Workers first: Our agenda in a turbulent Europe

Dear members, partners and friends,

Europe is navigating one of the most complex periods in its post-war history. Geopolitical instability, technological change and economic pressures are not abstract challenges. They are reshaping the conditions under which millions of European workers live and work, right now.

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the fragmentation of the international order remind us that stability cannot be taken for granted. But Europe's response to external turbulence must not come at the expense of its internal social fabric. Moments of crisis are precisely when social protection, solidarity and fair labour standards prove their worth. Not as luxuries. As stabilisers.

The European agenda currently includes initiatives that matter directly to workers. The forthcoming Quality Jobs Act, the revision of public procurement rules, new frameworks for vocational education and training, proposals on skills portability and labour mobility — all of these are on the table.  

CESI welcomes these activities, but activity alone is not enough. Whether these measures genuinely strengthen workers' rights or merely paper over structural weaknesses will determine whether Social Europe advances or retreats.

Our positions are clear. On procurement, price competition must not come at the cost of labour standards. On skills and VET, frameworks must serve workers across borders — not just employers seeking flexible labour pools. On the Quality Jobs Act, we will hold the Commission to its stated ambition. Quality must mean something concrete: decent wages, safe conditions, real collective bargaining rights.

To make that case effectively, independence matters. CESI is not tied to any political family. We are free from party lines, coalition calculations and ideological commitments that can pull a trade union away from what workers actually need. In turbulent times, when political landscapes shift rapidly, that freedom is not a weakness. It is what allows us to call things as they are, follow the evidence, and advocate without compromise.

This is the spirit in which CESI has engaged over recent months. We have pushed for stronger protections for workers exposed to occupational hazards, including those in frontline emergency work. We have engaged on industrial policy. The green and digital transitions must be just transitions — not transformations that concentrate gains at the top while pushing risk onto workers.

CESI Youth has raised issues that too often fall through the cracks. The housing crisis is pricing young workers out of major cities. Barriers to equal opportunity persist. Labour mobility rules must protect mobile workers — not expose them.

The coming months will test Europe's commitment to its social dimension. Competitiveness is a legitimate goal. But competitiveness built on wage suppression, eroded protections or weakened collective bargaining is neither sustainable nor just. CESI will continue to make that case. Clearly and without ambiguity.

A Europe that works for workers is also a more resilient, more cohesive and more competitive Europe. That is not a slogan. It is a proposition we intend to keep defending — with evidence, engagement and the independent voice our members have entrusted to us.

Thank you for your continued commitment and cooperation.

Klaus Heeger, Secretary General