Joint Statement: EU Social Economy Networks call for better State Aid’s SGEI de minimis rules

RREUSE joins other EU Social Economy Networks, ENSIE and Social Economy Europe, and Social Services Europe, in submitting proposals for better State Aid rules for social economy actors and social service providers in the recent public consultation for the future version of the SGEI de minimis Regulation opened by the European Commission.

This joint reply should help to better bring in the perspective, concerns and proposals by key EU-level networks of social economy providers of services of general economic interest (SGEI) which currently operate under a framework that does not clearly recognise their missions for the general and collective interest. 

The joint answer to the public consultation on de minimis SGEI rules calls for the following:

• An adjustment of the Services of General Economic Interest (SGEI) de minimis ceiling to account for increased prices.
  The new ceiling should take into account the increased prices for services and goods, higher inflation and current and future investment needs of social service providers and social economy actors, including social enterprises active in the circular economy.
• Alignment of SGEI concepts and definitions.
  Social enterprises need to be better acknowledged in the regulation by having a clear definition as part of Article 2.
• Strengthening of the transparency requirements.
  Among other things, the transparency requirements should be formulated as simply as possible to allow for a non-bureaucratic application of both de minimis regulations to enable speedy and easy checking at all levels of administration.
• Ensuring effective implementation of the Regulation.
  The EC should continue providing capacity-building measures for public officials at local, regional and national levels, to apply the state aid rules in a way to tap the full potential of social enterprises and all social economy actors.