Paris / Brussels, 22/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin telephoned Roman Herzog, Chair of the Convention drawing up the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights, reminding him that France was a "secular Republic" and that the reference to the "EU's religious heritage" that appears in the version of the Charter approved by the Convention's Bureau on Wednesday was "unacceptable" to France (see yesterday's EUROPE, pages 3 and 4, including for the objections raised by the French Socialist Pervenche Beres, notably suggesting replacing "religious" by "spiritual"). It is French Foreign Minister Pierre Moscovici who told AFP that adding the word "religious" in the text raised "philosophical, political and constitutional" problems for France.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) considers that the new draft Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU is even worse than the previous one and that it "could put an end to economic liberalisation in Europe". The British employers continue to strongly oppose the inclusion of the right to strike, to the possibility of organising collective actions at all levels, as well as recognition of the right to worker information and consultation. Regarding the new wording of the article on collective action, they fear in particular that this provision could authorise British workers to strike in support of employees in their company who are striking in another country, whereas secondary striking has been banned in the United Kingdom since the 80s.