13. Considers it important to look into the establishment of a methodology for analysing exactly what jobs entail, that will guarantee the right to equal pay for women and men, give proper recognition to individuals and occupations and, at the same time, raises work to the level of a structuring factor, with a view to increasing the productivity, competitiveness and quality of undertakings and improving the lives of workers, both women and men;

Structural reforms are therefore necessary and, from that point of view, as the honourable Members know, in its Communication of 2 February the Commission proposed certain guidelines for moving towards a review and improvement of the application of the Lisbon strategy, establishing a series of priorities based around three key elements: firstly, making Europe a more attractive place for investment and work, extending and developing the internal market, improving regulations, guaranteeing open and competitive markets, extending and improving European infrastructure networks; secondly, improving knowledge and innovation as fundamental factors for growth, increasing and improving research and development, promoting innovation and the adoption ...[+++] of information technologies, and contributing to the creation of a solid European industrial base; thirdly, pursuing the objective of creating more and better jobs, establishing policies capable of attracting more people to the labour market, modernising social protection systems, increasing the adaptability of workers and companies and investing more in human capital.

The provision of high quality, accessible and affordable services of general interest meeting the needs of consumers and enterprises is therefore an important element contributing to reach the strategic goal of the Union "to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion [9]".

The provision of high quality, accessible and affordable services of general interest meeting the needs of consumers and enterprises is therefore an important element contributing to reach the strategic goal of the Union "to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion [9]".

Whereas the programme of action of the European Communities on the environment (3) lays down that the Community institutions should set up a body capable of scanning those elements which, through their combined effects, affect living and working conditions, and of carrying out a long-term forward study of those factors which may endanger the conditions of existence and those which are capable of improving them;

the new strategic goal set for the European Union by the Lisbon European Council of 23-24 March 2000 and reaffirmed by the Stockholm European Council of 23 and 24 March 2001, "to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth, with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion"; the conclusions of the Spring 2005 European Council, which underline that "human capital is Europe's most important asset" ; the Lisbon European Council's affirmation that Europe's education and training systems need to adapt both to the demands of the knowledge society and to the need for ...[+++] a higher level and quality of employment. Hence, the mandate from the Lisbon European Council to the Education Council "to undertake a general reflection on concrete future objectives of education systems, focusing on common concerns and priorities while respecting national diversity with a view to contributing to the Luxembourg and Cardiff processes" ; the Barcelona European Council conclusions of 15-16 March 2002 , which endorsed the work programme, including an indicative list of indicators to be used to measure progress towards the implementation of the thirteen concrete objectives through the Open Method of Coordination, with the aim for European education and training systems of becoming "a world reference for quality by 2010", and which called for the establishment of a linguistic competence indicator; the reaffirmation of the central role of indicators and the five reference levels in giving directions and measuring progress in the field of education and training towards the Lisbon goals ; the Joint Interim Report of February 2004, which underlined the need to improve the quality and comparability of existing indicators, particularly in the field of lifelong learning, and its request that the Standing Group on Indicators and Benchmarks and all existing Working Groups propose, by the end of 2004, a limited list of new indi ...