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Press release
5 May 20238:00
Energy, sustainability and inflation in focus on European Competition Day
© Government Offices of Sweden‘Competition Policy in Times of Crisis’ is the overall theme of European Competition Day, which will be held on 5 May. Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President and European Commissioner for Competition, and Erik Thedéen, Governor of the Riksbank, will attend the conference, as will Sara Modig, State Secretary at the Ministry of Climate and Enterprise. The conference will be livestreamed and questions can be posted in the chat.
The conference is being jointly organised by the Ministry of Climate and Enterprise and the Swedish Competition Authority within the framework of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU. During the conference, representatives of European competition authorities, the business sector and international research will discuss issues relating to the overall theme – times of crisis – including developments in energy markets, inflation and the climate transition.
“Effective competition is necessary to create competitive companies, which in turn is necessary for growth in both the short and the long term. The better the competition is at home, the greater the opportunities successful EU-based companies have to succeed in global markets. That’s why promoting effective competition and competitive companies is a priority issue for the Swedish Presidency,” says Ms Modig.
“The role of the Swedish Competition Authority is to protect and develop competition in the market. Safeguarding effective competition is one of several ways to meet and combat the crises currently shaping our time,” says Rikard Jermsten, Director General of the Swedish Competition Authority.
Read moreEvent page: European Competition Day
Livestream from the conference
Swedish Presidency commemorates Europe Day
Article
4 May 202312:45
Swedish Presidency commemorates Europe Day
Sweden’s commemoration of Europe Day 2023 is focused on support to Ukraine. The sunflower is Ukraine’s national flower.© Pixabay
Peace and cohesion in Europe is celebrated every year on 9 May. Europe Day 2023 will focus on support for Ukraine, and the Swedish Presidency will commemorate the day in Brussels, Stockholm and online.
Brussels
In Brussels, the General Secretariat of the Council will organise an open house at the Council’s Justus Lipsius building ahead of Europe Day. The event will held on 6 May from 10.00 until 18.00 and is intended for anyone interested in learning more about the EU and its institutions. No pre-registration is required and attendance is free of charge.
All 27 EU Member States will have exhibition stands with interactive activities, informative content to explore and much more.
The Swedish exhibition stand will focus on EU support to Ukraine, and there will be an opportunity to meet staff from Sweden’s Permanent Representation to the EU.
Read more about the open house and how the Council is commemorating Europe Day on the Council website.
Information on how other EU institutions are commemorating Europe Day is available here.
Stockholm
The official Swedish celebration of Europe Day will be held at Kulturhuset in Stockholm. The Swedish Presidency of the Council will be on hand with an exhibition stand. A number of seminars will be held at Kulturhuset during the day, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström will deliver the opening address.
A concert in support of Ukraine will also held at Kulturhuset in Stockholm in the evening of 9 May, the proceeds from which will go directly to Radiohjälpen (Radio Aid). The Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Ukrainian music never before played in Sweden under the direction of conductor Jaroslav Shemet.
Online
You can follow updates from the Swedish Presidency on Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin, and you can participate in the discussion on social media by using the hashtag #EuropeDay.
Why we celebrate Europe Day
Europe Day is celebrated on the anniversary of the signing of the historic Schuman Declaration, presented by then French foreign minister Robert Schuman on 9 May 1950. The Declaration contained a detailed plan to ensure long-term peace in Europe following the Second World War. The idea was that European political cooperation would make a new war unthinkable. The EU we know today has its roots in the Declaration.
Structures to protect human rights in times of crises
Article
5 May 202315:00
Structures to protect human rights in times of crises
Paulina Brandberg, Minister for Gender Equality and Working Life© Josefine Stenersen/Government offices
The Conference on Institutional Protection of Fundamental Rights in Times of Crises took place in Lund on 20–21 April. The Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights organised the conference.
Some 100 participants from EU Member States and Ukraine discussed topics such as lessons learned from previous and current crises, disinformation, the rule of law and how to enhance institutional protection of human rights in times of crises.
Minister for Gender Equality and Working Life Paulina Brandberg opened and concluded the conference. She emphasised that governments are responsible for ensuring that human rights are upheld and the importance of not resting on one’s laurels. “We must never back away from our responsibility to protect democratic values,” she said.
Director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights Michael O’Flaherty said that much has been achieved in embedding human rights awareness within governance structures but that a lot remains to be done. He also said that there is a lack of evidence-based, well-coordinated human rights policies and strategies to uphold human rights in times of crises. This became apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, for example. “The crises we face today must be confronted by a resilient human rights system that never ceases to learn, grow and adapt.”
Three new challenges
On the first day, Vice-President of the European Parliament Katarina Barley spoke. Ms Barley was also a Rapporteur for the European Parliament report on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union in 2022 and 2023. She highlighted three challenges that are different now compared to 10–20 years ago. The first is that threats to human rights are conveyed in new ways, and in different ways depending on the Member State. The second is that ongoing crises are restricting human rights, and certain states use these crises as an excuse to restrict people’s rights in various ways. The third challenge is the development of disinformation in society and how it affects democracy.
Important step
Director of the newly established Swedish Institute for Human Rights Fredrik Malmberg opened the second day of the conference. He emphasised that the Institute is an important step in structuralising the protection of human rights in Sweden.
In addition, parallel seminars were held to allow participants to share experiences and lessons learned on three different themes: How to strengthen institutional protection for fundamental rights in times of crises for persons in vulnerable situations?
Tackling disinformation against our democratic values and structures with a human rights lens
Rule of law and fundamental rights in times of crises
Images from the conference are free to use and can be found on Flickr
Read more
Conference on Institutional Protection of Fundamental Rights in times of Crises
Discussions on secure access to medicinal products as Europe recovers from pandemic
Press release
5 May 202316:00
Discussions on secure access to medicinal products as Europe recovers from pandemic
© Johannes Frandsen/Government OfficesEU health ministers met in Stockholm on 5 May at an informal ministerial meeting to discuss challenges related to securing access to medicinal products in times of crises. Other topics included daily work in healthcare and how EU Member States can further strengthen the accessibility and affordability of medicines.
Secure access to medicinal products is paramount for ensuring well-functioning and reliable health care in the EU. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the immense pressure our national health systems may come under. Access to medicines, both well-established products and innovative treatments, is important in situations of crisis, but also in everyday life.Acko Ankarberg JohanssonMinister for Health Care
The health ministers discussed the role supply preparedness plays in building the resilience of communities and the needs of Member States to have the ability to build both short- and long-term supply preparedness as an essential part of health care preparedness. The discussion also included an exchange of views on the aggravated situation of medicine shortages throughout Europe.
The second session focused on how Member States can support access to both innovative and well-established products while maintaining the sustainability of the health care system. The ministers discussed the importance of restoring a balance between accessibility and affordability of medicinal products in the European Union. This includes access to innovative treatments as well as established medicinal products. Among the questions raised was how to ensure affordable access to new and innovative drugs, which often target small populations and enter the market at high prices.
Among the keynote speakers at the sessions were representatives from the Bulgarian Diabetes Association, who spoke about consequences for patients of diabetes medicine shortages, a patient representative who shared his personal experience, representatives from academia as well as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), who shared policy recommendations on affordable access to medicines.
See the programme for the full list of speakers.
Working lunch with focus on Ukraine
The ministers also had a working lunch at which the health care situation in Ukraine during the Russian aggression was discussed. The ministers shared their views on the issue of Member State’s support for recovery and further development of health care capacities.
I am glad we also had the chance to discuss the dire situation in Ukraine and the EU’s support to Ukrainian health care. The EU stands united in its support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and its inherent right of self-defence against the Russian aggression.Acko Ankarberg JohanssonMinister for Health Care
Read moreEvent page: Informal meeting of health ministers
