Helsinki, 05/06/2006 To be checked against delivery President, delegates, fellow guests. As Lauri knows, my Finnish is excellent but my English is better. If you believe all that, you will believe anything! So with some regret, I proceed in my mother tongue of English and must leave the language of Sami Hyypia to you. I have long admired this trade union federation and its affiliates. The Nordic model, and its Finnish variant, is the most successful trade union model anywhere in the world.

Brussels, 31/05/2006 At its meeting on 1 June, the European Council for Employment, social policy, health and consumer affairs will try to reach political agreement on the revision of the Working Time Directive (WTD).

Brussels, 30/05/2006 Ministers responsible for the internal market yesterday came to a political agreement on the opening of the services sector between Member States of the European Union.

Berlin, 24/05/2006 To be checked against delivery Liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen, Mein Deutsch ist sehr gut. Mein Englisch aber ist etwas besser. Deshalb bitte ich Euch um Nachsicht, wenn ich in meiner Muttersprache zu Euch spreche. Delegates, Allow me to go straight forward to some key issues that are of great importance for all of us.

Brussels, 23/05/2006

Warsaw, 19-21 May 2006 To be checked against delivery I am pleased to convey the greetings of the ETUC to the Congress of our newest ETUC affiliate, the OPZZ.

Brussels, 19/05/2006

Brussels, 11/05/2006 Says ETUC General Secretary John Monks: “Europe must be open to change. However, shifting the full burden of adjustment onto workers is not the solution. To reach higher productivity and more innovation, Europe needs a secure workforce.”

Brussels, 08/05/2006 Says John Monks, ETUC General Secretary: “The long run starts now, and it should start with full recovery from slump. The European Central Bank and finance ministers should be working to strengthen growth further in 2007 instead of removing aggregate demand stimulus.” {{ Main points of the ETUC report:}}

Brussels, 04/05/2006 Many successes have been achieved so far. Yet the ETUC is convinced that in order to give the RSC the bright future it deserves - as a cornerstone and core instrument for the protection of fundamental social rights throughout Europe - the following actions, amongst others, are crucial:

Brussels, 01/05/2006 Following EU enlargement in 2004, Member States had until 30 April 2006 to announce whether they would remove restrictions imposed on incoming workers from the new Member States of central and eastern Europe. From 1 May, these citizens have access to labour markets in Finland, Spain and Portugal. Belgium and France have also pledged to ease their rules gradually. Ireland, Sweden and the UK opened their labour markets from 2004 onwards, with recent studies reporting a positive impact on EU economies.

Brussels, 26/04/2006 The publication certainly indicates progress towards recognition of such services, and of the need to clarify the conditions for applying certain Community rules. The ETUC is happy to note the intention of setting the procedure for monitoring and dialogue within the framework of the open method of coordination, and stresses the need to consult the European social partners.

Brussels, 25/04/2006 “The way the French trade unions achieved their objective makes the ETUC optimistic,” John Monks will tell delegates. “Working in unity, together with young people and students' organisations, the movement shows how much influence it can have. I was glad to offer the ETUC's support.”