“When exports increase and more jobs are created, all of Sweden can grow and develop. This is why we support free trade and enable more Swedish businesses to venture out into the world. Foreign trade helps promote sustainable solutions and Swedish values.”
On 14 April, Minister for Foreign Trade Anna Hallberg took part in a digital high-level meeting on green export financing at the invitation of the French Minister of the Economy, Finance and the Recovery.
The world’s enterprises and industries face the challenge of shifting their operations to reduce dependence on, and emissions from, fossil fuels. Sweden wants to be a positive force in these efforts and push for international regulatory frameworks on export credits and other public financing of trade to contribute to a green transition, the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals and implementation of the Paris Agreement. During the meeting, Anna Hallberg shared the Government’s decision to strengthen the Swedish export financing system at the same time as it contributes to a climate transition. This concerns ending export credits to investments for exploration and extraction of fossil fuels by 2022. Sweden has also paved the way for the possibility of issuing credit guarantees to investments in Sweden that contribute to the climate transition. Read more about Export Finance for the future an results of the meeting here:
The Nordic region has one of the world’s oldest and most extensive regional cooperation forums. On 23 March – Nordic Day – we’re giving it a little extra attention. Sweden will continue to give high priority to Nordic cooperation. Our countries are facing a number of challenges that we can tackle better together than alone. The past year has had its trials, but the relationship remains very strong. The Nordic region will be the world’s most integrated and sustainable region by 2030. Sweden continues to work actively within the framework of Nordic cooperation for a more sustainable, borderless, competitive and integrated Nordic region.
Anna Hallberg has launched a trade policy advisory group to discuss how to shape future trade policy in light of the way the pandemic has changed international trade conditions. The members of the group have a wide range of experience from business, public authorities, trade unions, civil society and academia. The aim is to come up with new and different initiatives to enable trade to be an instrument of change.
The EU’s external trade policy is being reviewed so it can be adapted to changing global trade conditions. The review aims at finding better solutions to reduce trade barriers and support open and sustainable trade. It will also include proposals on reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and how the EU can contribute to reinforcing the multilateral trade system. Sweden intends to be the EU´s frontrunner on free and open trade and together with a number of likeminded countries (Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland and the Netherlands), Sweden submitted a joint commentary on how trade policy can contribute to sustainability.
The Government’s 2018 Cultural and Creative Industries Prize was presented Wednesday, 2 October, by Minister for Foreign Trade and Nordic Affairs Anna Hallberg. The Prize was awarded to Norstedts Agency for the Millennium series.
