Colloquium 1996

Welcoming Remarks Ambassador Gebhardt von Moltke Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs NATO

Ladies and Gentlemen, It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to NATO Headquarters for this year's NATO Economics Colloquium. This Colloquium has a long tradition. It was organised for the first time in 1971 which makes this week's gathering the 25th NATO Economics Colloquium. Throughout these years, the Colloquium has found - as today - great interest and attracted participants from most European and North American countries, from governments, academia and the business world, as well as representatives of several international organizations. Over the last few years, it has also become part of the Work Plan of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council. This year's Colloquium will focus on the effects that economic developments and reforms in our Partner countries in Central and Eastern Europe have on individual citizens: the social and human dimensions of economic reform. The individual and his or her well-being is and should be at the centre of all our reflections and endeavours; the individual as part of a community. Social peace and stability in individual countries is very much dependent on the achievement of satisfactory living conditions. We all know too well the big challenges and headaches this represents. In preparing these remarks, I looked at the impressive book which resulted from last year's Colloquium on the Status of Economic Reforms in Partner countries. What became quite clear from these discussions is that the process of reform and transition will be a long one, and certainly longer than hoped for at the outset. There are no quick fixes or general remedies. Unemployment and declining living standards are hard for the citizens to bear, and even harder for governments to solve. Nevertheless, a gradual improvement is visible in those countries which have undertaken serious reforms. In 1991, NATO gave itself a New Strategic Concept which is based on a broad notion of security encompassing political, economic, social and environmental elements as well as the defence dimension. Our aim is to contribute to stability and security in the whole of Europe with the means NATO and its member countries possess and through cooperation and partnership with all other countries. We concluded that risks to security are likely to result from the adverse consequences of instability that may arise from the serious economic, social and political difficulties which are faced by many countries. Economic security is important for citizens and central to stability in individual countries as well as on the European continent. Your deliberations will contribute to a better understanding of both the causes and the consequences of prevailing deficiencies in the social and human aspects of ongoing economic reform. Only through international cooperation and support can remedies be identified and applied. In this sense, I would like to wish you a successful Colloquium. But let me also thank the 28 speakers who generously accepted our invitation to address the Colloquium. We thank them for sharing their views and experiences with us. I would also like to thank Mr. Daniel George, Director of the Economics Directorate, and all the members of this Directorate who once more have so efficiently organized and prepared this Economics Colloquium. Finally, let me extend a particular welcome to Dr. Lajos Héthy, Political Secretary of State of the Hungarian Ministry of Labour, our keynote speaker. He has already in the past actively contributed to many economic NACC activities and we know of his high qualifications. Dr. Héthy, thank you for accepting our invitation, thank you for being with us again, we are looking forward very much to your address.