The WWWforEurope project proposes a new medium to long-term EU Strategy, aiming to transform the present socio-economic model
which has resulted in economic stagnation, social fragmentation and irreversible depletion of environmental capital, towards
a more sustainable model where social, economic and environmental sustainability are pursued jointly and successfully. When
implementing such a strategy, invariably conflicts between competing goals (trade-offs) will arise. The present essay outlines
the procedural and institutional part of this Transition Strategy, where to start and which instruments to apply, but also
more importantly which principles and methods to apply in order to resolve remaining conflicts. An introductory section surveys
the literature dealing with such conflict resolution aspects. A second section deals with a specific participatory process,
proposed here as the template for dealing with conflicts. This method starts with accepting that invariably different views
of the world exist which have to be taken for granted, need to be given consideration, and that pragmatic, "clumsy", compromises
need to be found to move forward. The third section proposes a replacement of existing EU growth and sustainability procedures
by the development of an overarching Sustainability Strategy, combining social, environmental and economic goals and outlining
changes in the EU's institutional setup.
The research paper assesses the opportunities and challenges raised by the post-crisis EU governance system with regard to
the transition of European economies towards a new growth model balancing economic performance with social cohesion and environmental
responsibility.
Austria's economy is characterized by a predominance of small and medium-sized enterprises. Because of this feature, the major
technology policy orientation for Austria should be a diffusion strategy. The increase in global competition as well as Austria's
membership in the EU pose new challenges. Austria's technology policy will need to direct its strategies towards the requirements
of the society and economy, to bundle existing resources in an efficient way, to link up with international innovation systems,
and to apply modern management methods.