Five questions for Mr Mikael Damberg, Swedish Minister for Enterprise and Innovation

1. Why do you choose to participate in the ”Sweden – Southeast Asia Business Summit”?
The opportunities for trade between Sweden and Southeast Asia are huge. With a rapidly growing middle class and a population of 650 million people, the growth of the region is one of the highest in the world. Southeast Asia has the third largest labor force and it’s the fourth largest exporter in the world. The countries in the region also plan to make significant investments in infrastructure in the near future. The purpose of the Sweden – Southeast Asia Business Summit is to provide a platform for Swedish businesses and to give them insights into the potential that the markets of Southeast Asia have to offer. Through my participation, I hope to be able to contribute to the growth of Swedish exports to the developing markets of this region.

2. The Swedish government recently adopted a new export strategy. How does the “Sweden – Southeast Asia Business Summit” fit into this new strategy?
First of all, the summit is a regional initiative. It’s supported by “Team Sweden” in the region, including all the Swedish embassies in the region as well as Business Sweden Offices. Secondly, four of the prioritized countries in the new strategy are located in the region (Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand). An important part of the new strategy is to increase the presence in these countries. Sweden – Southeast Asia Business Summit is an excellent opportunity for Swedish companies to connect with regional partners and to increase their knowledge about what it takes to export to the region.

3. What do you hope get out of the Sweden-Southeast Asia Business Summit?
My hope is that my presence at the Sweden–Southeast Asia Business Summit will result in increased opportunities for Swedish companies to export to and to operate in this dynamic region. I will participate in interesting conversations and discussions with both business leaders and government representatives around opportunities and challenges to doing business in this region. I am particularly looking forward to hear more about the experiences of the Swedish companies in the region.

4. There are challenges within the CSR and sustainability area in Asia. How do you think Sweden and Swedish companies should relate to these challenges?
The Swedish government assumes that Swedish companies work actively with CSR and sustainability related issues and that they follow international and OECD guidelines for multinational companies such as the UN Global Compact. The government has also produced an action plan and a strategy for sustainable entrepreneurship to serve as a guideline. I know that Swedish companies possess a lot of knowledge and can serve as good examples to other countries when it comes to sustainability. There are competitive advantages to be made when working with CSR since it contributes to sustainability and long term thinking. The complexity to work with CSR related issues increase in a more globalized world and the Swedish government can support and develop guidelines, but ultimately it’s down to the companies as they are responsibility for their operations.

5. What should Swedish companies bear in mind when they look to expand their operations into this region and what support can they expect from the government?
Swedish companies should use the support provided by organizations that are already present in the region, such as the embassies, Business Sweden, EKN and SEK. Trade Promotion is prioritized by the government and the embassies, together with Business Sweden, have a joint responsibility to support companies that want to enter the Asian market. Three out of four countries in Southeast Asia (Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand) that the Swedish government has given particular priority are considered to be big markets with high growth but at the same time the barriers for companies who intend to enter the market are high. Hence, the companies need a lot of support from “Team Sweden” in the region to facilitate access to these markets. Malaysia is the only country among the four that is considered to have medium high entry thresholds for companies.