highlight how the Freedom to Stay can help reconnect the Single Market with citizens, territories and enterprises.

Ahead of the upcoming European Council meeting on 18-19 June, where EU leaders are expected to discuss the next Multiannual Financial Framework, SGI Europe underlined the importance of recognising the Freedom to Stay as a strategic European objective. This principle should be reflected in the future EU long-term budget for 2028-2034, the implementation of the “One Europe, One Market” roadmap, the forthcoming Right to Stay Strategy, and the EU’s broader preparedness and resilience agenda.

At a time of growing security and preparedness needs, economic uncertainty, demographic change, and increasing territorial divides, SGI Europe stressed that the EU must ensure that people and enterprises are not forced to leave the places they call home because essential conditions are missing.

Access to housing, transport, healthcare, education, energy, water, digital connectivity, postal services and decent job opportunities is both a social concern and a cornerstone of Europe’s competitiveness, cohesion and resilience.

Services of General Interest are the practical infrastructure of the Freedom to Stay. They make territories liveable, attractive and resilient, and enable all regions, including rural, remote, peripheral and less developed areas, to contribute to Europe’s prosperity.

SGI Europe therefore called for stronger investment in the infrastructure and services that underpin daily life across Europe. A competitive and cohesive Single Market must be built on the capacity of all territories to thrive, with SGIs recognised as essential infrastructure for Europe’s competitiveness, cohesion and resilience.