”Plenty of competitive entrepreneurs in developing countries cannot enter the EU market because they face lots of regulations, many of which are complicated and difficult to grasp. This must change.”
This statement was made by Minister for Industry and Trade Mr Leif Pagrotsky and Minister for International Development Cooperation Mrs Carin Jämtin, as they presented a decision by the Government of Sweden on 29 April to establish a special contact point for exporters from developing countries. The contact point will assist entrepreneurs in developing countries who want to export to Sweden and the EU by offering advice and information.
In recent decades there has been a steady decline in the share of total world trade taken by the developing countries and by the very poorest countries in particular. One reason may be the complex systems of rules that are in place in rich countries.
”This is an important part of the Government’s policy for global development. A Trade Ombudsman is a concrete way of promoting economic growth in developing countries, thereby reducing poverty”, says Carin Jämtin. ”This is a way of making life easier for entrepreneurs in developing countries while, at the same time, not denying Swedish consumers broader and better choice”, notes Leif Pagrotsky.The contact point will be placed at the National Board of Trade of Sweden and is planned to open in the autumn under the name of Open Trade Gate Sweden.
Further information can be obtained by Mrs Annika Ben DavidFirst Secretary for Political Affairs and TradeEmbassy of Sweden Dar es SalaamTel: 211 12 35E-mail: annika.ben.david@sida.se