Sweden is among the economies in the EU least severely affected by COVID-19. Nonetheless, the impact on firms was sizable; it impacted sales and revenue, which in turn affected their investment strategies. The effectiveness of the policy response to date and the challenges ahead we discussed, taking note of some of the impacts of the war in Ukraine.
The conference focused on investment needs and priorities for Sweden, which brought together a group of economists, policymakers, as well as representatives from financial institutions and the business community.
After the opening remarks, the results of the EIB Investment survey for Sweden were presented, followed by a presentation on sustainable finance, where some impacts of the war were discussed. A high level panel followed, which focused on the war, policy response, the pandemic and what needs to be done in the current context to help firms meet digital and climate goals.