Press release [FR]

Brussels, 4 April 2008

The European social partners CEEP (public employers) and ETUC (European Trade Union Confederation) have adopted a joint declaration on the EU climate change and energy package with a clear link to employment, which assumes particular importance in light of the United Nations negotiations on climate change.

At the UN talks on climate change in Bangkok, the world is currently setting a concrete timetable to work towards a new climate deal to be reached by December 2009. It is therefore high time for the EU to establish the pace to be followed, in close partnership with the European cross-sectoral social partners (employers and trade unions).

This is why the ETUC and CEEP, expressing their support for the EU climate change package adopted by the European Commission last January, ask for a consultative committee on climate change policy to be set up by the Commission. As representatives of millions of companies and workers, the European social partners are part of the many solutions that are urgently needed to change the policies, technologies and habits currently having a negative effect on the world's climate.

Joint declaration

The ETUC was founded in 1973, it now represents 82 trade union organisations in 36 European countries, plus 12 industry-based federations.

CEEP gathers enterprises and organisations from across Europe, both public and private, at national, regional and local level, which are public employers or providers or services of general interest, and is one of the three social partners in the European Social Dialogue.

For more information:

Patricia Grillo
CES
Tel.: + 32 (0)2 224 04 30
Pgrillo@CES.org

Emmanuelle Hardy
CEEP
Tel.: +32(0)2 229 21 54
emmanuelle.hardy@ceep.eu