AS WRITTEN

Address by Mr. Sten Svensson,
representative of the Nordic council to the UN Social Summit in Copenhagen.


 As the representative of the Nordic council I should like to direct your 
attention to the final document adopted by the council's international 
conference in Helsinki in January, where it is said that

 - The international community should see the alleviation of misery and the 
eradication of extreme poverty as its most urgent task.

 - The World Summit for Social Development, on which the Nordic countries 
place high hopes, must also be seen from a peace and security angle which 
cannot be isolated from economic, environmental and social factors.

 - As the people living in poverty often represent underutilized capacity, 
poverty is not only a denial of their economic and social human rights but 
also a failure to mobilize the full potential of all people.

 - Combating un- and underemployment and the promotion of productive and 
freely chosen employment are key means to alleviate poverty and achieve 
social integration.

 - Successful eradication of extreme poverty is conditional upon democracy, 
accountability and transparency in government.

 - The empowering of women and strengthening of their participation in 
society should be an element in all initiatives aimed at alleviating social 
plight, especially hunger, illiteracy, poverty and population growth.

 - In increasing development aid, equal attention should be paid to the 
qualitative as to the quantitative aspects.

 I should like to give a short presentation of what we call the "Nordic 
model" which also comprises the areas covered by this conference. Our 
welfare model aims at providing everybody with adequate health care, social 
services, good housing, good working conditions, pollution control and 
equal opportunities for education and training. We also have full 
employment as the aim of our economic and labour market policies, as stated 
in the first Nordic program of action in the labour market field, as well 
as our Councils of Ministers first economic action plan.

 The Nordic welfare model is a comprehensive one based on good housing, 
healthy food, equal opportunities for education and training, good working 
conditions, pollution control and adequate health care services. But it 
must be underlined that the Nordic model is a framework and that the five 
Nordic countries show varieties in their systems.

 The main objectives of a social policy are to develop social security and 
welfare and to improve living conditions by means of preventive social and 
health policies and social and health services, thus promoting social 
integration.

 Social welfare was originally a last resort for those in need. But social 
services have grown so rapidly that welfare now covers almost the entire 
population, which have given rise to heavy discussions about the limit for 
a public run welfare system.

The objects of welfare are to promote the social security of the population 
and the functioning capacity of the individual, and to improve the 
situation of the deprived - groups and individuals alike. Both services and 
income security are used to this end.

 The principles of social welfare are as follows: Services, normality, 
freedom of choice and client influence, confidentially, prevention and 
promotion of initiative to preserve, restore or give clients the capacity 
for self-support and independent action.

 First and foremost by the way of integration or re-integrating people into 
the labour market. A growing attention has been paid to this item for the 
last years to prevent young unemployed and long-term unemployed to be 
dependent of social assistance and maybe even come in a situation, where 
they have become receiver of pension in an early age.

 The social safety net consists of social security schemes, social 
assistance schemes and social services.

 All of these schemes have as a main rule a universal coverage, are 
mandatory, are tax funded by contributions as a form of insurance schemes.

 Close to the social security schemes are the labour market insurance 
schemes in case of employment. In Norway the unemployment insurance scheme 
is in fact integrated in so-called "folketrygd" together with almost all 
the other security schemes. In the other countries unemployment insurance 
are in principle independent funds with a voluntary admission but in 
reality the schemes are run by the unions with an almost universal coverage 
rate.

 The general economic policy supplemented by the active labour market 
policy is in the Nordic countries considered to be very significant when it 
comes to the preservation of a high employment rate. In connection with the 
labour market policy there is an emphasis on a well functioning labour 
market and on more and more initiatives and schemes which help to improve 
the skills and competence of the labour force and to integrate young people 
and long term unemployed into working life.

The active labour market policy is one of the characteristics of the Nordic 
model even if the increase of the unemployment results in a greater part of 
expenditures to be used for passive income support. But it must also be 
stressed that the political-economic crisis-packages which are set up in 
the Nordic countries all have an element of strengthening the active labour 
market measures even if the package as a whole has a cut-down in public 
expenditures.

 The Nordic co-operation

 There has been a common Nordic labour market since 1954. All Nordic 
citizens are entitled to look for a job in another Nordic country without a 
work permit. Since 1954 over a million people have moved between the Nordic 
countries. In this respect we in the Nordic countries were well ahead of 
the European Community.

 The 1955 Nordic Social Security Convention is the most comprehensive 
result achieved by co-operation in the social sphere. It means that a 
citizen of one Nordic country who is working or staying in another has the 
same social security and other social rights as the country s own nationals 
in terms, for example of health care, child benefit, social assistance, 
pensions and unemployment benefit.

 European integration

 The European integration process and the Nordic countries closer links 
with EU have greatly influenced Nordic co-operation in recent years. 
Despite this focus on Europe, there have been no great changes in the 
nature of concrete Nordic co-operation in the labour market, social 
welfare, and medical and health care sectors. European developments mean, 
however, that such questions must now be considered in a broader 
international perspective to a greater extent.

 In connection with EEA agreement negotiations, it was decided to review 
the 1981 social security convention and the 1981 agreement for a Nordic 
labour market for medical, health care and veterinary personnel. However, 
it has not been considered necessary to revise the agreement for a joint 
Nordic labour market as a result of the entry into force of force of the 
EEA agreement.

 In the medical and health care area the Nordic countries are in a strong 
position and should have excellent opportunities of their influence, both 
as members of the EU (Denmark, Finland and Sweden) or within the framework 
of the EEA (Iceland and Norway) agreement. The Nordic Council considers 
that such co-operation should be developed further both within the Nordic 
region and also in context, to influence developments in Europe and in 
other countries in the vicinity of the Nordic region.

 The Nordic Neighbourhood

 Changes in the Nordic neighbourhood - in the Baltic countries and in 
Eastern Europe have also called for Nordic initiatives to some extent. The 
view of the Nordic Council is that the Nordic welfare model and the 
expertise possessed by Nordic institutions in the social welfare and health 
care fields could contribute to positive developments in the Baltic Sea 
region.

 Nordic bodies have already established co-operation with the public 
authorities and other organisations. In the Baltic countries this is the 
case in areas as public health, the approval of pharmaceuticals, 
disablement, the training of social welfare personnel, hearing and sight 
handicapped children and young people, etc. The main problem, however, is 
that financing for such activities is relatively uncertain

 As Baltic co-operation grows, it is important to take into account the way 
in which other countries, over the years, have built up their co-operation, 
and forms for such co-operation. The way in which the Nordic countries have 
been bale to learn from history may also help the Baltic countries to 
understand that co-operation with each other and with the world around them 
is an essential feature of development. The only difference is that the 
Baltic countries will be able to take advantage of the experience gained by 
other countries - for example the Nordic countries - in achieving 
prosperity and social welfare. This is why the Nordic Council will be 
giving high priority to co-operation between the Nordic region and the 
Baltic countries over the next few years.

 I want the Nordic countries to enter into co-operation in the health 
sector with the Baltic states and Eastern Europe, if the feasibility of 
such co-operation can be demonstrated.

 I refer to the major challenges faced by the countries concerned as they 
seek to modernize their infrastructure in a number of sectors. Health 
services is one sector, and one in which several Nordic bodies are already 
cooperating with the Baltic states. However, much more needs to be done; 
among other things, help is needed to develop preventive and primary health 
services and training, and to carry out reforms. It would seem natural for 
the Nordic countries, with their leading position in health and social 
services ,to increase and broaden their assistance to the Baltic states and 
Eastern Europe in this field. This can be achieved in several ways.

 Existing or planned cooperation should be encouraged and pursed further. 
In addition, the Nordic countries could participate on a joint basis in WHO 
s Eurohealth package. Another possibility is to set up a financial body, 
modelled on the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation, to make essential 
investments in health care.

 Norden-based measures could be broader-ranging and more efficient than 
projects carried out by each country individually. The Nordic region 
possesses significant resources within the health sector, with regard to 
development, technology and risk capital. These resources have a natural 
part to play in helping the Baltic and East European states develop 
functioning health services.

 It would be advantageous to coordinate Nordic commitments in this area 
with the sphere of the WHO, which the Nordic countries are already involved 
in. WHO intends to analyse the Baltic republics health priorities in order 
to establish what they can look after by themselves and where outside help 
is needed. Nordic efforts should be focused on the Baltic states, since WHO 
will be giving priority to more underdeveloped areas of Eastern Europe. It 
is important for the Baltic states themselves, too, to coordinate their 
health care investments.

 Cooperation with the Baltic states and Eastern Europe in the area of 
health care should be enlarged without creating new institutions. Therefore 
the Nordic Council has, after proposal from the Social Committee, 
recommended the Nordic Council of Ministers to study the feasibility of and 
possible funding arrangements for Nordic health care cooperation with the 
Baltic states and Eastern Europe.

 And. finally, some personal words:

 The striving for fellowship is part of the human social nature - the wish 
to achieve freedom and gain security. The family is the natural ground for 
the solidarity and cooperation. This is why my party in Sweden, The 
Moderate party, finds it important to strengthen and support the family, 
which is of course the paramount factor in social integration.

 This responsibility of society for the citizen’s welfare is, as well as 
the individuals responsibility for themselves and others, a natural part of 
our ideology. A basic reliable social security-system is a right for the 
citizens. It is the opinion of my party that our countries in the North 
need efficient and qualified authorities characterized by openess, the will 
of cooperation and flexibility.