EU: EU commissioner Charlie McCreevy has told the European Parliament that he should not have to justify remarks he made in relation to a legal dispute between the Swedish government and a Latvian construction firm over wage agreements.
The commissioner for the internal market said he would not "creep around quietly" in relation to social and economic policies of member states that might be in conflict with EU treaties and he didn't care if this upset "some people".
Mr McCreevy was summoned, with commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, to the parliament yesterday to explain comments he made during a recent visit to Sweden about a labour dispute, which has been referred to the European courts by the Swedish labour court.
A Swedish building contract awarded to the Latvian company was withdrawn and the company subsequently went bankrupt after the Swedish construction union, Byggnads, blockaded the firm's site. The union took action against the firm after it refused to sign a Swedish wage agreement.
Mr McCreevy has come in for criticism for publicly commenting that the Swedish stance was not compatible with EU treaties, particularly article 49 on the freedom to provide services.
The commission did not call into question the organisation of labour relations or collective agreements in Sweden or any other member state, he said. However, there was a broader issue of the development of the internal market and he had a "duty" to express his views.
"I find it extraordinary that I have to justify remarks made about an incident that raises questions of compatibility with article 49," Mr McCreevy said. "I will continue to express my opinions loud and clear and I don't care if they upset some people."
He was not expressing a view that any social model was better or worse than another, but defending rights laid down in the treaty. "But if this house expects me to creep around quietly and not upset some member states . . . members of the European Parliament are going to be very disappointed."
Labour issues, such as had arisen in Sweden, were likely to occur from time to time in an enlarged Europe, Mr Barroso said, and the commission was available to assist in these situations.
Labour MEP Proinsias De Rossa said the parliament had been treated to "vintage McCreevy", which was setting Latvian workers against Swedish workers.
"Having given the commission the 'two fingers' treatment when you were finance minister in Ireland, you have now outraged the Swedish population with a similar gesture to their successful social partnership model," he told Mr McCreevy.