Brussels, 01/08/2000 (Agence Europe) - The draft Charter of Fundamental Rights (see yesterday's EUROPE, pages 3 ad 4) has led to a feeling of disappointment, especially as regards social rights, says the General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Emilio Gabaglio, considering that "the latter are only set out with great reluctance and in vague wording that could even prove to be counterproductive". What Mr. Gabaglio finds particularly serious is the lack of a clear recognition of the rights of trade union organisations, of collective bargaining and the right to strike, including in their traditional dimension, given the increasingly integrated nature of the EU's economic area, and considers that this introduces a limit to trade union activities at European level at the very time when their participation is being solicited for the implementation of the new economic strategy decided by the European Council of Lisbon.
ETUC will examine the draft Charter in more depth, at the conference already convened for 31 August and 1 September in Brussels, with the Platform of European Social NGOs. "It is, however, obvious that, without substantial changes, the draft Charter could not be backed by the European trade union movement", Gabaglio warned, launching an appeal on Heads of State or Government, who have the last word, not to approve "a Charter the content of which would be backsliding in relation to the goal of building a Social and Citizens' Europe, that they themselves refer to in their declarations".