Brussels, 12/10/2004 (Agence Europe) - At the occasion of the conference on the European Constitution organised on 11 October in Lisbon by the Portuguese trade union UGT, in the presence of the President-designate for the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, the General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), John Monks, said that positive developments in the social Europe field are essential to ensure popular support in Europe. Without a constantly active social dimension, it will be increasingly difficult for European citizens to approve the Constitution, the General Secretary said, seizing the opportunity of having Mr Barroso there to ask him to place emphasis throughout his tenure on the importance of a strong social dimension.
The future Constitution was the focus of discussions within the ETUC steering committee on 13 and 14 October in Brussels. A very heated debate was expected mainly because of the stance taken by the French trade union delegations (due to the fact, among other things, that Laurent Fabius is opposed to the Constitution).