Photo by Timothy Hales Bennett on Unsplash
A top economist has returned to Brussels to take up a new post.
Andrew Watt has officially taken up his new post as General Director of European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).
Watt is an advisor to numerous bodies including the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee, and a frequent contributor to the media.
He takes up the new role this month.
An ETUI spokesman told this site, “Andrew will bring his extensive expertise in economic, employment and social policy back to the ETUI, where he worked previously as a Senior Researcher.”
For the last 12 years he’s been with the Hans-Böckler Foundation in Germany, where he led their critical research on European macroeconomic policy.
With 22 in-house researchers, 16 associate researchers and 6 education officers, the ETUI is one of the largest and most influential think tanks in Brussels.
As the independent research and training centre of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), the ETUI strengthens the European trade union movement by offering a unique combination of research and education.
It plays a key role in monitoring European policy developments of strategic importance for the world of labour, while building bridges between the academic sphere and the trade union movement.
Watt’s leadership comes at a pivotal time, with Europe facing major socioeconomic and environmental challenges.
He told this site, “As we enter a period of both opportunity and uncertainty, with a new European Commission and Parliament, the role of trade unions in shaping fair, sustainable and socially just policies has never been more important.”
“At the ETUI, we are committed to providing the research and training needed to address these pressing challenges, from a just green transition to protecting workers’ rights in the midst of economic upheaval.”
“Raising productivity growth, as rightly underlined in the Draghi Report, requires not only more investment but also an approach based on higher skills and upward wage convergence.”
The spokesman added, “Drawing on its extensive academic, expert and training networks, as well as its strong connection with the ETUC, the ETUI will further consolidate its role as a key player in shaping labour policy and reinforcing the social dimension of the European Union.”
