Carl Bildt on challenges facing the Swedish EU Presidency

Sweden's most important agenda for 2009 is the European Union Presidency in the second half of this year. Foreign Minister Carl Bildt outlined the tasks, challenges and problems facing the Swedish presidency in an article he wrote for Dagens Nyheter's Debatt page, in the beginning of this month.

Bildt wrote that, the climate issue - which is closest to the heart of the Swedish agenda, will face difficulties because of the economic crisis. "Weak states and destroyed areas will need bigger support from EU than what Iceland and Lithuania got," he stated. " During 2009, the various consequences of the crisis must be dealt with in Sweden and in our own sorrounding. Not in the least, the global warming crisis must be prevented, which is more difficult as a result of the recessionary downtrend and the financial crisis. Populistic driven protectionism risks making the economic crisis doubly worse, in particular if the negotiations on world trade is not successfully done."

Sweden has now entered the "European year" - participating as member of the EU troika in the first half year; the EU parliamentary elections this coming June and later, the EU presidency. Bildt said that, "we live in a world that is less safe and stable than what we thought a year ago." After a long period of exceptional economic growth, world trade will contract and global growth will go down to a zero level as more advanced countries sink into a recession. The situation could get even worse if the world trade negotiation fails.

Outside of the worst economic scenario, the urgent challenge is the global warming crisis that must be prevented from rapidly deteriorating. The decision made in 2008 has made Europe the main green force in the global dialogue. This task is facing dramatic dialogues between major actors like the USA, China, India, Brazil among others.

Bildt stressed that, a major partnership between USA - under newly-elected President Barack Obama, and the EU is of utmost importance, "if we will have the possibility to tackle the major global challenges as well as engaging other countries in the undertakings."#