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Image header Agence Europe
Europe Daily Bulletin No. 8914
GENERAL NEWS / (eu) eu/spring summit/stability pact

Trade unions' enthusiastic “yes” to making Pact more flexible but employers are more circumspect

Brussels, 22/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the president of the European Council, Jean-Claude Juncker, said during the press conference after the Tripartite Social Summit (see below) that he noted “with satisfaction difficult to contain” the social partners' reaction to the agreement between finance ministers on the Stability Pact, an agreement that was “welcomed with more effervescence on one side of the room than on the other”. Speaking to the press, John Monks, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, said he welcomed the deal which is “strongly supported by ETUC”. The General Secretary of the European employers' organisation (UNICE), Philippe de Buck, stressed the efforts made by Jean-Claude Juncker to achieve this result and hoped that the effort would be recognised “tomorrow” (by the European Council). He did, however, qualify this by saying: “I am afraid that between the text and the implementation there might be differences. I count on you …. To maintain a strong Pact”. “I join you in these words of hope”, Mr Juncker replied, expressing the hope that “texts and reality” would be the same when it comes to the documents from employers. “I am dying to discuss the Stability Pact with Angela Merkel” (CDU President), Jean-Claude Juncker told the press before going on to Meijse, near Brussels, to take part in the traditional pre-European Council summit organised by the European People's Party, presided by Wilfried Martens, before the European Council opens on Tuesday evening.

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