SGI Europe Opinion on the Priorities for 2024-2029

With EU elections scheduled in June 2024, the future of Europe will take shape in the aftermath of the completion of Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian war in Ukraine. We call for providers and employers of services of general interest (SGIs) to play an essential role in engaging in shaping this process, building upon the European roots of SGI enterprises serving, directly and indirectly, the EU economy and citizens. With the emergence of new policy priorities at EU level, SGIs must now be considered as a pillar for the future of the EU, and provided with the right framework to flourish.

As EU cross-industry social partner, SGI Europe and its members will contribute to creating a fair and just EU. SGI Europe calls for creating the right conditions for re-invigorating the EU social dialogue, through the involvement of social partners in all initiatives with direct or indirect impacts on the labour market. We also call on EU institutions to clearly and explicitly recognise the role played by SGIs – as providers of essential services – in the EU social and economic model.

SGIs and public services are central in the success of the Single Market. To further improve its relevance for citizens, SGI Europe calls for:

• Improving the relevance of the EU on the global stage, through the procurement of EU Public Goods;
• Updating the EU economic governance and the framework for state aid (through phasing out of the temporary state aid frameworks and adjusting the guidance for assessing state aid) to provide member states with room to invest in SGIs;
• Guaranteeing the non-discrimination between private and public undertakings, in line with the EU Treaty provisions, and set ensuring up a level-playing field for all enterprises to deliver for the benefits of citizens.

SGI Europe calls for the continuous development of the EU capacity to anticipate and prevent future crises, through a commitment to enhance the “foresight capacity of the EU” and the development of alternative indicators to measure growth and prosperity beyond GDP, integrating social and environmental factors.

SGI Europe calls for ensuring a “human-centric” approach to AI and further develop digital networks. Such approach should focus on two pillars:

• Bridging the digital divide and ensuring fairness in the digital world, and updating the concept of “universal mandate” to include the digital dimension;
• A human-centric approach to disruptive new technologies, with the “human-in-control” principle and the protection of personal data at its core.

To face the investment challenge, SGI Europe calls for the systematic implementation of the following four principles to finance the EU re-industrialisation:

• Promote the deployment of financial instruments where they can add value and business models exist;
• Encourage cooperation between long-term public and private investors;
• Establish an appropriate transparency framework for the use of funds;
• Strengthen the capacity to support project promoters.

To prevent the creation of additional administrative burden on SGIs, SGI Europe stands ready to support the European Commission in developing “SGI-oriented Impact Assessments”, to be integrated into the Better Regulation toolbox and the impact assessments.