Brussels, 05/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - In a recently published declaration on the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) states it is “disappointed by the lack of progress on the social dimension of the internal market, the recent unambitious social policy agendas, the standstill in the Lisbon Strategy, and the lack of action on services of general interest”. ETUC stresses that the constitutional debate should lead to a resolution that gives “adequate weight to Social Europe” and that the Charter of Fundamental Rights should “remain part of any final EU Constitutional Treaty”. Regarding the need to create more and better jobs, ETUC considers that the “role of the EU should be, through a combination of legislative and contractual instruments, to establish minimum standards for working conditions, designed to combat unfair competition and social dumping in the labour market and across borders”. On the subject of EU legislation, ETUC “welcomes the growing influence of the European Parliament in EU policy-making, and the willingness it has shown to listen to the voice of European citizens”. Among other things, it calls on the EU to adopt, as a matter of urgency, the draft directive guaranteeing equal treatment of interim workers and on the Commission to present proposals on the protection of new forms of atypical work.
ETUC, moreover, also expects the Commission to: - propose a general framework to support the efforts of member states aimed at ensuring the quality of services of general interest and their accessibility to all; - states its political resolve to use its right of own-initiative in the field of social policy in order to strengthen social policies and the European social model. The ETUC also encourages investment in environmental technologies and drastic reductions of greenhouse gases. Finally, it trusts that the other countries will subscribe to a declaration published by the labour ministers of nine EU member states on improving Social Europe (see EUROPE 9366). (gb)