SGI Europe Comments on the 2022 State of the EU

On Wednesday 14 September 2022, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, presented her State of the Union address. Taking stock of the current challenges and achievements, President von der Leyen put forward initiatives for answering the urgency stemming from the war with Russia while shaping the future of the EU.

Commenting on President von der Leyen’s speech, Valeria Ronzitti, General Secretary of SGI Europe, said:

“Facing challenges of historic proportions, it is essential to properly articulate answers to the urgency whilst preserving the EU’s long-term ambitions. SGI Europe, therefore, welcomes that President von der Leyen not only highlighted short-term solutions to the skyrocketing energy prices but also reflected on the fundamentals of the Single Market and a new paradigm for the European social market economy.”

“Enabling the social market economy and unlocking the competitiveness and innovation potential of the EU, services of general interest must be an integral part of the solution. When the fundamentals of the EU model are under threat, the accessibility, affordability, and quality of the essential services provided by SGIs should be at the heart of the long-term policy choices for the security of citizens and enterprises. Building upon the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe, the European Convention should transform this paradigm into a structural feature of the EU architecture and values.”

 “Two other essential elements of these fundamentals are the long-due review of the EU economic governance and an increased focus on skills.
On the EU economic governance, we look forward to the review announced for October, wishing for it to provide Member States with a framework enabling long-term investment, including in services of general interest, to boost the EU’s competitiveness without compromising the sustainability of public finances.
On skills, SGI Europe stands ready to contribute to the European Year of Skills. With its project “Green Skills in VET”, SGI Europe has been identifying and anticipating future skills needs for the green transition. Therefore, we deem it essential to involve Social Partners and education providers to deliver concrete outputs and better match skills needs and education curricula.”

(Photo: EC - Audiovisual Service)