Department for the EU Internal Market and the Promotion of Sweden and Swedish Trade
The department is responsible for issues concerning:
- The implementation and development of the EU internal market (free movement of goods, services, persons and capital).
- General policy matters in Swedish internal market policy and coordination of the Competitiveness Council.
- The promotion of Swedish interests abroad, including the promotion of Sweden, trade and investment promotion, cultural promotion and the image of Sweden, and project exports.
The department works along closely with government agencies and organisations, other MFA departments and missions abroad (embassies and consulates). It aims both to help Swedish businesses to operate effectively in international markets, and to contribute to increased Swedish trade and more foreign investment in Sweden and also to generate interest and trust in and goodwill for Sweden.
The role of the department in the Government Offices is to coordinate Swedish action in matters concerning the EU internal market. The aim is to contribute in order to the establishment of an efficient internal market through open trade, the removal of barriers to trade and stronger competition in the interests of companies and consumers.
The activities of the Projects Export Secretariat (PES) are intended to increase project exports from Sweden. The work of the Secretariat relates to transactions financed in full or in part through international financial institutions.
The department is responsible for the following government agencies and organisations with state activities and/or state assignments: the Swedish Export Credits Guarantee Board (EKN), Invest Sweden, the National Board of Trade, the Swedish Board for Accreditation and Conformity Assessment (SWEDAC), the Swedish Institute (SI), state involvement in the Swedish Trade Council, state ownership of the Swedish Export Credit Corporation (SEK) and the state contribution to the Swedish Standards Council (SSR).
The department is also responsible for the Council for the Promotion of Sweden (NSU), a forum for the exchange of information, coordination and joint action concerning the profile of Sweden between state organisations and partly state-owned organisations working on the promotion of Sweden.
The department has 35 members of staff
Head of Department: Harald Sandberg
Internal Market: Magnus Rydén, Head of Group
EU Services Directive Team: Marianne Åbyhammar, Head of Group
International Business Promotion: Kerstin Nordlund-Malmegård, Deputy Head of Department and Head of Group
Cultural Promotion and the Image of Sweden: Fredrik Wetterqvist, Head of Group, Executive Secretary, NSU
Project Exports: Bo Jerlström, Head of the Projects Export Secretariat
