Brussels, 21/09/2007 (Agence Europe) - The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Steering Committee, which met on Wednesday 19 September in Brussels, voiced concern about whether the Charter of Fundamental Rights would be included in the new treaty. ETUC General Secretary John Monks expressed ETUC's concerns in a letter addressed on Thursday 20 September to the presidents of the European Council, José Socrates, and European Commission, José Manuel Barroso. “We are concerned about rumoured attempts to obscure the position of the Charter, and to weaken is impact on member states. Already the Charter has been affected by acceptance of the UK's red lines. It is imperative that it has a legally binding effect on member states and is within the scope of jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice”, states Monks, calling on the intergovernmental conference on the reform of the treaty to ensure that the Charter of Fundamental Rights becomes legally binding on EU member states. (gb)