This web chronicle -or blog- contains both somewhat serious material on Europe, European policies or general questions on economic  and social development and some more personal reflections, written in a lighter, not to say disrespectful, tone.

Please note that I cannot take any responsibility whatsoever for external material that the blog may link to since I have no possibility to influence such material. I also cannot be held responsible if links should lead to content that is in any way illegal or offensive and also not if someone would link to my pages with a malicious or illegal intent. Obviously webpages change frequently and it is not always possible to notice such changes which may, of course, be less desirable.

My name is Bengt O. Karlsson, a Swedish citizen but since 26 years living  in Vienna, Austria. I have also lived or had prolonged stays in several other countries. I have a long career in the UN system behind me, mainly from the United Nations Organization for Industrial development (UNIDO) where I was the Director of the Industrial Policies and Strategies Branch and, before that, of a department of industrial studies.  An important part of the work related to so called countries with economies in transition of which 8 now have become members of the EU and 3 others are official candidate countries. Since 1997,  I have worked directly with EU-related issues, with emphasis on the system of financing and the eastern enlargement. I have also participated officially in the negotiation process in Brussels, as a representative of the Swedish Government. I have participated in a large number of discussions, seminars and press briefings concerning the eastern enlargement and in a working group under the chairmanship of former Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok, also relating to the enlargement of the Union.

Recently, I have written two study reports available as pdf files on the website of the Swedish Government, viz

Priset för ett större EU (2001)  (in Swedish with an English summary) and

What Price Enlargement - Implications of an expanded EU (2002)

the latter also summarized in  EU Observer, nov 2002.

At present I am participating -as an independent researcher- in an international study on the future structural policy of the EU and the new member states, planned to be published by the middle of 2005.

Despite my previous engagements, I have at present no official affiliation and my views and opinions are entirely my own and quite often contrary to the official ones of the organizations I have previously belonged to. So, if you are unhappy with what you read, blame moi and nobody else.

Vienna, Austria, December 11, 2004