10. Welcomes the fact that the Council's annual operational programme for 2003 was the first to be jointly drawn up by the Greek and Italian Presidencies; considers, however, that the major political priorities and actions in external relations outlined in the work programmes of the Commission and the Council would need a more explicit human rights perspective;

10. Welcomes the fact that the Council's annual operational programme for 2003 was the first to be jointly drawn up by the Greek and Italian Presidencies; considers, however, that the major political priorities and actions in external relations outlined in the work programmes of the Commission and the Council would need a more explicit human rights perspective;

The report calls for a new agenda for industrial relations to be developed at all levels (European, national, regional or at company level) in order to focus on key priorities : competitiveness, innovation and social cohesion ; wage responsiveness, social inclusion and social protection ; training and life-long learning ; working conditions ; new forms of employment ; management of working time ; management and reconciliation of work and family life.

However, I am at the same time concerned that the work has led to the request for a long list of legislative initiatives on the part of the Commission, relating for example to lifelong learning, organisation of work, the need to reconcile work and private life, working environment policy, supplementary sickness insurance and the hiring-out of staff.

With this vote, the European Parliament has accepted serious liability towards the people who elected it, by supporting an extreme neo-liberal economic and social policy; a policy which promotes the privatisation of absolutely everything, categorically opposes any form of public sector, overturns workers’ employment, wage, social and insurance rights, imposes a policy of budgetary austerity which is acutely anti-social and unpopular and acts on behalf of employers by asking workers to become more attractive and employable if they want to find a job.

12. BELIEVES that it is highly desirable to build energy efficiency into other Community policies where it is appropriate to do so while respecting the basic objectives of these policies; RECOGNISES that other Community policies, including regional policy, research and technology, transport, industry, external relations and state aid, could make a significant contribution to the promotion of energy efficiency.