Commenting on the ‘European Green Deal’ announced today, ETUC General Secretary Luca Visentini said:
“With Europe facing a climate emergency, we welcome the Commission bringing forward ambitious climate action. The huge scale of the change required could result in a rise in populism and climate denial unless it is managed in a genuinely fair way.
“Climate action must be matched in its ambition by measures to ensure there is a socially just transition to a green economy for all workers and communities.
“The European Green Deal published today suggests the Commission has taken this on board, but we need to see a comprehensive just transition strategy in January, before we know whether it will command the confidence of working people.
“It will require the EU budget to include new money – not cut from existing social and regional funds – to create green jobs, reskill those workers that can and provide real social protection for those who cannot.
“Trade unions and employers already have experience of successfully managing these difficult processes across Europe and the commitment to involve trade unions and employers, and to put the European Pillar of Social Rights at the heart of the European Green Deal, is encouraging. We should be involved very step of the way.”
The ETUC is the voice of workers and represents 45 million members from 89 trade union organisations in 39 European countries, plus 10 European Trade Union Federations.