Regional development

Heads of state and government from the EU and the African Union (AU) will meet in Brussels on 17–18 February. It is the seventh time the EU and AU leaders will meet. The aim is to establish foundations for a renewed and deepened partnership between the two unions. The leaders are expected to adopt a joint declaration on closer cooperation in a range of areas. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson will represent Sweden.

As of Saturday 13 June, domestic travel is permitted for people with no symptoms. One important prerequisite is that the regions receiving visitors can meet their health care needs. The National Board of Health and Welfare has therefore been tasked with supporting the coordination of the regions’ health care resources during the summer. In addition, the Government will instruct the county administrative boards to carefully monitor compliance with the current recommendations throughout the country.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party are presenting new measures to strengthen digital infrastructure. Under the proposal in the additional amending budget, SEK 202.8 million will be provided to the Rural Development Programme for 2014–2020 to ensure that budget funds previously set aside to support broadband expansion can be paid.

Through an investment initiative, the European Commission has proposed measures aimed at making it easier for countries and regions to introduce measures to respond to the impacts of COVID-19. On 27 March, the Government therefore instructed the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth to work with the regions to analyse needs and prioritise measures to deal with the impacts of COVID-19 within European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programmes. The Government considers that focus should be on measures to finance working capital in small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Opening remarks by Minister for Rural Affairs, Jennie Nilsson at the Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ Dialogue, Umeå, 4 October, 2019.

The Foreign Ministers and high-level representatives of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the European Union participated together with representatives of the Barents Regional Council, indigenous peoples, regional bodies, observer states and invited guests in the XVII Session of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) under the Chairmanship of Sweden in Umeå on 3 October 2019.

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Sweden took over the two-year chairmanship of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council at the ministerial meeting in Arkhangelsk on 19 October 2017. Since its inception, the Barents cooperation has aimed to promote peace, stability and the development of the Barents region, through cross-border collaboration and people-to-people contacts. The Swedish chairmanship programme, with the title ‘Regional sustainable development for the future’, was formed with a view to advancing cooperation and deepening collaboration in key areas of common interest.

The prolonged heat and drought have impacted many sectors of society. There have been numerous forest fires, the agricultural sector has been severely affected by the drought and groundwater levels have dropped. The extreme temperatures can also cause health problems, especially among older people and the sick. The Government is following developments closely and taking the necessary decisions. The Government Offices is in continuous contact with the responsible government agencies.

The Barents cooperation has laid the foundation for far-reaching people-to-people cooperation and high-level political dialogue in the European Arctic. The 25th anniversary of cooperation was marked by a seminar at the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the European Union on 5 June to highlight cooperation in an EU perspective and to look ahead.

The Food Strategy is a platform that sets out the direction of our policy towards 2030, to create stability and ensure a long-term approach. Concrete measures are put forward in the Government’s action plan stemming from areas identified in the strategy. Some, but not all, of the actions can be realised by the Government. To be successful, the entire food supply chain need to work in the same direction, where as many as possible are contributing. With the Food Strategy as foundation, we will be able to meet the challenges facing us and strengthen the Swedish food supply chain.

Swedish food creates jobs, sustainable growth and values for society as a whole. In addition to meeting the demand for food, we gain open landscapes and lively rural communities. The national food strategy will help strengthen competitiveness and to ensure the potential of Swedish food production is fully realised to the benefit of actors and stakeholders throughout the entire food supply chain – from primary production all the way to the consumer.

The Government has adopted the infrastructure bill ‘Infrastructure for the future – innovative solutions for strengthened competitiveness and sustainable development’. The bill contains the direction and financial frameworks for investments in transport infrastructure for the planning period 2018–2029. The proposals in the bill will enable us to achieve the goals of a transition to a fossil-free welfare state, a Sweden that stands together, an increase in housing construction and improved conditions for business.

The National Strategy for Sustainable Regional Growth and Attractiveness 2015–2020 is a guiding policy document stimulating sustainable regional growth and attractiveness throughout Sweden until 2020.

The Government’s objective is that Sweden will have the lowest unemployment in the EU by 2020. The new Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation will be the hub of activities to create jobs and sustainable growth throughout the country.