Brussels, 16/11/2007 Reacting to indications that the Commission is poised to reject proposals for a directive on services of general interest (public services), the ETUC Steering Committee on 15 November warned the Commission that it must give a proper place to public services in the EU single market and not subject them to the same tests as the market sector.

Brussels, 13/11/2007 The trend fall in the share of wages in gross domestic product is substantial (see graph). With policies of wage moderation being the root cause for this trend, it is not consistent for European policy actors to regret on the one hand the falling share of wages while on the other hand calling for wage moderation to continue.

Brussels, 09/11/2007

Brussels, 08/11/2007 He drew attention to trade union concerns about the European Commission's proposals for reform of the TDIs, outlined last year in a Green Paper. And he warned of the danger of environmental and social dumping if standards are lowered, in the absence of a global competition law.

Brussels, 08/11/2007 It is an honour for me to present the concluding remarks of this seminar on the European Union's Trade Defence Instruments.

Brussels, 08/11/2007 The argument the ETUC puts to the ECB in support of an interest rate cut is based on the common but crucial understanding that monetary policy must be forward-looking. If the ECB does not put itself at the front of the economic curve, it risks entrenching negative growth expectations and repeating the dismal growth performance of the first half of this decade.

Brussels, 05/11/2007 Media quality is under threat because of a failure of investment and resources. Urgent action is needed to improve staffing levels, workloads, resources and budgets, to enable journalists and all who work with them to continue producing high quality output. The Stand up for Journalism campaign highlights a social and professional crisis in modern journalism.

Budva, 30/10/2007 To be checked against delivery Thank you for the opportunity to express a trade union perspective on all this. Let me start by expressing the appreciation of the ETUC to those who have made all this possible. To the Belgian and Swiss Governments whose commitment and far sighted support has been crucial; and to our hosts, the Republic of Montenegro.

Copenhagen, 29/10/2007 To be checked against delivery President, delegates, fellow guests: It is a pleasure to return to Denmark, the country which has given the world Hans Christian Andersen, Peter Schmeical and flexicurity. All these have played a significant part in my life at one time or other! Last week at a meeting in Lisbon, the ETUC agreed with Europe’s employers a joint analysis of Europe’s labour markets including flexicurity.

Brussels, 26/10/2007 The ETUC hopes that the EU-Africa Summit in December will pursue this structured strategic partnership. The main concern of trade union organisations is to ensure that trade, development, social and foreign policies go hand in hand and do not contradict each other. “This the reason why we have been particularly attentive to the inclusion of sustainable development chapters in every EU trade agreement. And sustainable development naturally includes social as well as environmental factors”, declared Maria Helena André”.

Brussels, 26/10/2007 Many trade union leaders from both Africa and Europe are concerned by the minimal attention that the Joint Strategy devotes to labour issues and decent work. This lack of interest from EU and AU leaders is hard to understand as the creation of more and better jobs is a common aspiration of peoples from both Europe and Africa.

Lisbon, 26-27/10/2007 To be checked against delivery I would like, first, to thank the Portuguese Presidency for having initiated this conference, and also the Commission and our affiliates in Portugal, UGTP and CGTP-IN, for their help and support. We hope that this meeting sets a precedent and that if, as we hope, the EU-Africa Summit in December decides to pursue an ambitious and well-structured Strategic Partnership, then such trade union meetings will become a regular part of it.

Brussels, 23/10/2007 The ETUC is in favour of a comprehensive policy at EU level on migration, integration and development, offering legal channels for migration at all skills levels, while at the same time rigorously applying and enforcing labour standards and guaranteeing equal treatment with local workers.