Swedish tax reforms impress Europe

Ownership transfer |  Estate taxes, like gift tax and capital tax, are now history in Sweden. "And that’s where they belong," said Krister Andersson of Swedish Enterprise at a recent conference in Stockholm on ownership transfer.

No red tape relief for business

Red tape |  The government is moving sluggishly to reduce red tape for companies. CEO Anita Roll thinks regulations have increased rather than decreased over the past year.

Private school pupils perform better

Comment |  In Sweden, 90 percent of school pupils go to local government-run schools. Poorer results in especially mathematics and natural sciences, and regional differences risk landing us with a poorly educated working force, which also hurts business. A light in the darkness is the performance of private schools.

Urban Bäckström goes to bat for business

Election year |  Director General Urban Bäckström is thirsting for a proper debate about conditions for business as the Swedish general election looms. He senses a new attitude among politicians — last year’s smiles and back-slapping have turned to dust.

Businesses better at rehabilitation

Sick leave |  The health insurance reform has made businesses better at rehabilitation. Over 2 200 companies were polled on changes to the health insurance system. 37 percent say they’re more active in rehabilitating sick employees. This appears in a study commissioned by Swedish Enterprise and carried out by Demoskop.

Four of ten lack relevant employment after college graduation

Education for life  |  43 percent of fresh graduates from colleges and universities in Sweden are in jobs that are irrelevant to their education, or are unemployed, or have resumed studying after 7 – 12 months for lack of work. This from the annual Confederation of Swedish Enterprise college survey.

Jobs a bigger worry than the environment

Comment  |  Public opinion might be shifting; since the turn of the year, worry about the environment has been dropping in Sweden and concern for jobs rising. This is according to a new study by Confederation of Swedish Enterprise.

Sweden has a vital role in emerging markets

Debate |  An innovation competition, business hothouses, a research centre for innovation and entrepreneurism in new growth markets — this is how Sweden can play a part in helping poor countries develop faster, claim representatives of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise and the Swedish Institute of International Affairs.

Hundreds of thousands of jobs are threatened

Comment  |  As unemployment in Sweden nudges double figures, the union confederation, LO, is pushing wage claims of four percent. If the demands are met, something is wrong with the Swedish labour market and how wages are set, writes Urban Bäckström, director general at the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise.

Burning garbage helps the climate

Books |  Sweden’s garbage mountain is shrinking. The reason is effective material recuperation and garbage incineration. The result is an improved environment and a better chance at reaching our climate goals, Jonas Frycklund claims in a new book.

Sweden struggles on prosperity ladder

Comment |  Despite good prospects for surviving the finance crisis, Sweden is slipping in the so-called prosperity rankings. One reason is the wrong choice of crisis cure, writes Mr Victor Snellman, economist at the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise.

EU Budget
and Climate Change

Environment |  Long before the Copenhagen Conference begun, it was obvious that climate change has an inevitable price tag to it. Both when it comes to tackling climate change and handling its effects that will strike us in the future. In order to cope with this price tag without increasing the EU budget, spending on agricultural subsidies need to be cut, writes Birgitta Resvik and Helena Strigård.

CAP and the EU Budget
– expectations and reality

Economy |  The debate on how our joint resources are best spent is heating up as EU comes closer to the inevitable moment of truth on the common budget. A line is drawn between those who claim a cut in CAP expenditures will be necessary to cope with modern and urgent challenges, and those who wish to see this policy area preserved for the sake of food security and ensuring descent income for farmers.

Competitiveness a prerequisite
for pulling EU out of recession

Economy |  In little over two weeks time the European Parliament is supposed to vote on the entire new Commission as presented to them by President Barroso. The vote in plenary in Strasbourg will promise to be a tight one with perhaps one or two heads rolling. Two portfolios of major future impact on the EU’s ability to pull itself out of recession will be competition and industry.

Cost shock for base industries

Comment |  Costs will skyrocket for Sweden’s base industries with a new environmental demand on maritime transport. While Finland has chosen not to follow the new regulations, the Swedish government is ducking the issue.

Stop-go energy politics push up prices

Energy |  – Swedish consumers and Swedish industry are paying a high price for stop-go energy policies that have survived for decades. Top priority is to ensure that planned new legislation on nuclear energy gets through and is long-term. That’s Swedish Enterprise Director General Urban Bäckström’s take on the current energy debate.

Electricity of the future spawns businesses

Electricity net |  For power companies moving into renewable electricity, the future is all about smart grids. This brings a raft of opportunities for businesses big and small.

Absence through illness dropping faster for women

Comment |  In Sweden, female employees’ absence through illness has dropped by 900 thousand work hours per week in the last three years. A new study reveals historically low absence figures.

An electricity system for a ‘wolf winter’

Comment |  The price of electricity is rocketing because of the freeze — it’s a ‘wolf winter’ as Swedes say. This indicates the great need of a robust and cost-effective electricity system.

Different wages from similar treatment

Salaries |  How are wages and salaries set? The question might be odd but salary determination is in the process of change, shifting away from central agreements towards individualized salaries tied to personal professional skills. Advocates claim that not until we treat everyone equally can independent and fair salaries be set.