Economy and climate are main focus for Sweden

AMBASSADOR'S ADDRESS:THE ECONOMY and climate change would be the main priorities for Sweden's EU presidency, ambassador Claes Ljungdaehl told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Affairs at Leinster House yesterday.

Sweden’s ambition was to conduct an “open, responsive and results-oriented presidency”, Mr Ljungdaehl said. The coming six months would be characterised by “change and renewal”.

“The newly elected European Parliament will begin its work and a new commission will be appointed. The conditions for co-operation will change, if the Treaty of Lisbon enters into force, which we hope [it will]. Here, of course, Ireland has an important role to play now that you have got your guarantees.” It was Sweden’s ambition that the EU would emerge from the present economic and financial crisis in a stronger position.

“A common capacity for action in both the financial and economic fields and in the labour market is necessary if the EU is to be able to meet the crisis in an effective manner,” Mr Ljungdaehl said.

Looking ahead to the United Nations climate change conference, he said: “Together with other parties, the EU needs to work hard to achieve the adoption of a new climate agreement during the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December.”

These were “huge tasks” involving an ambitious agenda, “but it is also an opportunity for the EU to strengthen its competitiveness, create new jobs and contribute to a better environment”.

Independent Senator Feargal Quinn and Labour TD Joe Costello both urged greater involvement of the EU in financial regulation.

Mr Quinn said the EU should give greater priority to the potential for job-creation in the commercial/retail sector. Mr Costello said: “Employment seems to have got fairly short shrift from the EU in recent months. There was no serious, co-ordinated attempt to address the huge decline.”

Green Party Senator Deirdre de Búrca said: “There is a sense of positive anticipation about this presidency.” On the Copenhagen Conference on climate change, she said: “The EU to date has provide outstanding global leadership in this area.” However she noted that EU plans for economic recovery “seem to be more a collection of national recovery plans”.

On Sweden’s approach to its 1990s banking crisis, Mr Ljungdaehl said: “Our crisis was quite different from the Irish crisis.” The Swedish crisis was “quite isolated”.