PES leadership saddened by the death of Italian trade union leader Emilio Gabaglio

The Party of European Socialists (PES) mourns the death of Emilio Gabaglio, former European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) General Secretary and Italian trade union leader.

PES President Stefan Löfven paid tribute to a great comrade:

"I am deeply saddened by Emilio Gabaglio's passing away. Emilio and I shared a common life path. We were both engaged in national trade unions, and we both worked hard for the good of the workers. We were both put in charge of the international relations of our unions before each of us became Secretary General of his national union.

"I turned to politics, and Emilio continued fighting for workers' rights at the European level as General Secretary of the ETUC. Although this reflects different choices, we kept sharing the same vision of a European Union that is more than an economic construction. Emilio, I will keep up your fight for Social Europe."

Reacting to the sad news, PES Secretary General Giacomo Filibeck expressed the PES' condolences to those dear to Emilio Gabaglio and praised his work in the trade union movement:

"Emilio Gabaglio advocated, together with Jacques Delors, for what took shape as the Social Europe we continue to develop today. With the Working Time Directive he pushed, Emilio Gabaglio worked hard to defend the rights of workers to rest and have time for their families. This fight still resonates today. As a political family, we were honoured to work with him at the European level and in the Italian government. We will continue to join trade unions' battles to make sure Emilio's vision of a better, more social Europe continues to blossom in the future."

The PES sends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Emilio Gabaglio.