Brussels, 03/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - European Commission President José Manuel Barroso will be meeting the general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), John Monks, and the director general of BusinessEurope, Philippe de Buck, on Friday 4 June during a working breakfast to discuss social dialogue in Europe in the current context.
During the meeting, the trade union delegation - composed of John Monks, Joël Decaillon (ETUC Deputy General Secretary), Bernard Thibaut (General Secretary of the CGT, France), and Yannis Panagopoulos (President of the GSEE, Greece) - will reiterate its positions on austerity measures and on the need for growth in Europe (see EUROPE 10148). It will also set out its priorities, namely: (1) The EU needs a recovery plan to stimulate growth through its own development, as well as strong industrial policies based on a low-carbon approach and the use of new technologies. (2) It is urgent to bolster fiscal coordination at European level. (3) The EU must press on with its efforts to tighten financial regulations and develop new taxation revenues such as a tax on financial transactions.
The delegation will give the results of its executive committee on 1 and 2 June in Brussels, during which ETUC decided to begin a campaign against cuts in public spending and in favour of growth. A “Euro-demonstration” will be held in Brussels on 29 September this year. (G.B./transl.jl)