Brussels, 19/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - In view of the six months of the Belgian Presidency, Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt received a delegation from the European Trade Union Confederation on 19 June, headed by its General Secretary Emilio Gabaglio. On that occasion, ETUC confirmed that it would organise a major trade union demonstration on 13 December, with the participation of delegations from EU countries and candidate countries. The ETUC delegation especially raised:
- the Laeken Declaration on the future of the Union, which has to allow for a "deepening of social and political Europe" and a "democratic Europe of the citizens". To prepare the 2004 IGC, ETUC is in favour of a convention, ensuring "systematic and permanent consultation of the trade union movement, economic forces and other organisations of civil society".
- the priorities of the social chapter of the future Presidency, which, says ETIUC, must be the definitive approval of the directive on worker information and consultation and, in the framework of the guidelines for 2002, an improvement of provisions concerning the quality of work..