Trade and investment promotion

Opinion piece by Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa, Svenska Dagbladet, 17 juni 2025.

Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa has presented the Government’s Music Export Prize to songwriter and producer Ilya Salmanzadeh. The Government’s Special Prize was awarded to singer Björn Skifs and the Government’s Honourable Mention went to music publisher Gehrmans Musikförlag.

On Friday 13 June Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson received Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for bilateral talks at Rosenbad. During the official visit, Sweden and Vietnam entered into a bilateral sectorial strategic partnership aimed at advancing cooperation in science, technology, innovation and digital transformation.

On Thursday 12 June, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson received Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for a bilateral meeting in Stockholm.

Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa will present the Government’s Music Export Prize for 2024 on 17 June. The nominees include internationally successful Swedish artists and songwriters.

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.