Akhir 17, 1432 H/March 22, 2011, SPA -- Some 20,000 people are expected to protest in Brussels on Thursday against the European Union's austerity measures while EU leaders meet to approve economic reform plans, dpa quoted European Commission security officials as saying Tuesday. "Brussels police have informed us that approximately 20,000 trade unionists are expected to demonstrate" on the first day of an EU summit on Thursday and Friday, it said in a note. The European Trade Union Confederation said Monday it had organized the protests "to say 'no' to austerity plans in Europe, no to cuts in wages and pensions, no to insecurity and unemployment, no to deregulation of labour standards and social regression, and no to rising social inequalities." EU leaders are expected to endorse an "economic governance" package of six draft laws which, among other things, foresee tougher sanctions against euro countries with high deficit and debt levels and give the EU unprecedented scrutiny over their economic policy. Eurozone leaders have also subscribed to a so-called Pact for the Euro, which recommends raising retirement ages and linking salaries to increases in productivity rather than to inflation. Its prescriptions, however, are not legally binding. The EU summit is also expected to sign off a deal to boost the lending power of eurozone bailout funds. The bailouts that have so far been granted to Greece and Ireland have been made dependent on stringent austerity measures.
