Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, sustainable development is our key challenge for the next 20 years. Sustainable development is a beautiful concept which articulates the belief that economic growth can go hand-in-hand with improving the environment. Until now, this has rarely been the case, as economic growth has been at the expense of the environment. We now need to improve our production methods so that they take the environment more – or even more – into account. We also need to change our thoughts and actions, and to consider environmental costs, so that environmental protection starts to pay off. The Gothenburg European Council needs to take an emphatic first step in this connection. I should like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr Blokland on his report. His realistic approach has in any event generated a few specific building blocks to develop further. I should also like to thank Mrs Hulthén for the conviction and tenacity with which she has presented her vision on sustainable development. The concept of sustainable development must be translated into concrete proposals and decisions. I should like to home in on three points in this connection: production standards, bio-diversity and compliance. Sustainable development must be given a practical dimension. We want to focus on the development of concrete product standards, standards which curb the use of energy, standards which restrict, or ban as much as possible, the use of dangerous substances, and rules to enable the environmental cost to be reflected in the price of the product. Such standards are important in the food sector, as well as the building materials, clothing, paint and natural packaging sectors. In my opinion, we stand to gain a great deal on an environmental plane. The standards must also aim to prevent waste: less throw-away packaging, less wear-and-tear, more sustainability and more sustained quality. If products do reach the end of their useful lives, re-use and recycling should be the obvious choice. The major challenge is then to create markets for all the product waste and all waste substances. Moreover, such markets also yield new employment. Passing on environmental costs to the consumer is important, but not everything can be expressed in money. The protection of nature and bio-diversity is also a value in its own right without having an immediate economic value. The protection of bio-diversity is a theme which must recur in many policy areas. Needless to say, we must also adhere to the Bird and Habitat Directive. Which brings us to the third point: compliance. There is a great deal of sound European legislation. It is therefore necessary to comply with these laws. However, that is often a problem. Not all Member States enjoy the same good reputation in this connection. Mrs Hulthén and Mr Bowe asked in Strasbourg how the Commission intends to deal with this problem. The replies which the President of the Commission, Mr Prodi, gave, were disappointing to say the least. I should therefore like to ask the Commission once again in what way it intends to address the Member States on the issue of inadequate compliance with European rules. I should also like to underline that Parliament could be far more involved in compliance. I should like to be issued with half-yearly reports on the state of affairs in terms of compliance with legislation.

Political group: PSE