Swedish businesses wanting to enter the export market regard current export support as confusing, given the various government agencies, companies and boards involved. Team Sweden, set up by the Swedish Government, has consequently been tasked with coordinating export support and making things simple and straightforward for companies wanting to enter the export market.
Team Sweden is an umbrella for all Sweden’s government agencies, boards and companies currently working on export promotion initiatives for Swedish businesses. Team Sweden, including the most important ministries and government agencies working in the area of exports, aims to make things simple and straightforward for companies wanting to enter the export market.
Swedish exports are one of the Government’s focus areas and an important element in getting more people into jobs and safeguarding Swedish welfare. The Government has an ambitious employment objective: by 2020 the number of people in work and the number of hours worked in the economy must increase to such an extent that Sweden achieves the lowest unemployment rate in the EU. Increased investments in housing, infrastructure and knowledge as well as an active business policy are needed to achieve this objective. And Swedish exports must increase. Part of the Government’s export strategy is to make it easier for businesses to set up operations abroad by coordinating export support through Team Sweden.
As its first destination, Team Sweden recently visited Brazil together with Minister for Enterprise and Innovation Mikael Damberg. The choice of Brazil was no coincidence. Brazil is one of the most important growth markets in the world and an important cooperation partner for Sweden in a number of areas. More than 200 Swedish companies already have a presence in Brazil, and together they employ more than 70 000 people and turned over around SEK 130 million in 2013. Discussions were held during the three-day visit about how the extensive bilateral cooperation, not least in the area of innovation, can be advanced to the next stage.
The visit also included meetings in Brasilia with Minister of Development, Industry and Trade Armando Monteiro, Minister of External Relations Mauro Vieira and Minister of Strategic Affairs Roberto Mangabeira Unger. During the visit, the bilateral commission for economic, technical and industrial cooperation was re-launched with the aim of advancing bilateral trade, innovation, education and research between the two countries.
The Government’s new export strategy, focusing on job growth in Sweden, will be presented this summer. Team Sweden is part of this strategy and is the initial response to the business sector’s views on the Swedish support for export.
