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On 4 October 2003, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) staged a demonstration in Rome, in collaboration with Italy's main union confederations, on the occasion of the opening of the EU Intergovernmental Conference, which will consider a new constitutional Treaty. The demonstration called for the Treaty to include a strong social dimension.
On 4 October 2003, the latest EU Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) opened with an extraordinary summit of heads of state and government held in Rome (Italy currently holds the EU Presidency). The IGC is to consider the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe drawn up by the European Convention (EU0308204F), and should conclude its work by 15 December 2003. The opening of the IGC saw a major demonstration in Rome organised by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) in collaboration with the three main Italian trade union confederations - the Italian Confederation of Workers' Unions (Confederazione Italiana Sindacato Lavoratori, Cisl), the General Confederation of Italian Workers (Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro, Cgil) and the Union of Italian Workers (Unione Italiana del Lavoro, Uil).
The demonstration involved over 200,000 people from all over Europe. ETUC was calling for the new EU constitutional Treaty to have a strong social dimension, while in the Italian context the demonstration was also interpreted as representing a trade union protest against the centre-right government, in the light of recent events such as the presentation of the 2004 state budget law (IT0310102N) and the proposed reform of the pension system (IT0309203F). During the closing speeches, which took place in the Piazza del Popolo, Rome, the general secretaries of Cgil, Cisl and Uil focused on both European issues and opposition to measures adopted by the Italian government. The demonstration ended with speeches by Candido Mendez and John Monks, the president and general secretary of ETUC respectively.
With regard to the IGC and the EU constitutional Treaty, the Italian unions presented a memorandum, setting out ETUC's views, to the Italian EU presidency on 18 September 2003. ETUC supports Part I of the draft Treaty (which sets out the definition and objectives of the Union and the workings of the EU’s institutions, and enshrines the role of the social partners) and Part II (which incorporates the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union), as these are seen as enshrining previous EU employment and social achievements. However, ETUC is less happy with Part III, which deals with the EU's policy and functioning. For example, ETUC wants Part III to: better reflect the role of the social partners as recognised by Part I; allow for better coordination of economic and employment policy; provide for more efficient decision-making, including in the area of social policy; pay particular attention to gender equality; and include the concept of full employment in its employment chapter. Overall, ETUC proposes an EU based on the 'European social model', which cannot be achieved through laissez faire economic policies, which it sees as the approach of the Part III of the draft Treaty.