United and Strong, thus the image that Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation sought to deliver of his organization during the 14th ETUC Congress. The ETUC’s unity was reflected first in the fact that the non-executive presidency and Secretary General positions are being held by people from different EU regions with different trade union histories (c.f. article No. 11146). Unity was also evidenced by the unanimous backing members gave to the final texts. National trade unions, cognizant of their weaknesses resulted in the compromise over the Confederation’s Action Programme being possible, as compared with the more challenging situation at the Congress assembly of four years ago.
In holding the Congress assembly on the eve of the European elections, and in a country (Austria) that up to a few days prior to the meeting was being governed by a coalition that included a far-right wing element, the ETUC was seeking to underline the link, between, and to use an expression by Luca Visentini, ‘The abandonment of Europe’s social soul,’ and the threats weighing on the Continent’s democracies and by extension on the European project itself.
The banner for the ETUC’s 14th Congress
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