The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) welcomed the election of the new President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, with several caveats.
“Considering the tiny majority Ursula von der Leyen got in Parliament, we urge the new President of the Commission to build an alliance with the democratic parties only, and to reconfirm the cordon sanitaire against the far right”, said Luca Visentini, Secretary General of the European Trade Union Confederation, referring to the very small majority obtained by the German candidate (see EUROPE 12297/1), built also with the help of some MEPs from the PiS and Fidesz parties.
For the Secretary-General, it is necessary to restore the bond of trust broken by the EU Council by the rejection of the Spitzenkandidaten by revitalising the social dialogue at European level, which is in a bad state under the current European Commission (see EUROPE 12259/20).
Admittedly, the unions welcome some of the new President's commitments, in particular the establishment of a minimum wage, the drafting of an action plan to implement the European pillar of social rights or the creation of a “Green deal” with a neutrality objective set for 2050.
But the unions would have liked a clear plan for a socially just ecological transition, and above all the need to extend social security coverage throughout the EU to atypical contracts, including digital platforms, but also for the self-employed.
Trade unionists were also expected to take concrete measures to strengthen “democracy at work”, a reference to the integration of migrants into the labour market, or the explicit mention of the integration of labour standards in free trade agreements.
The timetable is now tight. On Wednesday 17 July, the trade unions sent a letter to the new President to work on the 100-day programme, on which the European Commission services are already working. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)