Charlotte Andersdotter holds a master’s degree in economics from Umeå University and, in various roles, has devoted the majority of her career to research, innovation and industrial development. On 1 February, we had the pleasure of welcoming her to a new position, as the new head of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise’s EU office.
First of all, welcome Charlotte! From 2014, she has held the positions of Head of Teknikföretagens, the Association of Swedish Engineering Industries and of the Brussels office of RISE, the Research Institutes of Sweden. Prior to that she spent six years as a national expert at the European Commission’s Directorate - General for Research and Innovation. We are now curious to know more about both you and your initial thoughts on this new role. What made you say ‘Yes’ to becoming the head of the EU office for the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise?
– I have worked for a long time in business development, industry as well as research and development with an industrial perspective. Therefore this certainly will be an exciting and very rewarding challenge to address this - and other areas - for the entire Swedish business community. I am passionate about business development, in the sense that without strong and successful companies, we will achieve the economic and environmental sustainability we all seek.
Charlotte believes that competitiveness, and the drive that real entrepreneurs bring, is what stops development from stalling. Therefore, it is essential that the business community has access to the best possible conditions in terms of conditions and support, such as high-quality research. Research and innovation, combined with industrial policy, are her key areas of interest in EU policy.
– We are currently at a crossroads in the EU, particularly with how we perceive competitiveness. Is it the market, along with some public intervention, that will drive the development? Or are we looking for further government intervention? In Sweden, regardless of the political hue of the government, we have a belief in, and tradition of, letting market mechanisms lead; however, those who advocate the second approach are gaining increasing ground. Therefore, we must be vigilant over discussions at EU level on initiatives such as European Champions, technological sovereignty and strategic autonomy, and ensure that strong leadership, global solutions and a reinforced internal market, together with a well-functioning WTO, are key.
A good example in support of this argument, she says, are the emerging COVID-19 vaccines. These could never have been developed as quickly as they were without global-level collaboration.
– Instead, we would have been left behind if we in the EU had demanded complete strategic autonomy over the process. At EU level, distribution is continuing to grow; accelerating the pace of effective and safe vaccination in Member States is a top priority for Europe’s citizens and businesses.
She recognises that there are a number of issues sitting high on the EU’s to-do list, and there is no doubt that 2021 will be an exciting year. Discussions on the European Commission’s forthcoming update of the industrial strategy are in full swing, as a precursor to presenting a new trade strategy.
– The battle for the minimum wage directive and for defending our Swedish model is not yet over. A number of pieces of legislation within the framework of the European Green Deal as well as the digital area also need to be negotiated in the coming years. In addition, the aftermath and impact of Brexit must be dealt with. On top of this, we are still battling a global pandemic.
Charlotte believes that the role of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise is in contributing constructive proposals, new solutions and as a catalyst represents something that is important and positive. It is also about developing proposals for policy in partnerships with other organisations.
– The Nordic countries need to tie their co-operation more closely together. Therefore, I look forward to working further on this with our sister organisations both in the Nordic countries and others. We need to mobilise our forces to show the kind of Europe we want and one that we believe in for the future.
The past year, as we are all very aware of, has been unlike any other. Inevitably, this means that it is unlikely for Charlotte to encounter a ‘business as usual’ on her first day of work as head of the CSE’s EU office.
– It is what it is, and you have to make the best of the situation and identify new methods. No one knows how long this situation will last, but what we do know is that the consequences will be long-lasting. Lots of companies are disappearing; some of them may have been fine had it not been for the pandemic, others may not have survived. Although the pandemic is, of course, affecting the vast majority of industries, it is particularly problematic for companies operating in those industries without major buffers, such as hospitality providers and the services sector.
At the same time, Charlotte believes that the pandemic has shown that the importance of stable EU cooperation has probably never been greater. A united business community needs to push together for long-term and proactive efforts to strengthen European competitiveness. Among other things, it needs to improve and reinforce the EU’s internal market and create better conditions for global trade.
In an EU context, there is a great deal of discussion around the huge NextGenerationEU recovery package. How should it be deployed to the best effect? What measures are needed to avoid corruption? Should one allow the inevitable imbalance that arises when countries with poorly managed economies receive support while others - such as Sweden, do not? These are challenging issues for the EU and its Member States to address.
– This will be one of the dominant issues this year, as it presents a major challenge – including from a communication perspective - for the EU. Decision makers want to show that they are taking action, but misguided measures can cause unforeseen problems in the internal market that can damage the growth opportunities for companies. The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise continues to push for the money being used for investments that strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, drive sustainable growth and create new jobs. The very best we can do in the long term is to strive for sustainable companies capable of coping with future crises and help prepare the conditions for them.