LONDON OFFICE The Chandlery, Office 609 50 Westminster Bridge Road London SE1 7QY Tel:+44-(0)20-7721 8745 Fax:+44-(0)20-7721 8746 e-mail: feslondon@dial.pipex.com website: www.fes.de/london FOCUS GERMANY The German Social Democratic Party faces a new challenge: the participation at a future grand coalition government. The negotiations for that government will be concluded this week. At the same time the SPD has to formulate a political programme that gives answers to two key questions: How to modernise Germany in the next years, overcoming slow growth, high unemployment and increasing social inequality and how to define a political project that rees­tablishes the parties ability to win political majorities of its own and to form governments under its own leadership. The main elements of this medium-term political project can be found in the text of the main motion to be presented to the party congress next week. The Social Democratic Perspective: Social Pro­gress for our Nation 1. The mandate from the voters: renewal and social justice Following the 2005 General Election a new phase has begun for the SPD: a phase of new tasks which are not going to be easy to achieve, but one marked by new opportunities for the country and our political party. We can reflect with pride on the successful years of government as part of the"red-green" coalition of SPD and Bündnis 90/Die Grünen and the chancellorship of Gerhard Schröder. In the seven years since 1998 we Social Democrats have helped Germany to move forward. We overcame stagnation. We worked decisively and assertively, even when there was opposition to our policies. - We began to renew the country and to work to pull the nation together. That is our answer to globalisation and demographic developments. - Our forward-thinking investment in education and family policy created more opportunities and an important foundation for future prosperity. - Our innovative policies set the wheels in motion for strengthening economic competitive­ness. - Our energy policies were an exemplary reaction at international level to the problems of diminishing raw materials and climate change. - We made the country more liberal and cosmopolitan. - We placed self-determination at work and in society at the hub of our policies for disabled people, thereby changing fundamental attitudes to such issues.