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The article looks back at the various stages of building the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), particularly in line with the stages of building the European Union. The liberal takeover of the European Union process has deprived the European trade union movement of a means of claiming the legitimacy enshrined in its institutions. It is doubtless appropriate to study the European trade union arena in a new light, taking account of ETUC’s organisational achievements and the need for greater commitment from its affiliates. ETUC can then be seen not as a simple offshoot of European institutions, but rather as one of a set of possible tools in the heart of a network offering the possibility of creating a space for trade union action across the EU.