04/04/2003 (Agence Europe) - Emilio Gabaglio, Secretary General of the European Confederation of Trade Unions (ETUC) protested that with regard to "participatory democracy the Convention's Presidium gave birth to a mouse". He also said that what is "particularly unacceptable is the lacking of any reference to the social partners specific role as well as to social dialogue (see page 4). He criticised that fact that the "text totally ignores the unanimous conclusions on the matter of the Social Europe Working Group; it marks a regression in relation to the present Treaty; it makes no case of the proposals of ETUC, UNICE and CEEP, the organisations recognised as being representative of business and trade unions in Europe. For a Union intended to be closer to the citizens it is frankly a bad start".