SGI Europe President Pascal Bolo and General Secretary Valeria Ronzitti address EU leaders at the Tripartite Social Summit

On Wednesday 20 October 2021, Pascal Bolo, SGI Europe President, and Valeria Ronzitti, SGI Europe General Secretary, addressed the Tripartite Social Summit (TSS) videoconference in presence of, amongst others, Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President, Charles Michel, European Council President and Janez Janša, Slovenian Prime Minister.

During the opening round, Pascal Bolo, President, said:

“The National Recovery and Resilience Plans need to help create quality jobs and fair transitions by optimising the potential of the green and digital transformations. The rising energy prices are a reminder about the necessity to protect the most vulnerable, but should not put in question our climate ambitions. The EU Green Deal must remain our long-term growth strategy.”

“We call for focusing particularly on three key elements. We first need to build a consensus on education and vocational training, with a particular attention to public employment services and the identification of needs of the labour markets at sectoral and regional levels. We also call for addressing the vulnerabilities within our healthcare systems and reinvesting in hospitals whilst boosting the social economy. Finally, we need to reinforce our infrastructures in essential services, which are the pre-conditions for the acceptability of our environmental policies and the fight against poverty.”

Taking the floor during the open discussion, Valeria Ronzitti, General Secretary, commented:

“Skills and innovation will not, alone, make us the frontrunners in the green and digital transformation. Ensuring the proper management of the twin transition is calling for stronger welfare states. SGI Europe welcomes, in that context, the call of the European Commission to put on an equal footing investments and debt consolidation with the revision of the EU economic governance.”