1. Strategic Report - Sweden 2009
COCOF May 27-28th 2010
Barcelona

2. Macro-economic analysis
Small, open economy (around 9 million inh.)
Highly dependant on exports (small domestic market)
Innovative and creative – high ranked in various indexes:
World Economic Forum’s Lisbon Review 2010
The World Competitiveness Scoreboard (IMD, Switzerland)
Investments of enterprises in RTD high; West Sweden, South Sweden and Stockholm on top 3 list in EU
GDP per capita (PPS) 2008: 120 (EU27=100)
Sweden has many good prerequisites for growth, but;
High level of geographical concentration in economic activity
Low level of new enterprises
Small enterprises do not grow and the job growth could be better
Swedish regions (outside the main urban areas) vulnerable due to demography and one sided economies
High regional unemployment due to the economic crisis, especially among younger people

3. Sweden’s geography raises challenges…
Cold climate and vast land with low density of population
Distance to international markets
a need to create internal markets
pockets of concentration
51% of population and
57% of national GDP
are in 3 metro-regions
Sweden displays the second highest level of concentration in GDP among OECD countries…
…and the lowest level of spatial inequality in GDP per capita…
efficiency – equity
balance 3

4. NATIONAL LEVEL TL2 (8 groups of counties) TL3 (21 counties) EU
NSRF National Strategy for Regional Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship & Employment
8 ERDF Regional Operational Programmes
1 ESF programme
8 regional plans
21 Regional Development Programmes (RUPs)
Regional Growth Programmes (RTPs) or other programmes
NATIONAL LEVEL
TL2
(8 groups of counties)
TL3
(21 counties) EU
The Community Strategic Guidelines on Cohesion 4

5. The consultation process for the Strategic report – basis for public debate
Dialogue among national and regional actors
Analysis and trends
Follow-up and evaluations of the structural funds OP’s
Follow-up of the Swedish regional development programmes
Follow-up of the NSRF strategic priorities
The Swedish government has presented a communication to the Swedish parliament based on the Strategic report and the OECD Territorial review

6. Operational Programmes for Regional Competitiveness and Employment
1 national OP (ESF)
8 regional OP (ERDF) at NUTS II level
6 Cross-border
3 Transregional
INTERREG IVC, ESPON 2013, URBACT II, INTERRACT II
Övre Norrland
Mellersta Norrland
Norra Mellansverige
Stockholm
Östra Mellansverige
Västsverige
Småland och öarna
Sydsverige

7. Transregional Programmes

8. Structural Funds in Sweden (current prices, meuro)
Programmes
Fund
Financial envelope (EU-allocation, rounded off)
8 OP (regional level at Nuts II)
ERDF
935
1 OP (national level)
ESF
692
European Territorial Co-operation (only SE)
265
(Swedish envelope)
Total (only SE)
1 200
Total (only SE)
ERDF and ESF
1 892

9. Structural Funds in Sweden and partner countries in ETC (A and B strands) (current prices, meuro)
Programmes
Fund
Financial envelope (EU-allocation, rounded off)
Committed 31/12/2009,
percent
Payments 31/12/2009, percent of EU-allocation
8 OP (regional level at Nuts II)
ERDF
935
59%
(551)
18%
(164)
1 OP (national level)
ESF
692
40%
(279) 9%
(60)
European Territorial Co-operation (Sweden and partner MS, A+B)
758
48%
(360)
0,03%
(23)
Total
1 693
54% (911)
11% (187)
ERDF and ESF
2 385
50% (1 190)
10% (247)

10. The national strategic priorities of the NSRF
Innovation and renewal
Innovative environments
Entrepreneurship
Skills supply and improved labour supply
Accessibility
Regional enlargement
An advanced information society
Strategic cross-border co-operation
Particular attention to:
Sparsely populated regions in Northern Sweden and city
conditions

11. Main objectives of the OP’s
The 8 regional OP’s (ERDF)
new jobs
new enterprises
enterprises participating
The national OP (ESF)
working persons participate in training
working persons participate in training to combat discrimination
working persons participate to avoid long –term sick leave
participants in projects to increase workforce, of which 70% of the participants have a job or are closer to a job after the project
The ETC (ERDF)
Minimise border obstacles
Accesibility (transport, infrastructure)
Innovation
Training

12. The ERDF allocated to meet NSRF priority areas (Current prices, meuro)
Priority area NSRF –
(the 5 largest)
Indicative estimate of ERDF alloc.
Committed ERDF
30/09/2009
Percent committed of the indicative estimation
Innovation and renewal,
of which:
712
412
58%
Research and technological development (R&TD), innovation and entrepreneurship
600
376
63%
Energy 56 11
21%
Tourism, Culture and Urban 25
45%
Accesibility,
167 98
59%
Information Society
100 32
32%
Transport 67 66
99%
Total
879
510

13. The learning process built in the implementation
On-going evaluation, OP, project level and implementing organisation
Thematic studies
Reports, follow-up’s from the Managing Authorities

14. Conclusions of the evaluators
The overall picture: The implementation of the 8 regional OP’s as a
whole follows the intentions and the objectives of the programmes
Areas for possible improvement:
How to move from knowledge development and research platforms to commercialisation of products?
How to establish models and tools to better bring the results of research to markets to promote new enterprises, new jobs and sustainable development?
A need to enhance the collaboration between projects in renewable energy and entrepreneurship, new enterprises
The impact of the crisis affect the implementation – set targets may be hard to reach
The projects need to fit into the regional development plans i.e. the outlined needs of the specific region

15. Conclusions of the evaluators
The project owners need assistance from the MA to pin-down the targets of each project – a good dialogue is needed
Some enterprises, due to the crisis, find it difficult to participate in development projects – available resources to finance the daily management – not investments.
Limited amounts of national co-financing (due to crisis) – not such a big issue as excepted

16. Structural Funds to combat the effects of the financial crisis
A flexibility in the programmes and in the implementation
Thus- hardly no changes of the programmes due to the crisis
On-going dialogue with all actors in the implementation organisation – how to simplify in order to speed up implementation
Notably high demand for ESF funds in regions and branches affected of the crisis

17. Thank you for your attention!