Almedalen Week in Sweden serves as a unique forum for politicians, organisations, businesses and interested citizens to meet, exchange insights and discuss public policy. With over 2,000 events and tens of thousands of attendees, the week this year was filled with discussions on artificial intelligence (AI), digitisation, security, energy, sustainable investments, and infrastructure.
We’ve been part of Almedalen for a number of years and we value the opportunity to attend and contribute to these discussions. This year, we participated in several panels on the topics of the Single Market and competitiveness, AI, and sustainability.
One of the key events was a panel at the Tech Arena, titled “From start-up to global success - how digitalisation gives Swedish companies access to more countries.” This discussion featured Helena Hånell McKelvey, Head of Public Policy for Amazon Nordics; Håkan Jevrell, State Secretary to the Minister of International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade; the CIO of Swedish Commerce, the General Director of the National Board of Trade, and representatives from Amazon selling partners Nicks and Linum Design. The panel explored how digitisation can help Swedish companies expand internationally and highlighted the need to reduce barriers within the EU Single Market, to further unlock the potential for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) entering new markets. State secretary Jevrell highlighted the positive contribution from Amazon as an enabler of growth and exports for Swedish businesses.
The Swedish government has declared that strengthening household purchasing power is a key priority, following several years of high inflation. Against this backdrop, Amazon and the Swedish Retail Institute (HUI Research) launched a report on how e-commerce has improved household purchasing power in Sweden during the economic downturn. The results were discussed on a panel with Johan Paccamonti, Head of Planning at the Ministry of Finance; Kristian Seth, Executive Secretary of the Productivity Commission; and Maria Mikkonen, Chief Economist of Swedish Commerce – highlighting the positive aspects of e-commerce for Swedish customers and SMEs, and the importance of investing in the productivity of Swedish businesses.
Rebecka Berntsson, our Public Policy Manager for the Nordics, participated in panels on green innovation and sustainable investments, including those titled "Green tech and global investments – this is how Sweden's next big export success is created" and "Sustainable E-commerce – now, then, and forward." The discussions emphasised our role in supporting SMEs and highlighted the environmental benefits of e-commerce through optimised packaging and alternative fuels.
With over 2,100 events held by more than 1,200 organisers and increased attendance, Almedalen Week continues to be a key platform for dialogue and collaboration. We look forward to continuing our involvement and furthering our mission to support SMEs, digitisation, and sustainability.
