Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, what I have to say about today's report is this. One: the goal of the Lisbon strategy is to transform the European Union into the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, an economy capable of bringing about permanent economic growth, more and better jobs and greater social cohesion. Two: in order to do this, we need an economic, employment, education, research policy and social policy strategy developed jointly by the Member States, the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament. Three: Europe is moving from a market economy towards a social market economy and is in the process of taking the next step and making the eco-social market economy the order of the day for the twenty-first century. As someone so nicely put it, the twenty-first century will be the century of Europe but only, I would add, if we want it to be. Four: assuming we really mean it, the Lisbon strategy and an eco-social market economy will allow us, at long last, to get past the received wisdom of capital versus labour, social policy versus economic policy, public versus private sector, Europe versus the Member States. Five: it would all be quite simple if we could agree on a few basic principles: that the economy creates labour, that everything labour creates is social and that social cohesion and environmental protection are mutually supportive for the purpose of sustainability. This all depends primarily on human rather than state resources, not on equality for all, but on competitive ideas that strengthen the continent of Europe as a whole. Six: we should therefore emphasise that economic policy has not been communitised and lies primarily within the sphere of competence of the Member States and that, under Article 99, economic policy must be regarded, and coordinated by the Member States, as a matter of common interest. Seven: we therefore welcome, by way of conclusion, the overall approach of the Commission communication on streamlining the annual economic and employment policy coordination cycles. We need this coordination in order to achieve common objectives despite differing jurisdictions. But this coordination depends on the Member States’ doing their bit, on their passing fast, clear information to the Commission, on defining individual responsibilities within the overall concept – because a chain is only as strong as its weakest link – and on the euro zone becoming more aware of its responsibility within Europe. We make a huge point of this in paragraph 18 of the report by calling for the role of the social partners in implementing the Lisbon and Gothenburg strategy, in other words the European social partnership, to be strengthened. We therefore call for a tripartite social summit to be set up, with the participation of the European Parliament. We have no time for legal wrangling between institutions; we need to foster this social dialogue jointly and involve organisations of social partners. Which is precisely why we are demanding more rights in fora and in this process, by which we mean more involvement and more right of involvement on the part of the European Parliament. We stress in point 8 of the report that anyone who wants to see this democratic involvement must be concerned that the new timetable for the guidelines package gives the European Parliament even less time than before to agree on its position. We welcome the fact that this process has been streamlined. We welcome the fact that the focus is on implementation. We welcome specific timing arrangements and we welcome the fact that a strategic, medium-term policy concept is being strengthened. If we ensure that life is breathed into this communication, then we shall be one step closer to the Lisbon strategy. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE