Anna Lilja Gunnarsdóttir, ráðuneytisstjóri í velferðarráðuneytinu flutti opnunarávarp ráðstefnunnar Nordic Welfare - The North Atlantic Way sem NORA (samstarfsvettvangur ríkja á Norðuratlantssvæðinu) efndi til í Reykjavík dagana 7. - 8. nóvember 2012. 

It is with pleasure that I welcome you to this conference of the countries in the North-Atlantic area that are formally cooperating under the auspices of NORA: Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and the Norwegian coastal regions. The subject of the conference is quite timely since the welfare systems of the nations have been under strain in difficult times and are facing numerous challenges due to external circumstances as well as continuing social changes and developments at home.

The Nordic welfare model has been subject to much discussion in Nordic forums in recent years, most recently in the meeting of Nordic leaders at the 64^th Conference of the Nordic Council. The Prime Ministers were in full agreement that the Nordic welfare model had proven its strength in difficult times, having withstood the shock of the international financial crisis and taken care of those most in need, as intended.

The Nordic welfare model is a matter of political policy and social contract where a consensus exists that we are all responsible for the general welfare in our societies. On the basis of this social contract, the citizens are prepared to contribute their share through the tax system in order to pay for the welfare system. The purpose of the system is to ensure that all citizens have access to certain services when needed, regardless of affordability, - in addition to a variety of support from the social security system when people's ability to earn income fails for some reason.

It stands to reason that a welfare system of this kind is costly, and there are many who never tire of discussing this side of the issue. However, there is every reason to discuss the cost in a wider context and consider what it would cost society to abandon the organisation under the Nordic welfare model that aims at ensuring welfare for all. In my mind, there is no doubt that the Nordic welfare model is one of the basic foundations of our society. If we saved on the cost of the foundation and would allow it to deteriorate out of neglect, there is considerable danger that our society would collapse with serious consequences. A disparity in wealth and social inequality is the root cause for serious social problems that many nations in the world face. The best defence is to strengthen the welfare system, continue to develop it and never lose sight of its basic aims.

Ladies and gentlemen.

I know that the countries on the North-Atlantic area are in agreement on the basic aims of the Nordic welfare system. We want to defend it – and maintain a welfare service for all in the spirit of the system. However, the challenges are many. Our nations have small populations and their average age is increasing. Some sparsely settled regions are losing ground and in danger of not being viable if their foundations are not strengthened.

This is the essence of the broad questions for which answers will be sought at this conference. How do we strengthen the foundations of sparsely settled regions and what ways and means do we have in this respect? How do we ensure equality between the residents and their secure access to necessary social services and the qualities of life that are a precondition for residency in each place?

The Icelandic authorities are very conscious of all these challenges and the necessity for planning in order to strengthen the residency base in all parts of the country. Therefore, a plan of action under the name of Iceland 20/20 has been embarked upon where emphasis is placed on analysing the strengths and weaknesses of each region to assess which measures are most likely to strengthen such regions, their economic base and the future living standard of the residents on a self-sustainable basis.

Ladies and gentlemen.

When we discuss the Nordic welfare system we are not dealing with a fixed, immovable entity that cannot be altered. The welfare system is based on ideology, a certain view of society and a definable end on which we are all agreed. The means to the end are subject to change over time in line with changes in our social structure. We must constantly review our methodology in order to see what we can do differently and better, in order to better achieve our goals. We, the nations participating in this conference, can undoubtedly learn much from each other and share each other's knowledge and experience.

This is going to be an interesting conference and we should thank the organisers for their initiative and careful preparation.

I hope that the conference participants will have a satisfying and educational stay in our country. I am certain that they will return home with new ideas and fresh vantage points after considering the subject matters here at hand.

I declare this conference now open.