 Good afternoon everybody and thank you very much for this invitation If you don't mind I stay here because it's a little bit more informal and maybe we can have a better discussion It's a great pleasure for me. Obviously to be here. I hope we will have a very interesting exchange about European matters, but hopefully also about Irish matters I would like also to learn from you what is happening in your country Because it's really relevant to have an exchange also on different issues that are yeah at stake at the same moment at different levels in Europe and in the in the in the country contexts What I would like to do with you this afternoon is to try to share the trade union analysis of the economic crisis On the one on the one side, but also the other side Try to see if there are perspectives to change the current situation in terms of growth and social progress First of all, okay, my name. I was already into that into those introduced to you is Luca, Byzantina I'm have been recently elected general secretary of the European trade union confederation in the Congress We held in Paris three more or less three months ago The ETC the European trade union confederation is the only existing confederation of trade unions at the European level at the level of the of the European Union we gather all the trade unions that exist in the European member states, but also in all the countries that are associated and Candidated to enter the European Union. So we have 90 confederations affiliated to the ETC and nine European trade union sectoral federations and In total we represent more or less 45 million Workers in our in our continent in 35 countries As I said, we held our Congress in Paris at the beginning of October We set our priorities for the next four years and it's clear that these priorities Are mainly dealing with the current Situation of economic crisis in which we are unfortunately still stuck as the European continent And also what the trade unions but more in general the social partners will try to do in this context to try to change This situation and try to get better results in terms of social progress, but also in terms of economic growth Significant challenges are in front of us At the moment as I said Europe is still in a crisis probably the worst crisis We faced in the last 70 years after the second world war. We face some slight signs of recovery at the moment, but Unfortunately, most of the countries probably know the countries this signs of recovery are not accompanied by job creation So we are really in a slight jobless growth in Europe and at the moment all the statistics really confirm this This situation So there is no increasing jobs in general even less increase in quality jobs In particular and the levels of unemployment are still really high in all the European In all the European countries even in countries That are experiencing a little bit better situation like Germany or others What we say usually about this situation is that Europe became unfortunately the black hole of the global Economy and this condition of very low growth and deflation is also affecting the other economies around the world It's not a coincidence that mr. Obama several times claimed In this respect and called the European Union to change its austerity policies to try to Overcome the crisis in Europe because this should and could benefit also The others should that we could have also a positive impact on the other on the other economies around Around the world the problem is why Europe is in this situation Because after several years of crisis this crisis started 2008 In Europe and maybe a little bit earlier in the rest of the world in the US So it's really too many years. We are stuck in this situation But we are the only ones that are not able to sort out and so why we are there and our opinion as the trade unions is That there is really and clearly something not working properly in the macroeconomic strategies put in place by the European Union and the European member states so far the So-called obsession with austerity has not deliver in terms of concrete results and as on the contrary Dangerously weakened the new economy and our internal social cohesion In this country in Ireland in particular but also in other countries trade unions were at the four four front So called forefront in learning about the dangers of relying on a strategy built only on austerity And that the achievement of unrealistic targets with no reference to the human cause that can produce in the economy and in the society The insistence we faced that Uncontrolled public expenditure was the main cause of the crisis is really a paradox And this paradox hides the real origin of the crisis We perfectly know that financial bubbles and also the member states Inducting themselves to save the banks these were the real causes of the situation in which we are so There is a narrative going on especially in the last years in Europe That really inverted the causes with the consequences of the economic situation in which in which we are stuck We think that the rules set in the stability pact are completely irrational They have no basis in scientific terms and in the economics And these rules together with the Troika's Memorandums the press the economies of the EU and made it impossible for the countries most exposed to the crisis to repair their debt Cuts in pensions cuts in social protection systems together with impose the centralization of collective bargaining structures led to a downward spiral also for wages for internal demand and as an unwanted unexpected consequences of that even the press productivity and competitiveness of companies and Sectors so the depression of wages correspond to depression in productivity and competitiveness these facts now are really evident in all the statistics provided by the different Statistics institutes at the European and global level the European Commission is starting recognizing that and even the International Monetary found in his analysis recognized that Destroying collective bargaining destroyed in those relations and having this kind of downward spiral wages Transform the European economy in a situation of deflation and Recession and there is no positive result in terms of increasing productivity and competitiveness the data and the statistics are really evident in this Respect the problem is that all the institutions are starting recognizing the truth in this sense But they didn't change their policy because we are still facing neoliberal policies and austerity as the main and only solution to face this situation We won't always to clarify as the trade unions that we are not against the sound public budgets Nor against sustainable welfare systems We are against cuts and not a campaign by investment and counter-sacrificial Measures this is the point we think that Europe really needs alternative economic governance in it It's now and it has to be based on investment and internal demand Investment and internal demand are the two pillars that we put At the core of our strategy that we discuss and set in our Congress and on which we are Committed to develop our actions in the near future public investment first of all This is the first pillar because only public investment is able to generate confidence in private investors to and also because public investment is The only tool that is really certain to go into the real economy instead of into financial speculation To a sound European industrial policy to research and innovation To education and training to the human factor in the economy. So it's impossible to convince private investors only to invest on these assets and Without these elements in the economy. It's impossible to recover the crisis. This is crystal clear. That's why we are significantly trying to negotiate with European Commission the so-called the Junkers plan for investment this plan as you know has been launched One here and a half ago more or less Immediately after the Commission started is its mandate the new Commission started its mandate You know probably some details about this plan this plan should be based on 315 billion euros to be invested in three years But the available the real available public money at the basis of the plan. It's only 21 billion euros Five coming from the Commission 16 coming from the European Investment Bank and then there should be a so-called financial leverage Going to the financial markets to convince the investors to the private investors to transform 15 times to duplicate 15 times this amount of public money into a general amount of mainly private money Up to 315 billion euros There are different problems in this kind of scenario the first problem is that we still think that the scenario is quite unrealistic It's true that in some Let's say projects for investment coming from the European Investment Bank It was possible in the past that we have this kind of a multiplicator 15 times 16 times, but it happened only When there were very clear projects a very well-focused project in specific sectors and for specific companies But adding a general plan for investment to recover the European economy in general based on the same mechanism It's really unlikely to produce Concrete results. It's not a coincidence that if you consider the composition of the projects that the European Commission put at the core of this plan You will find that there are 75 billion euros mainly Irmarked for small and medium enterprises and this money is there and it's already producing results Because these enterprises are ready to do something in this respect But the rest of the rest of the plan that should be the should this should go let's say to the other strategic investment plans that are linked to the industrial sectors physical and immaterial infrastructures Education and training shows social investment Etc. Etc. Well for that the private money is simply not available because it's impossible to convince the private investors to Participate in this kind of general public interest plans Without putting at the core of the plan a significant part of public of public money So this is the first problem that the money for the most relevant project is not there The second problem is that traditionally When most of the money comes from private investors and passes through the European investment bank well, most of the projects are targeted on strong and big countries strong and well-developed sectors and big and Multinational companies. It's very difficult to convince the investors to go to Greece or to Poland or to Portugal to invest their money and it's very difficult to convince them to invest this money in Old-fashioned industrial sectors or sectors that are experienced in troubles troubles in the financial and international markets on small and medium enterprises and Obviously, it's very difficult to convince them to invest this money in education and training in social investment and in Projects that can really produce job creation in a really appreciable way and concrete and concrete way, so it's quite clear that not only in terms of in terms of Origin of the money and capacity to generate the quantity of the money that Is at the basis of the plan but also in terms of the possibility to Send the money to the right places to the right projects and to use the money in the right way There are incredible question marks at the basis of this of this plan But the most relevant element is that without public investment. It's impossible to generate private investment There is a very interesting book that was written a couple of years ago by an important Italian American Economist Mariana Mazzucato is her name. She's now teaching in London In this book the entrepreneurial state she demonstrates very clearly that the most innovative sector and Let's say cluster existing in the world that is the Silicon Valley in the US Was created thanks to public money not thanks to private money not thanks to funds Created in the financial markets even Companies like April Microsoft Facebook Google, etc. They were in their startup Origin they were financed by public money because in the US Rightly the government set up an important federal agency to support innovation in the economy The problem is that this is not recognized at all in the general global in European narrative when we speak about macroeconomic investment always we see and we and we Are Simply an incredible emphasis on the need to mobilize private investment and the fact that only private investment Can really create productivity and competitiveness for companies in the economy? But the reality is exactly is exactly the opposite so public investment and Investment that can really go to the right sectors and to the right Priorities of the economy should be the core of an European strategy to overcome the crisis But unfortunately the so-called Junkers playing as I said even if it's positive it's a first signal of a change in the macroeconomic course coming from the European policies of the European Commission because in the past Speaking about investment with a baroso cabinet was almost a scandal. It was impossible a taboo you could even not touch in any kind of European level discussions at least now there is something going on in terms of different topics for discussion and even the European institutions start Recognizing that there is a need for investment But the tools and the programs that have been put in place unfortunately are still absolutely Insufficient that's why we as the European Tradition Confederation a couple one year and a half ago a couple of years ago We launched an alternative initiative for investment. We call it a new path for Europe we called for 2% investment of the European GDP it means 250 billion euros per year for 10 years So you can understand a completely different quantity and quality of investment of investment we based our own Trade union plan on well funded macroeconomic analysis and on revenues that are realistic But under the condition that we start thinking about an European debt Or at least an EMU debt That means that this debt should be shared by all member states through a new or emu treasury and A finally real central bank issuing euro bonds. This is the core of our proposal So we are not so naive to think that this is Politically feasible in the short term, but at the same time we are still convinced that this is the only concrete solution To Europe's problem a solution very close to the American one by the way because if you look at the American Example you can see that the Americans invested in the economy in the last seven years 7,000 billion Dollars public money. So this quantitative easing increasing public spending in the US was really a significant Intervention in the economy and it was the only way the Americans had to overcome the crisis So we need to do exactly the same also in Europe and We think that even if For the moment probably this proposal is not so easy to be achieved in political terms at the same time we think also that Insisting on this proposal Could provide a strong incentive to the EU institutions to lead the discussion into the right Direction so we aim at influencing let's say the European narrative on this issue and try to change the current Climate and mood that we have in front of us. That's why we didn't give up on negotiating with the Commission And vice president Katainen in particular on the quantity and the quality of investment in their own Plan the Yunkas plan being aware that it is for the moment very poorly Implemented as I said, but we have to continuing system on this element of investment as I say the first pillar of our strategy To overcome the crisis more investment Because because as I say this is really essential But at the same time we have to acknowledge that investment alone is not enough for our economy We also needed to boost the other the second pillar. I mentioned that is internal internal demand Why internal demand because most new products remain in Europe the statistics says Say more or less 65 70% of what we produce in Europe remains in Europe and goes to European consumers so the only way we have to tackle deflation and Is to increase purchasing power of you citizens and workers? We are stuck in a deflation situation, but the only way we have to to change this situation is to boost internal demand and internal demand means that Boost internal demand we need first of all to increase wages because most of the consumers are workers and To increase their capacity their purchasing power. We need absolutely to increase their wages That's why we set One important slogan at the core of our strategy that is that European workers deserve a pay rise Which should serve competitiveness and productivity as I say that the beginning wage depression and wage competition Push productivity down not up and reinforce internal European macroeconomic imbalances also in this case all the statistics really show that if you have I wages are gained by social partners You can also boost productivity and competitiveness if there is no this link in place and you have a downward pressure on Salaries is quite sure that you have a deflation consequence on the one side and on the other side productivity and competitiveness of the companies goes down exactly because 70% of our products remain in our continent This kind of macroeconomic imbalances we have in our continent are linked to different levels of debt Obviously and public spending but more and more important is that they are linked To internal competition between national markets sectors Services wage setting and collective bargaining systems social protection and taxation systems Germany is the worst for some the best Unfortunately the worst example of internal and external Competition if you look at what Germany did in the last 12 years, so this is really evident What they did was to on the one side To boost export And so to support the companies in Germany that were exporting We have always to remember that around To 20 200 2000 the year 2000 the Germany was really in a Incredible crisis that was due to the effects of their unification obviously And all all the elements linked to their unification and their industry was really affected by this crisis So they decided to boost export fire very positive, but to do that they also Decided to use some levels some leverage elements in their labor market and Economy that led to an incredible internal and external Competition that created incredible macroeconomic imbalances internal because they decided to boost competitiveness and productivity only in the companies that were really in the export side of their Economy and on the other side they decided to depress Wages and social protections and workers protection in all the other services and industry sectors that were simply Let's say Their mandate their mission was only to serve the export companies and the export Sectors if you look at the situation at the moment in Germany, you see that on the side of wages and Working conditions if you go to Volkswagen for example or to a a plant of Volkswagen one of The German cities you can see that the salary of workers that are directly employed by Volkswagen is about 35 40 euros gross amount per hour then you have the Workers that are employed in the in the subcontracting Chain of Volkswagen in the industry sector also in the industry sector They have salaries that are about 15 20 euros gross amount per hour And then you go in the same plan to the workers that are employed by cleaning sector in the cleaning sector Or in the catering sector within the Volkswagen plan these workers earn more or less 4.5 5 euros gross amount per hour So in the same factory you have different categories of workers that turn from 40 euros to 4 euros This is the fragmentation that was introduced in Germany not only in the systems of salami But also more in general in the system of collective bargaining and workers Protection and this was made by completely destroying the national sectoral coverage of collective bargaining systems You have now 54 percent of the German big companies that are outside the employers Organizations and don't apply at all the national sectoral collective agreements On the other side you have the other companies that apply the collective agreements where people earn from five to 15 euros per hour In addition to that And so we don't have no more erga ominous coverage for collective agreements in Germany Collective agreements a collective bargaining institutions and industrial relations have been completely fragmented Because they should serve Export in the economy On the other side you have also these reforms that happen in the labor market in Germany the so-called arts reform for Reforms have been approved by the German parliament during the Schroeder Government and these reforms have introduced the so-called mini jobs The mini jobs are now in Germany more or less a seven point five million people these people earn more or less 450 euros net amount Per month and they work up to 40 hours per week So they are mainly full-time. They don't have any concrete pension and social protection and they receive 450 euros per month It's clear that thanks to this kind of reforms The level of unemployment in Germany has been completely The press it went down and down and now we are we are in Germany more or less around 4.5 5% of unemployment, but if you consider the number of working hours Germany adds in 2002 and the number of working hours they have in the economy in the labor market at the moment They didn't increase the number of working hour by one single working hour So they multiplicated the number of jobs They have seven point five million workers more but they simply redistributed among more people the same number of working hours It means that not a real Concrete net single new job has been created in Germany in the last 15 years These people the mini jobs now they have the minimum wage Fortunately, and the German trade union has been obliged to Claim for a minimum wage by law because they were no more able to bargain the collective agreements but The mini jobs and all these people precarious people in the labor market Since there is a rule in the German Constitution that sets that you cannot earn less than the poverty threshold That is 1000 euros all these people are assisted by the public assistance by the state that Integrate it's their salary to reach the poverty threshold And that's why the public debt in absolute terms in Germany during the last 15 years Increased a lot. It's clear that the ratio the relationship between Their debt and their GDP is still very low because the GDP is high but if you look at the absolute figures they have more or less now 2700 billion euros in that time of debt and if you compare to the Italian debt their debt is higher It's clear that they have 85% of the GDP as a debt Italy has more than 130 percent But this is due to the level of GDP But if you compare the quantity of money that every single citizens in sitting in Germany as the burden In terms of in that mess of the country. Well, the level is incredibly incredibly high Why I describe the situation because I think and we think that this situation is really emblematic of What was the model that was? Spread around Europe as a solution for the crisis, but it's crystal clear that If there is a country that introduces Incredible internal competition and macroeconomic imbalances to compete against the other countries in Europe Instead of having an European economy Competing jointly Unitely all together against the rest of the world It's clear that if we simply a sport that the internal German competition to the rest of the European countries Instead of competing as a system as an economic system as an European economic system Towards the rest of the world. Well, the only result we can have is to increase also the macroeconomic imbalances within our continent instead of exporting our welfare and our well-being to the rest to the rest of the world and increasing our working conditions and More in general living conditions in our continent. This is a completely perverse model of economic Development, it's clear that if you base everything only on export against import surplus against deficit and you don't compensate this macroeconomic imbalances within the European continent There is no way in the long term to sort out from the situation of crisis in which we are The so-called mother beg our time able is exactly what German Germany applied Internally first and then what they apply externally towards the other a country in addition to that They also together with others not alone They also speculated as a second-stage strategy on the public debt Of the countries that were in a very difficult situation under the Troika memorandums because 40% of the Greek debt is still in the ends of the German banks. So it's crystal clear also why The Germany didn't want to implement so far the banking union because it would introduce some controls also on the regional German banks that are the ones that have the most the most relevant part of the Greek debt internally in their in their in their budgets so That's to say that for us the European economy Should compete on quality and innovation instead of introducing internal competition on labor and social Costs and we think also that Europe should compete against the rest of the world as I say as I say it as I Unite the economy instead of playing a stupid bureaucratic game Internally by boosting macroeconomic imbalances and then introducing rules to tackle the macroeconomic Balances that Europe itself has created. So this is really a paradox a completely irrational way to Rule the economy at the same time We are also really shocked at the moment by the attitude of the European institutions Also in the negotiations about International trade agreements like the ticket for example That this kind of attitude goes really against the European interest if you want then we can also go through a little bit This element is another chapter. Let's say, but anyway, it's really Interlinked with this wrong macroeconomic strategy the attitude that we can we face at the moment in the way Europe is dealing with the international trade Negotiations and also we cannot believe that the European Commission is ready at the moment To award China with the market economic start economic status Which will create hundreds of thousand more unemployed people in our labor market There is no sense in awarding China with this status since China doesn't doesn't doesn't Fit to all the rules that we have in the in the free economy of the international Markets why Europe is doing that we think unfortunately mainly for ideology Which promotes at the same time the interest of some of some against the others That's why we are insisting that Europe should change the course of its economic governance by doing something like Unifying its debt and strengthening its economic Institutions by revising and making flexible its internal rules in particular the stability Pact which should be a means to achieve growth and well-being instead of being a rigid and abstract objective in themselves By boosting investment and strengthening internal demand through negotiated wage increases and higher minimum wages But also by preserving the European social model Which is our added value not an obstacle to our competitiveness evidence show that Productivity and competitiveness grow in countries with strong industrial relations Effective social dialogue and efficient social models and on the contrary Countries where social partners are not able to negotiate wages and working conditions where bipartite and tripartite dialogue do not work Where social cohesion is replaced by increasing inequality in these countries This country is produced very bad economic Performances this is crystal clear everywhere and even the statistics coming from the international Monetary found clearly show that where you have strong industrial relations at the national level where you have strong protection systems Where productivity and competitiveness are performing better Eurostat the IMF not radical trade union institutes are saying that and so we have to take this analysis Into account even the European Commission starts Recognizing it the president Junker came to our if you see Congress in Paris to reaffirm this elements It's very interesting to go briefly through what Junker said in Paris three months ago. He said That we need to stop austerity and start investing in the economy That the national level industrial relations and minimum wage systems should be reestablished and reinforced and a stop Should be put to decentralization processes which have been demonstrated not to be efficient That we need to address the lack of internal demand via a general pay rise That we must fight against precariousness and that the standard working contract should be the permanent one That we need to reduce inequality and social competition by ensuring equal treatment for all especially for mobile workers and Migrants that we need to to reinforce the European social model through a social pillar for the UMU Economic governance and finally the social dialogue and the role of social partners should be fully Recognized and reading from the minutes that we register from Junker speech in front of the ETC Congress three months ago. It seems the ETC manifesto Okay. Well, we couldn't agree more But the big question mark now is if the European Commission is coherent in really pursuing these objectives or not This is the point our reply to this question mark is that the Junker's cabinet is trying to do it Although with great contradiction between different commissioners according to their political and national backgrounds and that the European Parliament is also trying to help in this in this direction But such attempts are often weakened or blocked by a majority of governments that continue to go in the wrong direction at home Or are obliged to do so by the Troika as is still the case unfortunately for Greece but also not only Greece what is happening in the UK? That reunion bill and the negotiations concerning the Brexit process in Finland The all the negotiations between social partners and the state have been broken During this summertime and now the situation is still completely stuck in this respect It's something really unusual for a Nordic country They were used to have very well funded Industrial relations and social dialogue, but everything is going to be destroyed by the current Finnish government And something similar is going to happen also in Norway and in Denmark The same is happening in Spain with people in jail because they were on strike So something incredible in Europe Things in until until few years until few years ago Without mentioning Hungary what is happening in Poland and even in progressive so-called progressive countries like Italy or France All this is really very very Worry-worry, so we have instead of changing the course we have at the moment in some European countries renewed austerity measures Attacks on social partners prerogatives and trade union rights on welfare systems and social rights All this shows that the new river Ideology is not dead and that that very often business continues as usual This negative picture is obviously worsened by what is happening regarding refugees and migrants the right to free movement The rise of xenophobia racism and populism etc. Etc. This element is very complex I won't go through that at the moment in this introduction if you want if you have time Later on we can also open a debate on this specific issue about the refugee emergency and the migration issues In general in Europe Now to conclude the set the last element. I would like to draw your attention on is the link between This economic situation so the economic crisis the austerity measures the wrong strategies put in place by Europe and the need for a change on the one side and on the other side Some something like a crisis of democracy that the European Union is currently facing the economic crisis Among the different consequences it produced in the last years has also led to a Let's say renationalization of the European decision-making processes austerity budgetary rules and cuts as a trade-off for bailouts have been imposed by surplus countries on deficit countries through intergovernmental agreements instead of European pieces of law and this is something that is often neglected by the debate, but it's really important so we completely pass from Legislative process that was in the end of the European elected institutions to Something that is decided only by the governments in the council and that is not only and it's not at all a piece of European Legislation or an improved in the European legal framework It's only about intergovernmental agreements that are then imposed to the Commission to be executed and to the countries to be Implemented and this is the situation in which in which in which we are at the moment The result of that is that the institutions democratically elected by citizens to rule the Union it means the European Parliament on the one side and Undirectly the European Commission have been completely deprived of their Authority and have now very little power to convince member states to stay together and act in a in the common interest of Europe This process also deprives citizens of any real possibility to control and influence European decisions, which are more and more felt as impositions and So you accept Sections and lack of confidence in traditional parties is on the rise in all the countries very often Accompanied by populism and xenophobia in fact Nationalism is a very dangerous beast that the European project had contributed to send to sleep and that now as Awaken again in this context of lack of democracy all civil society Organizations which in the past play a very important role in mediation and representation for citizens workers companies Towards institutions have been seen as obstacles in the process trade unions and even sometimes employers organizations Social partners in general trade unions in particular have become for the neoliberal ideology the worst enemies of austerity and Competitiveness and so attacked and strongly Affected the European social model and social cohesion have been the victims of the parallel crisis in the economy and in Democracy this is the main battle We currently face us trade unions and we need but not only us trade unions. It's a method Let's say affecting Social partners in general or the civil societies Society organizations in general and so it's a common a common challenge for all for all of us And we need to win this battle if we want not just to overcome the crisis But also to the to restore democratic legitimacy in Europe This is our objective, but also our responsibility as the trade unions and as the civil society Organizations we have we have we think to have some right proposals in this respect But we need also to build up proper alliances why I say proper alliances because at the moment is very difficult to have Let's say productive Chats and discussions with the progressive forces existing at the European level We try obviously as the trade unions also with the other social partners to develop Discussions with the progressive forces in the European Parliament But well when it comes for example to the discussion about the Brexit we see 678 Prime Minister or ministers coming from progressive governments around Europe signing letters Together with the Conservatives about deregulating all The pieces of legislation at the European level dismantling any social protection system and Making concessions to Mr. Cameron in the framework of the Brexit negotiations that are against the interest of workers and citizens so Probably even the European progressive forces have at some extent lost their soul in the current Situation there is something that is not only linked to the need of renewing the social partners The European trade union movement the trade unions and imagining new strategies and new proposals for the future There is also an issue about how to renew and relaunch the role of the progressive forces and the progress is the progressive political organizations in the European context, so we need good discussion proper proposals and right Alliances as I say before We are really convinced that there cannot be stronger strong European economy without strong social dialogue strong industrial relations Strong welfare systems the European social model. There is no growth in Europe without renewing and relaunching the European Social model this implies strong social partners Involvement because we are the main actors in the economy, but we cannot do it alone We really need to build up together new strategies for Europe that's why we as the it you see insist also that we want to participate in all the Institutional processes going on at the European level with our Proposals, but it's also really important the link that we are able to create between this European discussions going on And what in that what is happening in the different countries and the role that social partners and also progressive forces can play in the Countries at the national level where things are happening It's really fundamental if we want to tackle the situation which we are At the moment in Europe There are completely different situations obviously according to the different national context But this element of stronger and better coordination of the European strategies is also a key element for our for our for our strategy for For the future That's why we are also struggling to relaunch the European and national Social dialogue as well as to reinforce and restore some industrial relations in each and every country in this sense We have absolutely to recognize and underline that the Irish example Had has become really a positive benchmark for all the countries in Europe Since year trade unions and social partners have managed to restore Industrial relations minimum wage systems and what was completely destroyed by the by the Troika interventions in the past and we really appreciated what the what the Irish trade unions and social partners were able to do in the last in the last couple of Years and we also discuss a lot about this positive experience because this could be really an example for other countries where trade unions and social partners Are really are really facing incredible challenges to conclude I would like only to quote the slogan I used to close the ETC Congress in Paris this login was Negotiation negotiation Why because negotiations are our core business as a trade unions first of all But we repeated three times Negotiation because we want to negotiate at different levels at institutional level at collective bargaining level and also on social Issues and social and welfare systems after Paris We are committed to strengthening our negotiating power to support and reinforce trade unions in all the countries as they say To be beside all categories of workers starting for young precarious and a typical workers woman and migrants and starting from reflecting on the future of work as well not only on the future of Economy and we are finally convinced that through Their own Renewal and by relaunching their role and prerogatives the trade unions can really contribute To tackle the crisis in the economy and our democracy that we all are facing at the moment in this European Continent. Thank you