Mr Chairman, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,It is a great honour to be here today.First of all, I would like to thank Poland for hosting this conference.Let me also thank Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon for his personal commitment to combating climate change and his dedication to the COP-process. All efforts and initiatives that can help us reach an international agreement in Copenhagen are highly valued and appreciated.When we meet in Copenhagen for COP15 next year, Sweden will be holding the Presidency of the European Union.Expectations are high. Pressure on governments to reach a broad international agreement is mounting. Will we succeed? I say: We must. Because climate change is no longer a distant threat - it is a current reality.It is clear that global emissions of greenhouse gases are higher today than earlier scenarios predicted. According to IPCC the yearly increase is now about 5 per cent and more than 20 per cent compared to the year 2000.The financial crisis is no excuse for deviating from long-term climate protection. The policies we need to decide on now will be implemented from 2013 and beyond - not immediately.Climate change is a long-term problem that we need to address consistently over many years to come. And the world has both the economic and technological instruments needed to greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions - and to transform our countries into low-carbon economies.I believe that it is important to build a future global climate change policy regime on three basic guiding principles.Firstly, to achieve results we have to do the right things first. I firmly believe that pricing mechanisms are needed to promote a sustainable society. We have to mitigate climate change in a smart way. We can not afford to do the right things the wrong way.It is not only irresponsible, but also unsustainable, to spend more than necessary to achieve our common goals. Our resources are limited and we need to use them wisely in a number of important areas. Therefore, let's put a price on CO2 emissions, and let's do it globally.One way of doing this is to introduce a cap-and-trade-scheme and establish an international - carbon market. This will also be a necessary and positive force for the innovation, investment, development and distribution of low carbon and clean technology.Second, the framework must include appropriate targets and mechanisms that help us achieve our objectives. That is why I want to see an agreement based on a strong determination to limit the global average temperature increase to two degrees Celsius. Science tells us that going beyond the two degree target is an extremely risky game. This is what the European Union believes, and this is what the European Union is offering in the negotiating process.Thirdly, an international agreement must be fair. We know that in order to reduce global emissions by at least 50 per cent by the middle of this century, the largest emitters among the developed countries need to make greater efforts to reduce emissions.But we also need to see more advanced developing countries contribute in accordance with their responsibilities and respective capabilities. We have to safeguard the right to development for developing countries. And at the same time ensure that the least developed and most vulnerable countries receive the amount of assistance needed to protect their future from the impacts of climate change.We have to address adaptation fully and comprehensively in the same manner as we will address mitigation. Thus, we need to take the impact of climate change into account in international development assistance and provide additional resources to promote sustainable development.Sweden has met these requirements in at least two ways: We have initiated a comprehensive international inquiry into the needs - in terms of adaptation - and the actions necessary to address these from a development perspective. The Commission on Climate Change and Development will present its findings and recommendations to the Swedish Government and the international community in late spring 2009.And we have allocated new and additional money for actions in the field of adaptation and other measures for the most vulnerable countries. The Swedish Government has set aside roughly 500 million USD, for this purpose over the next three years.Let me be very clear about one point: This is not only about transferring money to developing countries for adaptation measures - it is also about establishing and improving institutional capacity.Finally, Mr Chairman,The meeting here in Poznan is setting the scene for a successful outcome at COP15 in Copenhagen. We have one year of important but difficult negotiations ahead of us. The technical content of these negotiations is obviously very detailed and the geopolitical issues very apparent.However, let's not forget why we are here - to prevent and mitigate climate change through joint efforts. Now is the time for strong political leadership to steer developments in the right direction. We need decisive and global political action to prevent further dangerous changes to our climate system and to adapt to the consequences that are inevitable.It is time for every country and every nation to shoulder its responsibilities.Thank you.