The President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, has missed the point on climate change once again, UK Green MEP Jean Lambert has warned today at the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Conference in Seville.

The conference, ‘On the offensive with the ETUC, more solidarity, more sustainable development’, sees trade unions from across Europe join together to review current political situations and agree on policies for the future.

Speaking after President Barroso’s opening speech Jean said she was extremely disappointed by Barroso’s ‘old thinking’ and commented; “The ETUC conference was the perfect opportunity for President Barroso to push the issue of climate change forward and unite the Trade Union movement to work for a better environment, yet his speech missed the point again.    

“I welcome Barroso’s acknowledgement on the social dimensions of Europe, as he spoke about today, but even his vision on the future of the EU and what we should be doing lacks strength on sustainability. The European Union has a commitment to integrate social, economic and environmental measures yet Barroso is failing to reflect the urgency that the EU has already agreed on.”

ENDS