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Business and labour representatives expect a reformist coalition in the EP

FILE - Two women walk near EU flags outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Monday, May 27, 2019.
FILE - Two women walk near EU flags outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Monday, May 27, 2019. Copyright AP Photo/Francisco Seco
Copyright AP Photo/Francisco Seco
By Isabel Marques da Silva
Published on Updated
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Business and labour representatives expect a reformist coalition in the EP, in order to make a revision of the Green Deal that will cut red tape and be fairer to workers.

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Centre and moderate parties will have a majority in the European Parliament after Sunday's results, so there should be conditions to carry out reforms, say organizations that represent the interests of companies and workers' rights in their dialogue with European institutions.

The European Union must combat weaknesses vis-à-vis the USA and China in critical sectors, namely in the manufacturing industry and in the most advanced technologies, according to Ben Butters, executive president of Eurochambers, that represents chambers of commerce and industry.

"We had a lot of concerns about the amount of legislation that the Green Deal has led to, and that comes with a lot of burdens on businesses, a lot of compliance and reporting burdens", said Ben Butters to Euronews.

According to organization, the single market needs to be stronger for a more autonomous European Union.

"We need to tackle those fundamental structural challenges that businesses are encountering, particularly in manufacturing sectors: energy costs, access to raw materials, access to supplies in general" said Butters.

Meanwhile the The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), which represents workers at a European level, said despite a decline in the Left and Green parties, the majority could still advance a social agenda and welfare model.

"The most important thing is no deals with the extreme right. This is the most important thing because they cannot be trusted and at every opportunity in the past they have voted against working people and their interests,” Esther Lynch, secretary-general of the ETUC told Euronews.

For ETUC, the EU is ageing and needs foreign workers who should be protected from exploitation.

"Migrant workers are very often the victims of exploitation by unscrupulous employers. We need to make sure that all workers are covered by fair terms and conditions of employment", Lynch said.

When it comes to renewing the Green Deal, ETUC advocates for more social investment and a new EU Just Transition Directive.

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