Trade and investment promotion

Last week, the European Commission presented a strategy to reboot the Single Market. This new strategy contains more than 50 proposals with the aim to make it easier for businesses to trade in the Single Market, with an emphasis on dismantling barriers, creating jobs and stimulating growth.

On 26–27 May, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa is travelling to Cairo. He is accompanying a business delegation to promote Swedish exports and increased trade with Egypt. Mr Dousa will also meet with humanitarian organisations to discuss issues such as the acute and unacceptable situation in Gaza.

On Thursday 22 May, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa hosted a business seminar on Moldova. The event in Stockholm aimed to give Swedish businesses deep insight into Moldova’s economic and political development and investment opportunities.

The Government has decided to submit a detailed opinion on the French proposal to ban the sale and possession of white snus. The proposal is far-reaching and involves banning all products containing white snus in France, which would be a restriction of free movement in the EU Single Market.

A new Swedish initiative to get Ukrainian products in Swedish shops has been presented by representatives of the Swedish Food Retailers Federation, together with Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa. The initiative aims to provide Swedish consumers’ increased access to Ukrainian products and opportunities to support Ukraine at the grocery store.

2025 constitutes a critical year for climate action. All parties to the Paris Agreement will present new national climate plans, so called Nationally Determined Contributions, NDC:s, ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in November. It is urgent to act to keep the 1.5ºC limit within reach. At the same time, the green transition offers opportunities for growth, jobs and prosperity. Swedish businesses are in the forefront of innovative green solutions and stand ready to engage with partners.

On Tuesday 6 May, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson received Iceland’s President Halla Tómasdóttir for bilateral talks at Rosenbad. The meeting took place in connection with Ms Tómasdóttir’s three-day State Visit at the invitation of HM The King.

On 23 April, Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard received Algeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Attaf in Stockholm. The purpose of the visit was to deepen cooperation between the two countries, primarily in terms of trade, and also to discuss security challenges in the region.

Expo 2025 will take place from 13 April to 13 October in Osaka with the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”. Sweden will take part in the event, with 14 May designated the “national day” for Sweden when the spotlight will be on the country. H.M. The King will lead the Swedish delegation, which will also include Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa together with representatives from Swedish business, Swedish public authorities, academia, research and creative industries.

Statement by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in response to US tariffs, Wednesday 2 April 2025.

US President Donald Trump has announced that a new package of American tariffs will include Sweden and every other country in the EU. The new tariffs were presented on 2 April and will take effect immediately.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard received Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Ali Nafti in Stockholm on 1 April. The purpose of the visit was to deepen cooperation, primarily in terms of trade, but also to discuss regional and global issues and challenges. Mr Ali Nafti was accompanied by a business delegation.

In order to strengthen the work of the Joint Committee on Economic, Industrial and Technical Cooperation between Sweden and the People’s Republic of China, originally established in 1978 and updated in 2006, Sweden’s State Secretary for Foreign Trade, Håkan Jevrell, and Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce, Ling Ji, on this day has decided to merge the “FDI Working Group” and the “Environmental Protection and Energy Conservation Working Group” into the “Working Group on Green Transition Investments”.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard is travelling to India on 17–18 March to take part in the Raisina Dialogue, a conference on security policy. During her visit to New Delhi, Ms Malmer Stenergard will also participate in a Swedish-Indian business meeting hosted by India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry. Ms Malmer Stenergard will be joined by CEO of Business Sweden Jan Larsson in an inauguration ceremony to launch a new trading office in India.

The European Commission has completed negotiations with South Korea on a digital trade agreement. The Commission’s negotiating mandate was adopted during the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2023. The agreement helps to promote trade between the EU and South Korea and benefits Swedish companies and Swedish consumers.

Speech by Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa at Join Sweden Summit 19 February 2025. Check against delivery.

Diana Janse, State Secretary to Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa, visited the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila this week. The bank’s work on the green transition in Asia was one of many discussion topics during the visit. Also present on the trip was Sida Director-General Jakob Granit, as Sida is responsible for issuing a Swedish guarantee for increased climate financing in Asia.

More than 600 leading Swedish and international companies, investors and decision-makers gathered in Stockholm on 19 February for the Join Sweden Summit, the Government’s international investment conference that set a new attendance record this year. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson hosted the conference.

On 28–29 January, Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard visited Colombia together with a business delegation focused on mining and energy. The visit took place in the capital of Bogotá and the department of Chocó on Colombia’s Pacific Coast and highlights Sweden’s far-reaching cooperation with Colombia.

The Government has amended the conditions and expanded the framework for special export credit guarantees for doing business with Ukraine. The aim is to enable more businesses to export to Ukraine and thus contribute to the country’s sustainable reconstruction. It should now also be possible to offer guarantees with longer maturities, higher coverage and that cover services. The amendments to the regulation took effect on 1 February. The Government has also expanded the existing framework of SEK 333 million to SEK 555 million. In total, guarantees can be offered to a maximum of SEK 888 million.