Brussels, 18/10/2004 (Agence Europe) - MEPs Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (President of the Party of European Socialists), Robert Goebbels and Harlem Désir (vice-presidents of the Socialist group) are concerned at the contents of the report on the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy, which Wim Kok is to present on 3 November. They have sent out a "last-minute appeal on employment and growth" to the Task Force chaired by the former Dutch Prime Minister, saying that: -even if the strategy is to become more targeted in the future, the balance must be maintained between the three pillars (especially between competitiveness and a "modern social security"); -growth and reforms must go hand in hand; -social employment market policies can contribute to growth, as demonstrated by the "success stories" in the Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands; -we must work "smarter, but not harder"; -the implementation of the strategy should be better coordinated, with greater EP involvement.