Brussels, 26/11/2004 (Agence Europe) - The 25 November Competitiveness Council held an initial discussion on the Wim Kok Report on the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy. Welcoming the Kok Report, the Member States agreed that many of its recommendations directly affected the work of the Competitiveness Council, such as the ones concerning the single market and R+D. The Council unanimous supported the recommendation that Member States develop national action programmes, particularly where they can be combined with a reduction in the overall reporting burden. The Dutch Presidency urged the high-level group on competitiveness and growth to prepare a report on strategic issues to be addressed by the Competitiveness Council in its spring 2005 meeting.