SOCIETY spoke with H.E. Annika Markovic, Ambassador of Sweden to Austria and Slovakia as well as Permanent Representative of Sweden to the International Organisations in Vienna about the relations between Sweden and Austria, the Swedish EU-presidency and her country’s application for NATO membership.
In 2021, you took on the role of Ambassador of Sweden to Austria. What were the highlights of your term here so far?
To me, the highlights so far are many. The bilateral visits between our two countries and the discussions on important co-operation projects, the visits I have made to the different parts of Austria, meetings with Swedish businesses in Austria and company visits and of course, the six months of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In addition to being the Swedish Ambassador to Austria, I am also the non-resident Ambassador to Slovakia as well as the Permanent Representative of Sweden to the International Organisations in Vienna. It is very interesting, but also a lot of work, to have this very broad mandate. When it comes to representing Sweden at the VIC, the work is very different from being an Ambassador to a country, focusing on the bilateral relations. Multilateral negotiations are time-consuming and cumbersome, but once you reach consensus, it can also be very rewarding. Very special events were also the Santa Lucia concert and celebrations just before Christmas in December that we organised in Stephansdom, in the Mirror Hall in Bratislava and also at the Vienna International Centre (VIC). This is a highlight of the year for every Swede and a tradition we love to share with our friends around the world.
Sweden and Austria have strong relations – how would you characterize them?
Sweden and Austria are two very like-minded countries, especially on the current issues of the EU Agenda including migration, competitiveness, and the green transformation of our societies. Both countries are supporters of the United Nations and strong advocates for international human rights.
In 2022, Sweden ranked third in the UN Sustainable Development Report – what does Sweden do differently than other countries in this regard?
What is important in Sweden is that we have a Whole-of-Government approach to sustainable development. There is a structure for collaboration between the government and the business sector “Fossil-Free Sweden”, a long-standing co-operation between the local and national government structures and support in the parliament for the sustainable development agenda and objectives. We might not always agree on the concrete measures that need to be taken, but there is a general agreement of where we want to go that helps in moving things forward.
In the Global Innovation Index 2022, Sweden ranked 3rd among 132 economies. What are the key pillars of this success?
There is a strong link between the universities and high school campus environment and the business sector which is conducive to innovation. Policies that promote the development of infrastructure including access to high tech and high-speed internet have also been important. In addition, there are many successful start-ups and scale-ups that inspire others to become entrepreneurs. But the basis is formed by an education system which is free for all up until post graduate level and a system of student loans with competitive interest rates that allow broader access to high level education to the general public. I would also think that the social security system provides entrepreneurs with a safety net to take risks and to innovate.
Fotos: SOCIETY/Schiffl
On May 16, 2022, your Government decided to apply for NATO membership. How might this far-reaching international commitment change Sweden?
Our NATO membership will make Sweden safer and more secure. The decision to apply for membership was a direct result of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and was based on the analysis that we are stronger together and that only NATO membership could provide the necessary security for Sweden. At the same time, we value the partnership we have within the European Union and are looking forward to developing that co-operation as well as the collaboration between the EU and NATO. We also value the bilateral relationship we have with like-minded countries such as Austria even if we will no longer be a neutral and alliance-free country.
During the first six months of 2023, Sweden holds the EU Presidency of the Council of the European Union – which topics is Sweden focusing on? What are the highlights of the presidency?
Under the motto of “making Europe freer, greener and safer”, we have four priorities for our EU Presidency.
- Security – unity
- Competitiveness
- Green and energy transition
- Democratic values and the rule of law – our foundation
The first and foremost priority has been and will continue to be our support to Ukraine that is fighting a war against an aggressor – Russia – that unprovoked and without justification invaded its neighbour. Ukraine needs our continued political, humanitarian, military, financial and judicial support. The EU unity has been remarkable, and the Swedish Presidency is promoting this and our support for a clear EU path for Ukraine. We are also giving priority to the EU relations with the Western Balkan countries as well as the other candidate countries like the Republic of Moldova.
We have also highlighted the fact that this year, the single market of the EU is celebrating its 30 year anniversary and we need to continue to develop it, including in the areas of services and digitalisation to ensure that the EU remains as competitive as possible on the global market. We are keen to develop our relations with key partners such as the United States and the United Kingdom as well as partnership agreements with for example the Mercosur countries.
When it comes to the green and energy transition we have been working hard to implement and move forward on the Fit for 55 Package of measures and legislation. We are also promoting the broadening of the energy collaboration so that we do not need to be dependent on Russia anymore.
In the area of Rule of Law, the Swedish presidency has been continuing with the internal reviews process and taking action to strengthen our common values, human rights, democratic values and freedom of the press. On May 3rd, World Press Freedom Day, we hosted, together with ORF, a debate on the safety of journalists and the freedom of the media here in Vienna and the following day we had a joint seminar in Bratislava with the Slovakian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the six months of the EU presidency, the role of the Ambassador of the member state in charge is to host meetings with important and interesting interlocutors from the host country. I am lucky to have the beautiful Schwedenhaus on Liechtensteinstrasse in Vienna and to be able to invite colleagues and representatives to meet in our wonderful salons here and to serve delicacies, that have been prepared by our Swedish chef. In that way, I am sharing a little bit of Sweden with my colleagues in Vienna.