Even this debate seems to point to two testing grounds: one concerns the relationship between Europe and the world, and the other concerns European construction and the individual situations in the different countries. The negotiations on the WTO and world trade will be the testing ground for Europe, to see whether it will be able to temper the first principle of the free trading of goods, which dominates today, with the need to protect working conditions throughout the world, environmental conditions and the health of the world"s populations and Europeans in particular.
Die WTO-Verhandlungen werden für Europa ein Prüfstein dafür sein, ob es in der Lage sein wird, das absolute Primat des heute vorherrschenden freien Warenhandels mit dem auf internationaler Ebene notwendigen Schutz der Stellung der Arbeitnehmer, der Umwelt und der Volksgesundheit, insbesondere in Europa, in Einklang zu bringen.