The European Parliament,

–  having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas the Lisbon Strategy has made advancements in policies regarding research and development, financial services, the liberalisation of energy markets, telecommunications, environmental protection and regulatory reforms,

B.  whereas five years after the European Council’s meeting in Tampere, where it adopted a programme on the development of the area of freedom, security and justice, the Council adopted a new multi-annual programme for the next five years, to be known as the Hague Programme,

C.  whereas the Hague Programme deals with all aspects of policies relating to the area of freedom, security and justice, including their external dimension concerning fundamental rights, asylum and migration, border management, the fight against terrorism and organised crime,

D.  whereas it is important that, while guaranteeing respect for fundamental freedoms and rights, the European Union take a more effective approach to cross-border problems such as illegal migration and the smuggling of human beings, as well as to terrorism and organised crime,

The Lisbon Strategy

1.  Urges the European Council to stress the importance of the Mid-Term Review of the Lisbon Strategy, which denotes specific areas which need to be reformed, at the 2005 Spring European Council;

3.  Welcomes the European Commission’s intention to continue to make the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy a key component of its policy;

4.  Welcomes the fact that a programme of actions was undertaken to drive forward the joint initiative on better regulation;

5.  Asks that the 2005 Spring European Council discuss better regulation in the context of the Lisbon Mid-Term Review;

6.  Believes that the letter of the Heads of State or Government of France, Germany, Spain and Sweden pointed out the impact that demographic factors will have in the future economic and social development of Europe, and welcomes the call for the elaboration of a 'European Pact for Youth';

7.  Supports the focus on education and human capital, halving the number of early school leavers, adapting education and training systems for the knowledge society, fostering lifelong learning for all, and promoting and facilitating mobility;

8.  Is convinced that social inclusion cannot be isolated from any growth agenda nor the environment in which people live;

9.  Urges the Commission and Member States to recognise and promote positive actions to compete with the US and Asia in terms of off-shoring/outsourcing and the significant advances that these countries have made in the ICT, IT and R&D sectors;

10.  Stresses that the demographic changes in the European Union need to be accommodated in order to alleviate the obvious economic and social impact that an ageing population and a low employment rate of older workers can have on a Member State's growth;

11.  Agrees that Member States should develop a comprehensive active ageing strategy by 2006;

12.  Asks the High Level Group to advise the EU and the Member States to focus on growth and employment in order to underpin social cohesion and sustainable development;

13.  Agrees that Parliament could establish a standing committee on the Lisbon strategy for growth and employment;

The Hague programme

14.  Welcomes the results achieved in the first five-year period on the preparation of a common asylum and immigration policy, joint border controls and the improvement of police cooperation;

15.  Is concerned about the continuous threat of terrorism, the increasing illegal migration flows and growing organised crime, and deems it necessary to improve the common capability of the Union and its Member States to take action in order to prevent and repress the threat of terrorism, to regulate migration flows and to control the external borders;

16.  Calls for the Council and the Commission to adopt a global approach to immigration which analyses the root causes and develops coordinated entry, admission, integration and return policies;

17.  Calls for the Council to adopt a global strategy on immigration which elaborates a develop aid plan for the economies of the poorest countries in the Middle East and, in general, developing countries, with a view to tackling the root causes of the illegal immigration problem, which are to be found essentially in poverty and social exclusion;

18.  Urges the EU to assist third countries, in full partnership, in their efforts to improve their capacity for migration management and refugee protection, prevent and combat illegal immigration, inform on legal channels for migration, build border-control capacity and effectively tackle the problem of return;

19.  Expresses its sympathy and concern about the human tragedies that take place in the Mediterranean as a result of attempts to enter the EU illegally; in this connection, calls on all states to intensify cooperation amongst themselves and with countries of origin and transit countries to find durable solutions, improve migration management and provide adequate refugee protection; urges all third countries to accede and adhere to the Geneva Convention on refugees;

20.  Calls for the establishment of an effective return policy, based on common standards fully respecting human rights and human dignity and shared by all the Member States;

21.  Calls for action against illegal immigration to be stepped up by introducing security measures linking visa application procedures with entry and exit procedures; calls also for effective and harmonised solutions with respect to biometric identifiers;

22.  Urges the Member States to use their own intelligence and security services, if necessary, to protect the internal security of other Member States through close cooperation and the use of Europol and Eurojust;

Sudan

23.  Welcomes the firm position of the European Council regarding the situation in Sudan, in which it calls upon the Government of Sudan and all involved parties to meet the demands set out by the international community; encourages the Council and the Commission to take the necessary measures, including the use of sanctions, to prevent further abuses of human rights;

Iraq

24.  Welcomes the dialogue between the Council and the Government of Iraq; supports the Council’s commitment towards the restoration of security, democracy and the rule of law in Iraq;

Middle East

25.  Welcomes the Council’s support for the Knesset decision on withdrawal from the Gaza strip and part of the West Bank undertaken in the context of the Roadmap; expresses support for the High Representative’s programme of action in the field of security, reforms, election and economy;

Iran

26.  Welcomes the Council’s position on exchanges with Iran on its nuclear programme as this demonstrates the possible development of a constructive long-term future relationship and cooperation; underlines the importance for the Iranian nuclear programme of transparency and compliance with IAEA Board of Governors resolutions to building confidence among the international community;

Ukraine

27.  Highlights the importance of the relations between the EU and Ukraine and stresses the EU’s commitment to supporting the political and economic reforms in Ukraine;

28.  Expresses its deep disappointment with the involvement of the government administration in the election campaign, especially with the use of the police forces against the opposition;

29.  Reiterates its condemnation of measures to restrict opposition candidates' access to state media;

30.  Is alarmed about the reports on cases of election results being falsified;

31.  Calls on the Council, the Member States and the Commission to exert pressure on the Ukrainian authorities to ensure that elections are free and fair in the second round;

Common strategy on the Mediterranean

32.  Welcomes the Council’s decision to extend the period of application of the Common Strategy on the Mediterranean until January 2006;

33.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments of the Member States.