Press release
23 February 2007
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Sten Tolgfors to the USA - will meet Susan Schwab and George Soros
On Sunday, 25 February Minister for Foreign Trade Sten Tolgfors is to travel to the USA for visits to New York and Washington DC. For the first time in five years, a Swedish Minister for Foreign Trade will meet his US counterpart.
In addition to the US Trade Representative and chief negotiator at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Susan Schwab, the Minister for Foreign Trade will also meet economist Jagdish Bhagwati, businessman George Soros and business sector and political representatives. In Washington, a seminar on the theme of "Challenging times for free trade" will be held at House of Sweden, where Deputy US Trade Representative John Veroneau will participate.
"The meeting with Susan Schwab is taking place at an important stage of the negotiations in the WTO Doha Round. I will be focusing on our countries' offensive interests in industrial goods and services and the global welfare gains of successful negotiations. Gains that, for example, will be worth around SEK 2 500-3 000 per household per year for Swedish households. At the same time, I will be emphasising that the welfare losses if the negotiations break down, risk being significant," says Sten Tolgfors.
In New York Minister for Foreign Trade Tolgfors will visit the New York Stock Exchange and the United Nations and will hold an address at the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce.
"When I visit the UN I shall be particularly interested in looking at how Swedish companies can improve their ability to win public procurement contracts in the UN system," says Sten Tolgfors.
Contact
Maria PålssonPressekreterare
