Now the EU faces a crisis. For the first time in its history, the people of one of the six founding Member States have rejected the way Europe is constructed. It seems to be not a rejection of Europe in general, but of a neo-liberal Europe. It is also a reaction to fears of high unemployment, delocalisation and insecurity.

The ETUC has been warning for some time that support for European integration would ebb away if not enough attention was given to the social dimension. Unfortunately, we have been proved right. The Constitution, which is not neo-liberal, has become a casualty of Member States ignoring Social Europe.

This must therefore be a clear signal to the European Union that it has not listened enough to the voice of Social Europe. The internal market must be linked to a strong social dimension, taking into account workers’ and trade union concerns. The EU has to get back in touch with the people and their demands.

We now need a period of reflection and, also of course, to consider the democratic decisions of the other member states.