The European Union is currently experiencing a period of significant upheaval. The financial crisis, structural changes in the economy and population decline in many regions combine to make a difficult situation even worse in respect of SGI. To mitigate these problems EU policy on economic, social and territorial cohesion aims to remove regional differences and to otherwise affect policies to ensure the right to the same service status regardless of localisation. This paper aims to discuss what a minimum level of SGI means to individuals and enterprises. The key EU policy documents offer no guidance in terms of defining what a minimum level of SGI is, for either individuals or enterprises. It is up to the Member States to define the thresholds; national policies, traditions and moral values thereby creating a vague and heterogeneous notion of what constitutes a minimum level of SGI provision.