Trade and investment promotion

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.

On 15 August at Fashion Week Trade, Minister for Foreign Trade Ann Linde will be taking part in a round-table discussion on feminist trade policy and its relevance for the fashion industry. With more than 700 footwear, clothing, underwear, accessories and childrenswear collections, Fashion Week Trade is Sweden’s largest fashion event, including for fashion buyers.

Opinion piece by Ann Linde, Minister for Foreign Trade, published in Svenska Dagbladet on 25 July 2019.

The OECD Working Group on Bribery has since 2012 repeatedly urged Sweden to reform its laws to ensure the investigation and prosecution of companies that bribe foreign public officials to obtain advantages in international business. Sweden’s legal provisions to hold companies liable for foreign bribery do not fully meet the requirements of the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions.

On Wednesday 12 June, Minister for Justice and Migration Morgan Johansson will hold a press briefing with Drago Kos, Chair of the OECD Working Group on Bribery.

Making the entire Nordic region the first integrated 5G zone and getting Swedish companies to export more. Listen to Minister for Foreign Trade with responsibility for Nordic affairs Ann Linde talk about some of her priorities during this electoral period.

Swedish trade with the rest of the world is constantly increasing. Today, three quarters of Sweden’s goods exports go to Europe. We export most to Germany, followed by Norway, Finland, Denmark, the United States and the Netherlands. We want to help Swedish businesses find new trading partners, businesses and markets to increase their global sales. At the same time, we also want to help foreign businesses and individuals who want to do business with Sweden find the right entry points.

When Prime Minister Stefan Löfven meets his colleagues in Brussels on 21–22 March, Brexit will dominate the meeting’s first day. The EU heads of state and government will also address the EU’s long-term climate strategy and discuss jobs, growth and competitiveness.

The Government’s prize for extraordinary services to Swedish music exports in 2018 has been awarded to composer and producer Ludwig Göransson. The Government’s 2018 Special Prize for long-standing contributions to Swedish music exports has been awarded this year to Thomas Johansson, Live Nation. The commendation for achievements of particular importance to the internationalisation of Swedish music has been awarded to Musikmakarna and Ulla Sjöström.

The Government’s Music Export Prize is awarded every year to an artist who has been internationally successful during the preceding year and has contributed to Swedish musical export success and to a positive image of Sweden. The winner will be announced by Minister for Foreign Trade, with responsibility for Nordic affairs, Ann Linde at a ceremony at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on Wednesday 6 March at 14.30.