Patent issue on the agenda in Brussels
Tomorrow, 4 December, Minister for Trade Ewa Björling will chair the EU Competiveness Council in Brussels. The ambition is to achieve an agreement with regard to the controversial patent issue.
Energetic summit in Kiev
The annual summit between the EU and Ukraine will be held this Friday. One of the focus issues will be energy.
"Ukraine is an important European country with a population of 46 million. It is also via Ukraine that a large proportion of Russian gas reaches Europe," says Martin Rosén, the official at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs responsible for Ukraine.
Ewa Björling spoke at UNAIDS event on World AIDS Day
On 1 December World AIDS Day is observed throughout the world. During her visit to Geneva in connection with the ministerial meeting, Minister for Trade Ewa Björling took part in the UNAIDS event, at which she gave a speech. People dressed in red had gathered to form the shape of the red ribbon that symbolises the fight against AIDS.
Lisbon Treaty strengthens both the EU and national foreign policy
It is now time for the much-discussed Lisbon Treaty to begin to take effect. From Tuesday 1 December, Catherine Ashton will be the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. As such, she will be responsible for coordinating all parts of the European Union's foreign policy and presenting the views of the EU to other countries, in international organisations and at international conferences.
Ewa Björling to attend WTO ministerial conference in Geneva
Minister for Trade Ewa Björling will attend the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial conference on Monday 30 November. Delegates from all of the 153 member states will be taking part in the conference on 30 November - 2 December.
Carl Bildt to Athens for ministerial meeting on security in Europe
On 1-2 December Carl Bildt will be attending the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) annual ministerial meeting. This year's meeting is being held in Athens.
Staffan Björck - our man for World Expositions
On 24 November, Staffan Björck from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs was appointed as Chairman of the Information and Communication Committee of the Bureau of International Expositions.
"I'm going to be active! I want to improve things, which of course means that I want to make changes, even if that's a major challenge in a large, multilateral organisation like the BIE," he says.
Swedish Special Initiative for Democratisation and Freedom of Expression
The Government of Sweden has decided on a special initiative for democratisation and freedom of expression. The initiative spans over the years 2009-2011 and aims at strengthening actors for change, groups and civil society organisations working for democratisation and freedom of expression. Sida invites eligible organisations to submit a Concept Note for projects which might be considered under this support mechanism.
EU-Ukraine Summit in Kiev
On Friday, 4 December Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt will travel to Kiev to chair the EU-Ukraine summit. The EU will also be represented by Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt and President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso. The Ukrainian delegation will be led by President Viktor Jusjtjenko.
Ministerial meeting between the EU and Turkey in Istanbul
On Thursday 26 November, Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt chaired a Troika meeting with Turkey. Turkey was represented by Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoglu and EU Chief Negotiator Egemen Bag1s.
