posals in the run up to the interim review of the Lisbon strategy with great interest. This interim review, which will be carried out at the spring European Council, will be a good opportunity for honest evaluation and intervention on our part, in cooperation with the Member States, the national governments and social agencies at all levels, because this strategy lies at the heart of all present and future economic and social challenges. It includes all the policies which directly concern citizens: unemployment, poverty, job insecurity, the standard of education, health and social protection. An important tool in our work on this interim review and the new impetus which we need to give will be the report by Mr Wim Kok.
We certainly need to find ways to bring this strategy close to the citizens and organised social agencies because, without their participation, we cannot succeed in such complex policies. This issue relates directly to the broader presentation of the Commission to citizens and it is important and encouraging that the European Council in November turned its attention to the subject of an essential information and communication strategy policy for the policy of the European Union. We must not forget the results of the European elections, which prove that citizens are alienated from the development of the European venture. This is not the first time we have noted this, but the time has come for us to take it on board. The time has come for us to understand that the communication and information policies which we applied every year in the past did not perform well. We need to take action because we face major social and strategic choices, enlargement choices which require both information for and the participation of citizens. 
Napoletano (PSE ).
    Mr President, we harbour great concern at the worsening situation in Iraq. The attack on Fallujah and the way in which the civil population has become embroiled are feeding the spiral of hatred, besides being the umpteenth violation of international law 