The new Executive Board


The delegates

With great success the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions has held ist 4th ordinary congress on 3 December 2004 in Brussels. The motto of the congress was “Solidarity in an enlarged Europe”.

The morning was marked by the election of a new Executive Board. With a large majority the 100 delegates re-elected Valerio Salvatore (CONF.S.A.L., Italy) as President of the CESI. Secretary-General Helmut Müllers was confirmed in his office with a large majority, too. Vice-presidents are Christian Chapuis (FP-CGC, France), Rainer Dumont du Voitel (FFPE, Europe), Domingo Fernández Veiguela (CSI-CSIF, Spain), Jörg Hebsacker (CGB, Germany), Wieslaw Siewierski (FZZ, Poland) as well as Romain Wolff (CGFP, Luxembourg). Treasurer is Frank Stöhr (EULOS, Europe). In the future, the President of the Europe Academy Peter Heesen (dbb, Germany) will also be member of the Executive Board.

In the afternoon the participants discussed numerous motions. In these the CESI takes a stand on topics like the Lisbon strategy, the education policy, the “Bolkestein directive”, the European works councils, the illicit work, the public procurement and the municipal self-government.

According to the Secretary-General the CESI emerges strengthened from this congress. “With the new leadership and the motions we have adopted the CESI replies clearly to the challenges the trade unions are faced with in an enlarged Europe. The assurance of the European Commission to integrate the CESI increasingly into the social dialogue in the future proves that we are on the right way. Thus, the CESI has made progress on its way to become a recognized social partner. This is a historical turn in our trade union activities”, says Helmut Müllers.