Oslo, 03/05/2013 {{Check against delivery}} President, Dear Roar, Dear Prime Minister Friends, Thank you for inviting me to speak to your congress. I am bringing you the warm and friendly wishes of all trade unions within the European Trade Union Confederation.

02/05/2013

Brussels, 02/05/2013 “This proposal by the Commission was both expected and needed, all the more given the increase in serious problems linked to discrimination and unequal treatment in Europe notably as a result of the application of transitional measures for the new Member States as well as and the increasing xenophobia in more and more Member States” stated Luca Visentini, ETUC Confederal Secretary.

Brussels, 30/04/2013 In many European countries, May 1st will be a day for mobilising against austerity and in favour of employment and social progress. The major problem continues to be mass unemployment which is growing and is accompanied by an increase in precariousness and a widening of the inequality gap. The fight against unemployment must be a priority of the European Union. The trade unions will seize the opportunity of May 1st to denounce the failure of macro-economic policies, which are moreover threatening the European project and democracy.

Brussels, 29/04/2013 The “ride”, which will cover France, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldavia, Ukraine, Russia and Azerbaijan, aims at promoting Decent Work throughout Europe and at raising attention on the issues that are of vital importance to all citizens and workers.

Brussels, 24/04/2013 Presenting today the results of the project “Fostering Youth Employment in Public Services”, jointly managed by the ETUC and the CEEP, the two partners highlighted the need to focus on this important issue for Europe’s future.

24/04/2013 The ETUC contributed to these proceedings by submitting joint observations in all five cases also asking the ECSR to conclude non-conformity with the requirements of the European Social Charter's. (2)

Brussels, 22/04/2013 The figures from the International Labour Organization are dramatic. Every day, 6,300 workers around the world die from the consequences of poor working conditions. In 5,500 of those cases, the victims suffer from diseases, and in particular cancers, caused by exposure to chemicals. Europe is far from exempt from this tragedy. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work estimates that there are some 160,000 deaths per year.

Brussels, 18/04/2013 More than ten years after the Commission launched an initiative on ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’, (CSR), it is a fact that less than 10 per cent of Europe’s biggest businesses regularly publish environmental and social information in addition to their financial balance sheets. It is for this reason that, on 16 April, the Commission amended the accounting directives in order to oblige big companies to include a ‘non-financial’ part in their annual report.

Brussels, 16/04/2013

Brussels, 2013

Brussels, 28/03/2013 Already back in 2006, the Commission began their earlier Green Paper on energy policy with the following sentence: “There is an urgent need for investment.” The same document identified “Energy for growth and jobs in Europe” as the first of six priority areas.

Brussels, 27/03/2013 “The conclusions of the High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth in February, set out proposals on regulatory compatibility and liberalisation, which will have enormous consequences for workers on both sides of the Atlantic”, stated Bernadette Ségol, ETUC General Secretary, “and yet the public is not privy to how the Commission or our governments will define the EU’s mandate. This is a huge challenge to democracy, and will not help engender public support for these negotiations.”