Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I am of course delighted and honoured to be here today, even if the road has been a little bumpy. I would like to extend my thanks to the committee for inviting me and my colleague from Stockholm, who is joining us via video link.
Sustainable development is a key priority for the Swedish government, and we are very happy to have this opportunity to speak about our experiences today. I know you're eager to get into the substance of the matter, but before giving the floor to my colleague, allow me to make the following point.
As representatives of a foreign government, it's not for me or my colleague to comment on the merits of the private member's bill that is in front of the committee today. What we will do is share our own experiences in this field.
Turning to the video screen, I would like to introduce Katja Awati. Ms. Awati is a deputy director in the environmental quality division at the Ministry of Environment. She has, I know, a thorough knowledge of our policies in this field, and in particular of the work on setting environmental targets and evaluating them. Perhaps I should mention that Ms. Awati was in Canada in the fall of 2006, when she participated in a Canadian-Swedish leadership program at the Canada School of Public Service.
It's about a quarter past ten at night in Sweden, and I think Ms. Awati is alone at the Ministry of Environment. I even think she is on parental leave and has come in just for this thing.