The European Union has given long-lasting peace across our continent and has brought European people together around the fundamental values of democracy, human rights, freedom and equality. Democracy needs to be lived in order to remain alive. We therefore urge citizens across Europe to go out and vote in the European elections from 23-26 May 2019 in order to have a say on the future and to defend democracy, sustainable economic growth and social justice.

Joint appeal "Elect No Hate - For an EU election campaign free from intolerance and discrimination" by 22 organisations for EU elections campaigning free from intolerance, discrimination, hate speech and divisive rhetoric   Video by Thiébaut Weber, ETUC Confederal Secretary:

11 March 2019 - Civil society is calling for the immediate and complete removal of the “innovation principle” from Horizon Europe, the next EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, because it threatens the Precautionary Principle and is nothing more than an attempt to keep regulation of dangerous products at bay.

The European elections – 23-26 May 2019 – will be decisive for working people. The new European Parliament can either make the EU a better place, or undermine the European cooperation built up over many years. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) – with some 45 million working people in 90 trade unions in 38 countries – believes that a fairer Europe for workers is possible, based on democracy and social justice, quality jobs and higher wages, a socially fair and just transitions to a low-carbon and digital economy.

The sixth autonomous work programme of the European social partners supports the objectives of the 2016 quadri-partite statement on “A New Start for Social Dialogue1” to strengthen social dialogue at European and national levels; to foster the role and influence of national social partners in the European semester; and to step up capacity building support to national social partners, notably through the European Social Fund. The 2019-2021 Work-Programme addresses the six following priorities:

The ETUC Executive Committee supports sectorial collective bargaining and autonomy of sectorial social partners in Latvia! Latvia is one of the countries where coverage of collective bargaining of less than 35% and regarding which the ETUC in spring 2018 has issued an unprecedented ‘emergency alert’ highlighting the threat to achieve decent wages and working conditions for Latvian workers.