Sweden in the EU

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.

On Thursday and Friday, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven will meet his EU colleagues in Brussels. The meeting will be dominated by Brexit and discussions on the EU’s long-term budget for 2021–2027. The heads of state and government will also discuss EU enlargement and climate change.

Targeted cod fishing in the eastern Baltic Sea will be banned in 2020, and the opportunities for cod fishing in the western part will be substantially reduced. This was agreed by the EU ministers of agriculture and fisheries on 14–15 October. Minister for Rural Affairs Jennie Nilsson represented Sweden.

Check against delivery.

The Ministry of Justice has circulated a memorandum for comment containing proposals for special regulations on residence permits for UK citizens in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The proposals are part of the Government’s preparations ahead of Brexit and aim to make it easier for UK citizens living in Sweden to be granted a residence permit here.

The European Union’s long standing commitment to enhance sustainable international cooperation in the Arctic

On 16 and 17 September the Ministry of Employment and the European Commission hosted a seminar on violence prevention with a focus on men, boys and masculine norms. Representatives from 15 EU countries took part. Participants visited Botkyrka municipality, where they received information on the joint efforts by social services, police and schools to prevent violence.

Prime Minister Stefan Löfven will receive Ireland’s Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar on Thursday 3 October. Mr Löfven and Mr Varadkar will discuss issues surrounding Brexit, as well as current bilateral and EU issues.

The Government will soon present a government bill to the Riksdag containing proposals for new rules on residence permits for research and higher education studies. The proposals will implement the European Union’s ‘Students and Researchers Directive’. An important aim of the proposals is to attract more students, researchers and other highly qualified people to Sweden, and make it easier for those who have studied in Sweden to stay in the country to work.

Sweden has the first feminist government in the world. This means that gender equality is central to the Government’s priorities – in decision-making and resource allocation. Women and men must have the same power to shape society and their own lives; this is a human right and a matter of democracy and justice. There is also overwhelming evidence that gender equality boosts economic growth. Despite this, trade policy today benefits men more than women. With this in mind, the Swedish government’s feminist trade policy includes six focus areas where we will step up efforts to ensure that trade policy and trade promotion activities benefit women and men equally.