Brussels, 14-15 March 2006 1.1 According to ETUC, bolstering social cohesion and devising 'content' for the European Social Model, which consists mainly of high-quality, high-level social protection systems and a resolute battle against social exclusion, are European ambitions that need to be implemented by the Member States in connection with the streamlined open method of coordination. These ambitions will be reaffirmed at the forthcoming Spring Summit.

Brussels, 17/03/2005 This ETUC note is to provide: •  correct information on what is really happening in some countries concerning longer working hours. The main conclusion to this is: ‘not much’. Aside from some isolated companies, there is no general tendency to switch to longer hours. And in those companies where longer working hours do get introduced, employers have to grant important tough concessions (for example: job guarantees);

Brussels, 15-16 March 2005

Adopted at the ETUC 10th Statutory Congress, 26-29/05/2003 Delegates at the 10th ETUC Congress, meeting in Prague from May 26-29, expresses their strong discontentment and incomprehension at the risk of a stalemate in the adoption of the proposed directive on temporary agency work, and at the risk of its major distortion by a certain number of Member States : The United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark and Germany.