国际英语新闻：EU backs austerity measures despite unions' questioning

BRUSSELS, June 4 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Friday stressed the need for fiscal consolidation of European countries to restore confidence in Europe's economy after a meeting with trade union and employer groups.

"I underlined the need for fiscal consolidation and structural reforms," Barroso said after the talks. "Only if we are serious about getting our house in order and only if we really do our best to work for a sustainable future, we will be able to re-establish confidence in our economy and growth."

Some EU member states, including Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy, have announced austerity plans to cut public deficits in a bid to restore investor confidence in their economies and in the euro.

President of European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso attends a press conference on sustainable growth in Brussels, capital of Belgium, June 2, 2010.

The fiscal consolidation measures, however, have drawn strong opposition from trade unions. The European Trade Union Confederation,which represents 82 union groups in 36 European nations, said public expenditure reduction would harm Europe's long-term economic recovery, especially for those countries “not in distress."

"Europe as a whole should be able to reduce the costs to mobilize itself and inject some confidence to European economy,”ETUC leader John Monks told reporters. "At this moment, things are going at the opposite direction."

Monks said a request for the meeting with the EU leaders was“out of despair and alarm”and during the gathering he expressed his concerns over “quite a bit of social unrest in some countries."

The ETUC declared on Wednesday a plan to organize a "European Day of Action" on Sept. 29 in Brussels and other cities to protest spending cuts by European governments.

"We will keep on the pressure in the months ahead. We don't want a bleak mid-winter for the unemployed,” Monks said.