Brussels, 23/03/2005
John Monks, General Secretary of the ETUC, strongly welcomed these moves and said:
“This is a victory for the ETUC, but a victory in a battle, not a war. The need now is to ensure that any new services directive is based on high standards, and is not designed to lower terms and conditions of employment, and undermine public services.
“The EU's decisions on the Services Directive and the Stability and Growth Pact show that neo-liberalism can be stopped, that Social Europe has powerful allies, and that trade unions can win in Europe.
“It also reinforces the case for a ‘yes' vote in the EU constitution. There never was a link between ‘Bolkestein' and the constitution. They were not the same thing. The constitution stands on its own and is the most pro-Social Europe treaty that Europe has ever had”.