20-21 February 2013, ITUH, Brussels This meeting is jointly organised by the Education Department of the European Trade Union Institute and EPSU. The aim of the two-day seminar is to help EPSU affiliates understand the various elements of the economic governance process at national and European levels and the role they can play in this. The seminar will include some explanatory sessions to ensure that participants are fully briefed on the different parts of the European Semester – the (...)

The ETUC’s economic and employment committee met in Brussels yesterday (2.10.12) to discuss several key themes related to austerity, economic governance and responses to the crisis. The main highlights are listed below along with the relevant documents and presentations. The net tightens on wages and collective bargaining Ronald Janssen of the ETUC outlined how wages were being targeted in two elements of the European Semester. In the country specific recommendations, 17 out of 27 EU (...)

(12 March 2012) The ETUC Executive adopted a declaration on the policies of the European Commission, ECB and International Monetary Fund towards Greece. It condemns as senseless demands to close Workers Funds and is concerned about the continuing attacks on the trade unions. The statement has been addressed to Presidents Herman Van Rompuy (Council), José-Manuel Barroso (European Commission) and Martin Schulz (European Parliament), the Prime Ministers of Denmark (presiding the Council of (...)

(24 March 2011) Corporate Observatory Europe with whom EPSU collaborates in the Alter-EU and Reclaiming Public Water Network has published an interesting analysis of influence of large Capital and Big Business on the European Commission. The Commission and Council have accepted specific wording and proposals of Business Europe when drafting the EuroPact. To read the comparison: (...)

(Brussels, 4 March 2011) The European Commission has introduced a series of legislative proposals to strengthen the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) and to deal with macro-economic imbalances. These proposals were introduced in the wake of the pressures of international financial markets on Greece and other European countries. The EPSU group met to consider these and other developments like the Annual Growth Survey which heralded the start of the European economic semester. European (...)