Speech given by Katja Lehto-Komulainen, ETUC Deputy General Secretary PES: THE FUTURE OF EUROPE - Shaping our Future Together Rome, 24 March 2017 [Check against delivery]   Remettre de l’ordre idéologique et philosophique L’Europe a connu des temps difficiles. De nombreux travailleurs s’inquiètent pour leur avenir, leur emploi, leurs revenus et la situation de leur famille.

SECRÉTAIRE GÉNÉRALE ADJOINTE DE LA CONFÉDÉRATION EUROPÉENNE DES SYNDICATS CES KATJA LEHTO-KOMULAINEN ASSEMBLÉE SYNDICALE DU CONSEIL SYNDICAL INTERREGINAL PYREMED, 23.2.2017, À PERPIGNAN QUELLE EUROPE SOCIALE? Dear trade unionists and participants, It is a great pleasure for me to attend this meeting here in Perpignan.  

Commenting on the European Commission’s ’winter package’ on EU economic policy, ETUC Deputy General Secretary Katja Lehto-Komulainen said “There is a missing ingredient in EU economic policy – growth that benefits everyone. For recovery to reach all workers we need a pay rise for workers across Europe, and more public investment. The European Commission now needs to make specific recommendations on increasing wages, collective bargaining and public spending.”

Article by Liina Carr, published on Social Europe As MEPs Vote On CETA, Trade Unions Demand A New Approach To Trade After months of argument which brought hundreds of thousands of protestors onto the streets of European cities, the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is this week taking a further step towards implementation, with the vote in the European Parliament.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is launching a campaign for a pay rise for workers throughout Europe:  to drive economic growth and tackle inequality. Over the last two days European trade unionists have been discussing the need for pay rises with employers and Government at a conference in Brussels.   

On February 15 the European Parliament will vote on the reform of the EU’s pioneering Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). This is one of the main ways adopted by the EU to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and its reform is essential to meeting the EU’s commitments to tackle climate change agreed at the UN Paris climate summit.

Commenting on the outcome of the Valletta informal Summit, ETUC General Secretary Luca Visentini said  “The EU has decided to pay Libya, with a Government that controls only  a part of the country, to keep refugees and migrants out of Europe. To make matters worse they are paying for this out of development funds. It would be like Trump getting Mexico to pay for the border wall, except the EU has come up with a way to do it.”

Commenting on today’s EU Valletta Summit, ETUC General Secretary Luca Visentini said:

Speech by ETUC Deputy General Secretary Katja Lehto-Komulainen at European Parliamentary Week 2017; Interparliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the European Union; Towards a more comprehensive and coordinated social dimension   Mr. Chairperson, MEPs and members of national parliaments, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is an honour to speak here today on behalf of the European Trade Union Confederation, the ETUC. Conference,

Dear Readers, We have just published the January 2017 edition of the ETUC Newsletter. To read the document, please click here. Enjoy!

The President of the Eurogroup, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, “should focus on policy changes to boost recovery instead of making stupid comments”, said Katja Lehto-Komulainen, Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is warning the European Commission that the EU is in the ‘last-chance saloon’ to tackle popular resentment towards the EU.   Next Monday – January 23 – the European Commission will reveal its latest thinking on social policy and legislation at a conference “The European Pillar of Social Rights: going forward together” with President Juncker and Commissioner Thyssen.  

The European Commission this week proposed a “Services Package” of measures aimed at “making it easier” to provide services across Europe. European trade unions note that the Services Package shows improvements, but does not address some fundamental problems raised by the unions, including in our December red card.