Brussels, 13/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - Sustainable development, enlargement and new WTO round are the three fields in which European trade unions expect progress at the Gothenburg Summit, declared the General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Emilio Gabaglio, stipulating:
1. Sustainable development: for ETUC, the Lisbon Strategy must remain the "central focus for economic and social development", but "integrating the environmental dimension is increasingly essential".
2. EU enlargement: following the disappointing outcome of the Irish referendum, the Summit must send out a strong message by which the first accessions will take place in time to enable the candidate countries to take part in the European elections of 2004;
3. Launch of the new WTO round: while in favour of multilateralism the EU must place emphasis on considerations regarding social standards and the respect of people at work.