2007 Press release 30 August 2007 Ministry for Foreign Affairs Sten Tolgfors to India Minister for Foreign Trade Sten Tolgfors will visit India on 1-6 September. The first stop on his trip will be New Delhi, then he will travel to Mumbai. Among those Mr Tolgfors will meet are Minister of Commerce and Industry Kamal Nath, Minister of Finance P. Chidambaram and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Mr Tolgfors will be accompanied by a business delegation comprised of a number of companies that manufacture machinery and material for construction projects. Globally, India is one of the countries where the most construction is currently being carried out. The business delegation's trip is being arranged by the Swedish Trade Council. In New Delhi, Mr Tolgfors will also take part in a trade policy seminar with representatives of a number of prominent think tanks. In Mumbai, Mr Tolgfors will inaugurate a new Indian-Swedish chamber of commerce. He will also take part in an investment seminar with the Tata Group, India's largest business conglomerate, and meet representatives of the Swedish and Indian business sectors. During his visit, Mr Tolgfors will also continue the dialogue on corporate social responsibility (CSR) with representatives of Swedish companies operating in India. Contact Maria Pålsson Pressekreterare Fredrik Fexe Trade Commissioner Swedish Trade Council New Delhi +91 46 06 71 08 Cell: +91 98 100 36 120 Press release 17 August 2007 Ministry for Foreign Affairs Sten Tolgfors to visit Växjö On Monday 20 August, Minister for Foreign Trade Sten Tolgfors is to visit Växjö to take part in the inauguration of the Swedish-American Entrepreneurial Days together with the Governor of Michigan, Jennifer Granholm, and the US Ambassador in Sweden, Michael Wood. Together with representatives of the Swedish Export Credits Guarantee Board and others, Mr Tolgfors will also visit firms in Kronoberg County to discuss small companies' export opportunities. "Creating conditions for small companies to export is very important for jobs, both in the County of Kronoberg and elsewhere in the country. I am very pleased that Kronoberg County has a long exporting tradition and many exporting companies. But even though total exports are large when seen as a share of GDP, they are limited in the sense that ten major companies account for 40 per cent of our country's exports. More companies active in more markets would make our exports less sensitive," says the Minister for Foreign Trade. Programme points: 10.30 Speech at the Swedish-American Entrepreneurial Days, Växjö Concert Hall, Teaterparken. 14.45 Visit to the GypTech company, Norrgatan 15, Växjö. The press is invited to take part in the visit to the GypTech company. If you wish to take part in the visit to GypTech, please notify Stig Hesse, CEO, tel +46 470 705640, email: [email protected]. For more information about the visit to Växjö, ring Press Secretary Maria Pålsson. Contact Maria Pålsson Pressekreterare Press release 06 July 2007 Ministry for Foreign Affairs Swedish water initiative at UN summit The UN Summit on corporate social responsibility - the Global Compact Leaders Summit - comes to an end in Geneva today. Related At the Summit important progress was made regarding cooperation on water use by companies. Statement by Minister for foreign trade Sten Tolgfors at Six large companies, including the Coca-Cola Company and the Läckeby Water Group, have on the Swedish Global Compact Leaders Government's initiative agreed on a new cooperation model for the responsible management of water Summit resources by companies. "The CEO Water Mandate" was launched and signed by these companies on Friday in Presentation: The CEO Water the presence of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. These companies have thus expressed their will to work Mandate - An Initiative by actively to help reduce water pollution and water consumption, and to find ways of making water available in business leaders in poor countries. partnership "The Water Mandate is a concrete example of the voluntary responsibility companies take in society. The Mandate is based on voluntary participation and responsibility. The Government's role has been to facilitate cooperation between companies and to support them in their work," says Sten Tolgfors. "The Government's role is to show leadership and encourage responsibility, particularly in dialogue with countries facing major challenges with regard to issues such as human rights," says Mr Tolgfors. ------ Minister for Foreign Trade Sten Tolgfors gave the opening address at a round-table discussion with the participating countries' ministers and delegation heads. The meeting was chaired by UN General Assembly President Sheikha Al Khalifa. Hosting the round-table discussion with Mr Tolgfors was Dr Maxwell Mkwezalamba, Commissioner for Economic Affairs for the African Union. --------- Companies included in the CEO Water Mandate are: The Coca-Cola Company, Levi Strauss & Co, Läckeby Water Group, Nestlé S.A., SABMiller and SUEZ. These companies commit themselves, within the context of their operations, to take responsibility to ensure that water management in their companies has as little environmental impact as possible. This may be a matter of technology, reduced consumption, or better treatment of polluted water. Important aspects of the work are transparency on water management on the part of the company, and increasing awareness of water throughout the company. These companies see this initiative as part of their support to Global Compact. Central cooperation partners in this new initiative are the Stockholm International Water Institute, the Swedish Water House, Sida and the UN Global Compact. Contact Maria Pålsson Pressekreterare Press release 19 June 2007 Ministry for Foreign Affairs Sten Tolgfors inaugurates Swedish environmental technology initiative in Beijing This Tuesday, Minister for Foreign Trade Sten Tolgfors is inaugurating a Centre for Environmental Technology at the Swedish Embassy in Beijing. The purpose of the centre is to give Swedish environmental technology greater visibility and a broader presence in China. The centre is funded by a grant of SEK 6 million from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Its activities are intended to make it easier for Swedish environmental technology companies to establish themselves in the Chinese market. "During the recent Chinese State Visit, an agreement was signed to deepen cooperation between Sweden and China in the environmental area. The Centre for Environmental Technology is an example of what we are doing to develop cooperation in this area," says Mr Tolgfors. "Managing the great environmental challenges facing China requires technology and expertise in many areas, such as building and housing, local transport and consultancy and educational services. This is vital to China's efforts to further reduce poverty and promote economic growth," Mr Tolgfors continues. "During my visit to China I have noted that Sweden is seen as a good example in the environmental area. Sweden has managed to combine strict environmental requirements with strong economic development. "I am convinced that we will be able to further strengthen Sweden's good standing in this area at the World Exhibition in Shanghai in 2010. The theme 'Better City - Better Life' fits well with the interest in Swedish environmental technology exports, such as the Sustainable City concept," says Mr Tolgfors. - - - - - CENTEC - The Centre for Environmental Technology Sweden and Swedish companies have unique expertise in a large number of areas in which China is looking for support. Above all, this concerns a range of areas of technology bearing on sustainable urban development based on the Sustainable City concept, such as renewable energy, technology to reduce climate impact, energy management, air and water purification, water supply and waste and chemicals management. The Centre will coordinate action by groups of companies and organise visits to ministries and other central and local actors. The goal is to identify at an early stage strategic projects with matching Swedish environmental expertise, to conduct seminars, workshops, exhibitions and missions, and, as far as possible, identify suitable demonstration projects and work out financial solutions. The Centre will also be able to provide limited start-up support for projects. The Centre for Environmental Technology will operate under the Swedish Embassy in Beijing, in cooperation with other agencies and companies. Contact Maria Pålsson Pressekreterare Press release 07 June 2007 Ministry for Foreign Affairs Sten Tolgfors to visit China Minister for Foreign Trade Sten Tolgfors is to visit China on 14-20 June. Mr Tolgfors will travel to Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing and will meet Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai, Shanghai Party Secretary Xi Jinping, the Governor of Guangdong and others. External links Web site: Embassy of Sweden In Shanghai and Guangzhou the Minister for Foreign Trade will also visit Swedish companies and their in Beijing subcontractors. In Beijing he will take part in a seminar on corporate social and environmental responsibility. Mr Tolgfors will speak at a Swedish-Chinese conference organised by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Swedish Embassy. The topic will be "Branding and innovation". In addition, he will attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the building of Sony Ericsson's factory in Beijing. The programme also includes inauguration