Ibrahim Baylan

In light of the COVID-19 virus, the Government on March 19 decided that its proposed additional amending budget for 2020 will include a supplementary system of support for short-time work schemes. The new system was presented on Monday by the Government, together with the Centre Party and the Liberal Party, and means that central government will take a greater share of the costs for short-time work in 2020. It is proposed that the new rules enter into force on 7 April, but that they apply from 16 March.

Due to the COVID-19 virus, the Government, together with the Centre Party and the Liberal Party, on March 20 presented further measures that will make it easier for Swedish businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, to access financing at this difficult time. Resources and capital are being injected into Almi Företagspartner AB in order to increase lending to small and medium-sized enterprises throughout the country, thus facilitating their access to financing.

More people than ever before are now employed in exporting companies in Sweden. Exports drive the Swedish economy and keep around 1.5 million people in employment. To continue to strengthen Swedish exports, on Friday 13 December the Government launched an updated Trade and Investment Strategy to create jobs and growth throughout the country.

Minister for Business, Industry and Innovation Ibrahim Baylan will travel to India on 1 December to take part in the State Visit by the King and Queen. The Innovation Partnership and Sweden and India’s economic exchange are two of the areas that Mr Baylan will highlight during the visit.

The King and Queen of Sweden will pay a State Visit to India on 2–6 December 2019 at the invitation of President Ram Nath Kovind.

Interesting discussions and new perspectives characterised the National Innovation Council meeting and thematic day at Linnaeus University in Kalmar on 23 October. The aim of the Council’s regional meetings is to learn from local and regional experiences and to develop the national policy. Alongside the meeting, various workshops were also organised as part of the Innovation Council’s thematic day.

Minister for Business, Industry and Innovation Ibrahim Baylan is travelling to Paris to meet with his French counterparts. The purpose of the visit is to take a further step under the Swedish-French partnership for innovation in the area of sustainable digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI). The promotion of French investments in Sweden and discussions on the EU’s industrial policy will also be in focus during the visit.

When Prime Minister Stefan Löfven met French President Emmanuel Macron today in Paris, the countries’ strategic partnership for innovation, digital transformation and green solutions was updated and deepened. When Mr Löfven and Mr Macron entered into the partnership in November 2017, it was agreed that Sweden and France needed to work together in a number of strategic areas to better address digital transformation and climate adaptation.

Here are the contact details for the ministers’ press secretaries.

The Government today appointed 31 state secretaries at the Government Offices. Former state secretaries have been dismissed from their positions. Most of the state secretaries have previously held corresponding positions at the Government Offices.