Key trade union messages on the Agenda for Change

Trade unions welcome the text of the Agenda for Change and the EC Communication on Budget Support, making explicit commitments to support more the Decent Work Agenda and social protection schemes and initiatives. While appreciating the progress made on certain points, trade unions highlight issues that, in their opinion, should still be addressed.

In response to the EC Communications on ‘Agenda for Change’ and ‘The future approach to the EU budget support to third countries’, ITUC and ETUC have formulated comments to a number of issues that raise their concerns. Trade unions stress again the importance of focusing on poverty reduction and sustainable, social development rather than narrow aid delivery results. They also voice concerns around the proposed concentration on 3 sectors, phasing out Middle Income Countries and the absence of the mention of social partners and social dialogue in the paragraph about private sector. The narrow understanding of policy coherence, limited to the migration policy, is also considered a shortcoming of the document.

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Key trade union messages on Agenda for Change
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