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European socio-economic model discussed

Can European governments still afford to guarantee social safety nets for the poor, the sick, and the aged? Can they afford not to do so, and still retain their claim to govern humanely? Fifty years ago, European ideals of social solidarity burned brightly enough to make high taxes seem a reasonable way of spreading wealth more equally.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has called EU heads of state to a brainstorming summit this week at Hampton Court, a 16th-century royal palace, to discuss ways of adapting Europe`s aging social model to the information age. The debate over social models goes to the heart of how Europeans want to live - how they balance personal risk and security, what they expect the state to do for them and what they should do for themselves, and whether economic prosperity comes with a social price.

",The stakes are high,", warns Finnish philosopher Pekka Himanen, who has made his name dissecting his country`s success. "If Europe does not succeed in creating a socially inclusive model of economic success, that will determine how globalization goes."