Brussels, 14/10/2009 Thank you for the privilege of inviting me to give the John Fitzmaurice lecture this year. I honour his memory and I follow in distinguished footsteps including those of Neil Kinnock, Margot Wallström and Geoff Hoon to address an old question about where Europe might be heading in the months and years ahead, an old question but one set against a rapidly changing landscape.

Bruxelles, 14/10/2009

Brussels, 05/10/2009 John Monks, ETUC General Secretary declared: 'It is a blow for the European trade unions to hear that an unknown person got into the DISK President's office and fired at him. We were relieved to hear that the wounds are not serious. These kinds of attempts are not acceptable. Trade union action is a right and trying to take the life of one of the leaders flouts this fundamental right'.

London, 05/10/2009 Commissioner Spidla, colleagues, we meet today to discuss climate change, the implications for existing jobs, the potential for new jobs, and the contribution this can make to helping resolve the economic crisis that we are currently in.

Brussels, 02/10/2009 Finding solutions to climate disturbances is a huge challenge. Climate protection cannot be tackled simply from the environmental point of view, it is also crucial to address the social issues if we do not want to see the inequalities exacerbated. This is why the ETUC is calling on decision-makers to pledge to address climate change by likewise taking account of the social and employment aspects.

Brussels, 23/09/2009 The G20 has to take strong action on effective financial market regulation. To limit executive pay and bonuses would be useful and desirable but it is not enough. Binding decisions on financial market supervision and sufficient capital reserves requirements are the key to ensuring that such a crisis cannot happen again. It is also important to tackle tax heavens.

Brussels, 23/09/2009

Brussels, 21/09/2009 By scrapping the full association agreement with the Andean Community, the European Union flies in the face of the strategy launched with the Rio Summit in 1999 (and which it reiterated at subsequent summits) in support of the development of political associations that strengthen integration and social cohesion processes in Latin America.

Brussels, 16/09/2009

Brussels, 16/09/2009 Despite the massive support of governments to the banks, (three trillions of euros in capital and bank guarantees, massive liquidity at almost zero interest rate), credit for productive investment remains squeezed whereas, at the same time, speculative behaviour are reappearing again together with overblown bank profits and bonuses for the bankers and their traders.

Pittsburgh, 14/09/2009 Sisters and brothers, retirement dinners can be strange affairs. When I left the British TUC to go to the European TUC, we had a splendid dinner, like this, in London. By the way, a guest of honour was Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United. That won’t mean much to you Americans, but to anyone who follows the real football – just the rest of the world – it means a lot. That night, I listened to many kind words, exaggerated tributes, recitations of claimed victories, gentle irony on things which went less well.

Brussels, 11/09/2009 {"It is far from clear if this is a step in the right direction. There is still a lack of any precise idea about what form a strengthening of the Posted Workers Directive would take. Is the President of the Commission recognising the case for equal pay, for equal work for Posted Workers? It is disappointing that he has not made any move on the ETUC proposal for a Social Progress Protocol. These points must be pursued and clarified in the Parliament, and the ETUC will be taking them up with the President." }