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In the Council's opinion, the forthcoming enlargement of the European Un-ion should enhance the construction of Europe and of the internal market, and maintain the principle of cohesion, which should impregnate all Com-munity policy. Competitiveness needs to be increased, especially in prod-ucts and ranges with a high content of technology and added value, and Spanish companies should be internationalised as a guarantee of im-provement in the quality and volume of employment, so as to take advan-tage of the opportunities afforded by the European Union. It is necessary to provide an administrative and financial framework that facilitates the presence of Spanish companies abroad, primarily in these countries, and that attracts investment to Spain. Sectoral observatories should be set up by the most representative employers? organisations and trade unions in each sector, as set out in the National Collective Bargaining Agreement 2003, extended for 2004. The social partners in the candidate countries should play a vital active role in modernising and improving labour rela-tions and in facilitating adaptation to Community regulations. Any redistri-bution of Community funds should carried out in a balanced way over transitional periods, without cutting the aid received by the less developed areas of the current European Union.

In the past few years, analysts have made it clear that the Dutch economy has a productivity problem. Labour productivity growth in the Netherlands is lagging behindthat in other wealthy countries, posing a threat to future prosperity. Satisfactory growth in output, in turn, is closely tied to a well-developed capacity for innovation.

It is in the interest of both Works Councils and employers that, together, they be able to apply the concept of employee participation in such a way that it meets their respective needs. In view of the diversity of enterprises within the Netherlands, the Works Councils Act should therefore be as flexible as possible. Opinions are divided within the Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands(Sociaal Economische Raad, SER) on whether this makes it necessary to amend the current Act.

The Social and Economic Council agrees with the Dutch Cabinet that immigrants will integrate more easily intoDutch society if they not only learn Dutch but also work or take vocational training courses. More combined programmes are needed, but that would require localauthorities and institutions of vocational education to take the needs and capacities of regional employers into account in their integration policy.