16 October 2026
SGI Europe participated in the Tripartite Social Summit in Brussels on 14 October, bringing together European leaders and social partners under the theme Driving Europe Forward. Discussions focused on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), competitiveness and quality jobs, and a Single Market that delivers for workers and enterprises.
Representing SGI Europe, President Ingbert Liebing highlighted the need to address high, volatile energy prices while maintaining investment in decarbonisation, secure energy supply, and resilient infrastructure. He stressed that Europe’s long-term response must accelerate investment in clean energy, electricity grids, storage, interconnections and energy efficiency to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.
President Liebing also called for the next MFF to serve as a long-term investment strategy, placing services of general interest, critical infrastructure and essential services at its centre. Alongside adequate funding, he emphasised the importance of enabling legislation, highlighting the forthcoming Public Procurement Act as an opportunity to simplify procedures, increase flexibility and help SGIs deliver more effectively.
Addressing labour shortages in services of general interest, President Liebing underlined the importance of ensuring that people can build a good life in the territories where they live. He called for a stronger focus on the Freedom to Stay, complementing the Single Market’s freedom of movement by supporting the services, skilled workers and infrastructure that sustain communities across Europe.
During the opening discussion, SGI Europe General Secretary Valeria Ronzitti emphasised that modernising the EU budget requires a mindset shift, moving beyond the perceived trade-off between cohesion and competitiveness. She underlined that cohesion is a fundamental condition for Europe’s competitiveness, rather than an opposing objective.
The Summit was attended by, among others, European Council President António Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
Contact: Guillaume Afellat
On 14 October 2026, SGI Europe, in cooperation with CER and CEMR, hosted a policy debate during the European Week of Regions and Cities. The discussion explored how the Freedom to Stay can be made practical through services of general interest, connectivity, and policy action across Europe’s territories.
Opening the debate, Nicola de Michelis, Director for Smart and Sustainable Growth and Programme Implementation IV at the DG REGIO, set out the Commission's perspective on translating the Freedom to Stay into a concrete European policy agenda.
The panel examined access to high-quality and affordable SGIs as a strategic investment in Europe’s economic and social model. MEP María Elena Nevado del Campo addressed how cohesion policy and the next EU budget can secure access to services in rural, island and depopulating areas. Ethem Pekin, Head of Economic Policy and Sustainability at the CER, explored connectivity as a condition for access to jobs, education, healthcare and other essential services. Bouke Arends, Mayor of Westland and Chair of the Netherlands delegation in the European Committee of the Regions, brought the local perspective on coordinating skills, employment, housing, mobility and services.
The discussion underscored a shared priority: the Freedom to Stay will only become tangible when EU investment, cohesion policy and local action work together to guarantee the services, connectivity and opportunities that allow every territory to remain attractive, resilient and economically viable.
The event was moderated by Alain Taccoen, Chair of SGI Europe’s Sustainability Board.
Contact: Benoit Cassorla
On Thursday 15 October 2026, SGI Europe Secretary General, Valeria Ronzitti, participated in the European Parliament conference “Rural Civil Dialogue: Opportunities and Challenges in Rural Areas – Strengthening Local Engagement in EU Policymaking”.
The panel on giving rural communities a stronger voice reiterated that the Freedom to Stay is a real possibility for businesses and people to remain, return, or build a future in the place they call home.
The SGI Europe Secretary General stressed that rural challenges required a transversal approach to Services of General Interest. Healthcare and care, education, housing, transport, energy, water, and connectivity form an interconnected ecosystem and cannot be addressed in isolation.
An opportunity to call for access to affordable and high-quality Services of General Interest to be assessed according to enterprises' and people’s lived experience, taking account of affordability, distance, quality, continuity and workforce availability. Common EU minimum access objectives should be translated into measurable territorial commitments and monitored through an indicator that could be integrated into the EU Semester. On top of that, the next Multiannual Financial Framework, through the NRPPs, but also the EU Competitiveness Fund, should provide stable investment adapted to territorial realities, supported by meaningful regional chapters and multilevel governance.
SGI Europe calls for rural civil society, territorial authorities, social partners, the business community and SGI providers to participate throughout policy design, implementation and monitoring. The Coalition for the Freedom to Stay helps connect all stakeholders, voices, evidence, and delivery expertise, translating political recognition into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
Contact: Benoit Cassorla
On 13 October, during this year’s European Week of Regions and Cities, SGI Europe took part in an event organised by two of its members, the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG) and the House of Dutch Provinces, together with the Dutch Water Authorities and the European Commission's representation in the Netherlands. The event brought together around 450 representatives of local and regional government to discuss key territorial priorities, including housing, the upcoming Circular Economy Act and the next Multiannual Financial Framework. SGI Europe contributed to a panel dedicated to the Circular Economy Act, bringing the cross-sectoral perspective of Services of General Interest into the discussion.
For SGI Europe, successful implementation will depend not only on higher circularity ambitions, but on Europe's ability to create a functioning market for secondary raw materials and circular products. To make this happen, we need to look beyond waste streams, include all economic actors, and value every part of the circular value chain.
That means creating reliable demand, including through minimum recycled-content requirements, while ensuring products are recyclable by design. It also means keeping material streams as clean and uncontaminated as possible through pollution prevention, the polluter-pays principle and effective Extended Producer Responsibility schemes.
At the same time, effective implementation must recognise Europe’s diverse territorial starting points. Local and regional authorities face different infrastructure needs, geographical conditions and investment capacities. Common European market rules should therefore be complemented by sufficient implementation flexibility and targeted cohesion funding, ensuring all regions can develop the circular infrastructure needed to deliver the transition on the ground.
This links directly to the Freedom to Stay. Strong waste, water, energy, transport, digital, and other SGI infrastructure can create local jobs, strengthen resilience, and allow citizens and businesses to thrive across all regions, not just where investment capacity is already strongest.
A circular transition will only succeed if implementation capacity is strengthened alongside European rules, enabling municipalities and operators to turn shared ambitions into practice.
The Circular Economy Act should therefore value all Services of General Interest across the full value chain and connect circularity with competitiveness, resilience and territorial cohesion.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
From 14 to 16 October, SGI Europe participated in the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) Committee meetings in Dublin, bringing together representatives from Member States, the European Commission and EU-level social partners to discuss the Fund's implementation and future priorities.
A central focus was the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034. The European Commission presented the latest developments in negotiations and the proposed National and Regional Partnership Plans, including a minimum 14% allocation to social objectives. However, this would not guarantee a dedicated ESF+ budget, with key financial arrangements still under negotiation. Against this backdrop, EU-level employers reiterated their call for increased and predictable ESF+ funding, particularly for skills development, vocational education and training, upskilling and reskilling, and social-partner capacity building. These investments are essential to address labour and skills shortages, support the green and digital transitions and strengthen social dialogue.
The meetings also marked the nomination of Tor Hatlevoll, from the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR/SKR), as a new employers' representative to the ESF+ Committee.
Discussions also covered the European Pillar of Social Rights, fair labour mobility and good practices from Ireland. SGI Europe reiterated the importance of strong partnership structures, meaningful social-partner involvement and sustained investment in people and services of general interest, priorities that remain central to its position on the future EU budget.
Contact: Cecilia Martin
Join us, stay informed
Subscribe to have all the latest news and developments delivered straight to your inbox.