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The draft conclusions of the next EU Summit on 26-27 June present a favourable position on the REFIT agenda and call for the continuation of administrative and regulatory burden reductions. 

UNI Europa calls upon its member organisations to contact their respective governments and re-state their opposition to the continuation of the REFIT programme before the European Council meeting. European leaders need to be clear that trade unions oppose the continuation of the REFIT agenda. REFIT is in fact not about smart regulation, but targets labour and social regulation. REFIT threatens the autonomy of social partners, occupational health and safety worker protections, and information and consultation rights. The draft conclusions imply that significant progress has been achieved in the implementation of the REFIT programme, which has led to effective reductions in regulatory burdens. UNI Europa opposes this wishful interpretation and warns heads of state and governments against the paradigm shift from administrative to regulatory burden reduction. 

The draft Council conclusions praise the use of impact assessment, Fitness Checks, and ex-post evaluation throughout the legislative cycle when the European trade union movement has opposed and criticised such procedural developments. They are undemocratic and neither involve the European Parliament nor the social partners in decision-making. 

Despite the ETUC Resolution of December 2013 and the adopted amendments during the European Parliament vote on Better Law-making (http://www.rethinkrefit.eu/#/9) which called for more inclusive evaluation procedures and a stop to the unilateral pursuit of the REFIT programme, the EU Commission in a recent Communication, claims it has taken those into consideration. 

Not only have our opposition and remarks not been taken into account, but the EU Commission wishes to continue with its anti-social and deregulatory agenda and tries to get the buy-in of Member States at the all-important European Council meeting of June 2014.

Our concerns and opposition to the REFIT agenda must not be side-lined by discussions over the next leadership of the EU. The European Council needs to be aware that REFIT does not benefit from the wide support the EU Commission claims it has. 

In the recent REFIT Communication of June 2014, the EU Commission announces that it will pursue its flawed legislative repeal and simplification procedures. It re-states its refusal to present the social partner agreement on the Protection of Occupational Health and Safety in the Hairdressing Sector to the Council. Conspicuously, the EU Commission fails to act upon its ‘guardian of the treaties’ role and continues disrespecting the autonomy of social partners on health and safety. 

Oliver Roethig, UNI Europa Regional Secretary said: “EU leaders must hear our outcry – the EU elections results made it abundantly clear: Europeans have had enough of EU executives that do not hear their concerns and approach social and workers’ rights as a bureaucratic and burdensome exercise. REFIT is anti-social. It jeopardises social dialogue. REFIT must stop. We will not stand idle in the face of this subversive attempt to get rid of European integration achievements.”  

UNI Europa urges its affiliates to get the message across to their respective governments. The European trade union movement vehemently opposes the unilateral continuation of REFIT.