Svenska prioriteringar

Nyligen talade statsministern i Bryssel om de övergripande prioriteringarna för det svenska EU-ordförandeskapet. Fokus kommer framför allt att läggas på att hantera den pågående ekonomiska krisen och ökande arbetslösheten - och på att få till stånd en ny klimatöverenskommelse i Köpenhamn. Andra prioriterade frågor är EUs Östersjöstrategi, ett öppet Europa (immigration bl.a.) och EU:s utvidgning, inkl den komplicerade frågan om Turkiets medlemskap.

Några citat från talet:

"For example, the problem with the car industry lies in the overproduction of cars that nobody wants to buy. Well, I must tell you: when a ship is sinking my main aim is to save the sailors – not the ship.

What Europe needs in the short term is pro-active labour market policies in order to maintain employability, prevent long-term unemployment and, not least, prevent the re-emergence of protectionist pressures. What Europe can do in the long run is to reform, adapt and modernise by strengthening its innovation capacity and moving towards a low-carbon economy."

"As I stand here today, the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets continue to melt and sea levels continue to rise. We are experiencing more extreme weather conditions, with severe storms and droughts. And while this is happening, emission levels have not even started to decline.

On the contrary. According to the IPCC, between 1970 and 2004 greenhouse gas emissions increased by 70 per cent. There is no more time to lose, if we do not want our children to suffer even more dramatic consequences of climate change.

Over the last year I have often been told that, in the middle of deep economic crisis, countries cannot afford to spend money on “green dreams”. I would argue the contrary. They cannot afford to keep their current costly energy sources."

"Global greenhouse gas emissions could be cut by about 40 per cent by 2030 at a cost of less than half a per cent of global GDP. I will say it again: the cost of inaction is far higher than the cost of action."

Här kan man läsa hela talet.