Social democracy has always viewed politics as a force for change.

For us, change in itself is no threat. Change means possibilities - possibilities of improvement. Out of challenges we build visions for the future.

Today, the European Union is developing towards a union of active welfare states. Full employment is at the top of the agenda.

A few years ago the political right still regarded this a childish dream.

They claim that we have to choose between justice and growth, between equality and development.

We know that the opposite is true.
Development and equality go hand in hand.

The new economy now taking shape gives us proof.

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New technology is rapidly transforming our labour markets. Muscle-power is steadily replaced by brainpower. Knowledge and skills are ageing quickly, forcing people to learn more and learn again.

Add to this the demographic development, and the way we handle our labour forces will be absolutely essential for future development.

A society that excludes groups - whether in the educational system or at the work places - will loose ground in the forming economy.

We will not be able to afford to build socially decent societies in the future unless we take full advantage of the resources of all our citizens. Everyone must be given the opportunity to contribute and to share responsibility - irrespective of their gender, ethnic or social origins.

This gives our struggle for equality between women and men, and our fight against discrimination and intolerance, a whole new meaning.

If our welfare systems are built on the necessary condition that they stimulate citizens to participate in the labour force, then welfare is a productive force in modern economy.

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Comrades and friends,

Together we are striving in the EU to reach the strategic goal to make Europe the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world.

It will demand a continued struggle for more and better jobs, economic reforms, investment in education and new technology as well as in social security.

With the Lisbon process we have created tools to steer and measure our progress. In Stockholm we decided to closely involve the applicant countries.

The EU has adopted a wide view on modern economy.

But still it is not the whole-picture analysis that we need.

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What good will it do if we give our children the best schools and the best child care in the world, if they have to hide from a sun that has become a hazardous threat?

What good will it do if we accomplish full employment if environmental pollutions are destroying the water we need to drink and the air we all have to breathe in?

What good will it do if we manage to minimise the gaps between rich and poor in our countries, if we at the same time stand before climate changes that kills millions in storms, drought and flooding?

These are the kind of questions that have made many of us re-write our party programmes.

Nuclear power, the holes in the ozone layer, the green house effect, the pollution threatening forests and seas, the constant stream of new chemicals hitting the human body with unknown effects - these are all grave threats to humankind.

We all face the risk. We all share the responsibility.

This concerns more than dollars or euro. It is way out of range for the welfare state of today. It concerns life itself.

We all know very well that we cannot go on with a development that is not ecological sustainable.

It is not rational and it is not right.
It would be to betray our children and grand children.

Solidarity demands more.

It demands from us the greatest conscious change of our societies ever.

We must form a common policy that connects the economic, social and ecological dimensions of development - all in one great vision.

We must involve every part of society and we must work on all levels - local, regional, national and global.

The overall goal must be to achieve a sustainable development in Europe within one generation.  

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Comrades and friends,

The answer to this challenge is not to be found in going backwards.

We must never confuse ecological sustainability with nostalgic dreams of the past.

We must rely on new technology and its ability to help us get more out of less. Science is rapidly developing new insights and methods. The need for technical solutions decreasing the use of energy and natural resources can only grow.

People's awareness of the problem is increasing everywhere. The business society understands the need to meet, and the advantages in meeting, the demands of the consumers.

Public investments, cooperation and local commitment can speed up development even more.

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We do not lack ideas or proposals.
We do not lack knowledge or experts.
What we do lack is a common strategy forcing us to achieve results.

We need a united European social democracy taking the lead.
People expect us to.
We are the progressive political force that holds the vision so urgently needed.

We have to move forward.

The carrying out of the strategy for sustainable development that the European Union is going to adopt at the Göteborg summit will demand a large effort.

The Party of European Social democrats could contribute to this work by carrying out two action plans.

First, we should adopt an action plan to build the new, modern welfare society.

We want to develop the Lisbon process to include all three dimensions of sustainable development. We need to develop time-targeted goals also for sectors as energy, transportation and agriculture. And we have to develop descriptions of necessary measures - subsidies, investment support, economical steering mechanisms and price-fixing.

Second, we should adopt an action plan guaranteeing everybody a share in the possibilities of globalisation.

Development will never be sustainable as long as extreme poverty exists and forces poorer countries to overuse scarce resources. We need to deal with matters as development assistance, agricultural subsidies, and trade and customs regulations.

For this purpose the Party of European Social democrats appoint a working group with the aim of developing a programme for the implementation of the strategy for sustainable development.

The programme shall become the message from the European Social Democrats to the Rio 1992 follow-up meeting in South Africa in the autumn of 2002.

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Comrades and friends,

As social democrats, we will meet these challenges as we use to - with high ambitions and clear goals, one step at the time.

We feel humility, but also firm faith in the future.

The future is not the decree of fate.

Together we can build a society where ecological threats do not jeopardise further development and better standards of living.

It is a vision of what mankind is capable of when everyone works together - science, consumers, politics and business.

It is a vision of solidarity and a vision for development.

Thank you.