The role of services of general interest (SGI) for competitiveness, social cohesion and democracy in the European Union

Key points

The EESC:

• calls for a holistic approach towards services of general interest policies (SGIs), as opposed to the current sectoral approach of EU policies, recognising the central role of modern SGIs in promoting sustainable prosperity and competitiveness. In this spirit, the EESC calls on the Commission to take action with concrete follow-up to the Letta report in the form of an SGI action plan;
• calls on the Member States to secure universal and equal access to affordable, high-quality basic services. This is a matter of social justice, since SGIs are delivered at a price that does not depend on the purchasing power of users;
• states that countries with an infrastructure investment policy and correctly funded servicing costs for quality public services enable their citizens and enterprises to spend less on ‘living/operating’ costs. The EESC therefore argues that it is necessary to properly fund and improve SGIs and to align them more closely with citizens’ needs in order to improve satisfaction and trust in democracy;
• underlines that a regional balance must be ensured when deploying investment in public services. In this sense, public investment, particularly in connection with the Cohesion Fund, deserves special consideration in the implementation of fiscal rules, reflecting their contribution to long-term convergence and resilience.