30/06/2017 (Agence Europe) – “The ETUC (European Trade Union Confederation) totally rejects, and is shocked by, the assumption in the reflection paper that social spending does not have a high added-value”, raged ETUC Confederal Secretary Liina Carr in a press release published on Wednesday 28 June in response to the reflection document on the future of EU finances published the same day (see EUROPE 11818). The trade unions, just like the regions (see other article), are unhappy that the Commission might consider cutting the budget allocated to territorial, social and economic cohesion in future and they call, on the contrary, for it to be raised. More generally, the ETUC calls for an increase in own resources, the European budget and, certainly, the European Social Fund, along with the continuation of the Youth Employment Initiative. (PH)