Ewa Björling positive after meeting with GCC Secretary-General
After the meeting with the GCC Secretary-General Abdulrahman Bin Hamad al-Attiyah, Minister for Trade Ewa Björling stated that the agreement is within reach.
Sweden to open trade office in Iraq
The Government today decided that Sweden will open a trade office in Baghdad. The office will be run by the Swedish Trade Council and will open soon.
Freedom of expression is being limited in Ethiopia
"Free and independent media are one of the cornerstones of a democratic society. It is particularly important that the media are allowed to conduct their business freely and that people are allowed to take part in an open debate ahead of the upcoming elections in Ethiopia next year," says Ms Carlsson.
Opening up development cooperation
Modernity, effectiveness and transparency. This is what Gunilla Carlsson called for when she launched the debate on fresh thinking, transparency and participation in development cooperation earlier in the autumn. "Today I wanted to expose some of the shortcomings in Swedish development cooperation; we are the best, but we can be better!", Ms Carlsson said during the seminar.
Ewa Björling to host meeting with New Zealand
A ministerial Troika between the EU and New Zealand will be held today. These meetings with New Zealand take place twice a year. The EU and New Zealand's Joint Declaration will be considered during the meeting, and the possibilities of increased cooperation will be explored.
Danish-Swedish initiative for climate and development
Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson, together with her Danish colleague Ulla Törnaes, today took a joint initiative during the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen on continuing the work on climate measures for developing countries after the summit.
Ministerial meeting between the EU and the Palestinian Authority
Foreign minister Carl Bildt will meet Prime Minister Salam Fayyad from the Palestinian Authority in a troika meeting between EU and the Palestinian Authority on 11 December.
Gunilla Carlsson met Elinor Ostrom
Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson today met Elinor Ostrom, recipient of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. The topics they discussed included the importance of decisions being taken at local level and the role of strong local authorities in increasing opportunities for participation, transparency and accountability. Professor Ostrom pointed in particular to experiences in the area of environmental and natural resource management. The strengthening of local authorities and the possibility of providing direct support from international to local level are issues that were also taken up by the International Commission on Climate Change and Development, whose report was launched by the Minister for International Development Cooperation in May this year together with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Carl Bildt and Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre call attention to the treatment of Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi
Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt and Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre express serious concern over the Iranian authorities' treatment of Shirin Ebadi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her efforts to promote human rights in Iran.
EU concerned over lack of progress in Middle East peace process
The General Affairs Council today discussed and adopted conclusions on the countries involved in the EU's enlargement. At the Foreign Affairs Council, ministers sent a clear signal about the need for the parties to resume negotiations on the peace process in the Middle East. The Council meeting was chaired by Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt.
