EU at a crossroads: time to step up on social progress and fair trade, Sliema - Main contents

wikimedia/Balazs Sudar

Extraordinary meeting of the Workers' Group

Following the publication of President Juncker’s White Paper on the Future of Europe, Maltese and European trade unions and the Maltese government agree that it is of the outmost importance to address the social deficit in Europe. This is why on the 11^th and 12^th May, the EESC’s Workers’ Group will hold an extraordinary meeting in Malta, on the occasion of the Maltese Presidency, to discuss among others the urgent need to achieve upward convergence in terms of living and working conditions between and within EU countries.

Workers and citizens will only regain their trust in the EU if it finds and delivers concrete solutions to their problems, by providing quality jobs and full employment, equal economic and social opportunities, social protection and personal security and well-being. The EU can only have a viable future if it changes the direction of its policies by accompanying them with a strong Social Pillar.

Against this background, the first day will be devoted to the economic and social situation in the host country and the priorities and programme of the Maltese Presidency. A welcome address by Workers' Group President Gabriele Bischoff will open an important panel. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will give a speech on the challenges for the Maltese Presidency and the results. With the Minister for the Family and Social Solidarity, Michael Farrugia, the Minister for Finance, Edward Scicluna, the Minister for Education and Employment, Evarist Bartolo, and the Minister for Tourism, Edward Zammit Lewis, we will address social and economic cohesion, the labour market situation and industrial relations in Malta and in the EU. Important contributions are also expected by Josef Bugeja, Secretary General of the General Workers Union of Malta, Josef Vella, Chief Executive Officer of the Maltese Union UĦM Voice of the Workers, Ian Borg, Parliamentary Secretary for the EU Presidency 2017 and EU funds, and Georges Dassis, President of the EESC.

The second day will focus on how to achieve a fairer, more transparent EU trade policy, which actually benefits workers and citizens, without jeopardizing social standards or the freedom of trade unions. Important contributions are expected by Professor of Labour Law, Reingard Zimmer, and Walloon government (Belgium) representative, Thierry Delaval, on CETA, as well as by Silvio Schembri, Member of the Maltese Parliament, Nikos Zaimis, European Commission, Liina Carr, ETUC Confederal Secretary and member of the Workers' Group, and Tanja Buzek, member of the Workers' Group.

Our Members alongside other trade unionists from Europe and worldwide have repeatedly stressed that trade agreements should not be only about the exchange of goods and services, but include provisions on sustainable development, transparency, and ensuring workers' and consumers' rights. The active involvement of civil society in the negotiations on any trade agreement is crucial to guarantee the integration and application of such provisions. It is about achieving a fair globalisation that profits everyone by enforcing basic principles like equal pay for equal work. Fair trade would also contribute to tackle the root causes of economic migration, in line with the Maltese government’s holistic approach to migration which includes promoting sustainable investment in Africa and the Neighbourhood.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is an EU advisory body comprising representatives of workers' and employers' organisations and other interest groups. It issues opinions on EU issues to the European Commission, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament, thus acting as a bridge between the EU's decision-making institutions and EU citizens.

What does the EESC do?

It gives the interest groups a formal say on EU legislative proposals. Its 3 key tasks are to:

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  ensure that EU policy and law are geared to economic and social conditions, by seeking a consensus that serves the common good