Sweden’s attractive economy continues to offer a wealth of opportunities to foreign investors. After its successful presidency of the European Union two years ago, the country on the continent’s northern edge set out to focus on domestic challenges in order to strengthen its economy. Highly exposed and relatively small, Sweden recognized the need to boost trade and increase foreign investment. And it has done so, with surprising results.

Situated in the center of the Baltic Sea region, Sweden’s capital, Stockholm, has positioned itself as the European Union’s (EU) “Port to the East.” The region is considered one of the most dynamic in all of Europe today.

As elsewhere around the globe, Sweden has been affected by the international economic downturn. The country’s economic growth is forecast to be 1.4 percent in 2003, though this is expected to rise to 2.4 percent in the next year with the anticipated increase of international and domestic demand. Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson boasts that his country’s economy is in good health:

Persson says: “As a trade-dependent economy that exports almost 50 per cent of GDP, and with a strong position in the information technology (IT) and telecom sectors that have both suffered during the last few years, we