On a state visit

Van der Bellen in Sweden: Meeting with the King

Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen met with Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.(Bild: APA/BUNDESHEER/PETER LECHNER)

Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen met King Carl XVI Gustaf on Thursday at the end of his three-day working visit to Sweden. Over lunch at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, the two heads of state primarily discussed EU issues, including the upcoming elections to the European Parliament and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Bilateral issues were also discussed.

In connection with his country's accession to NATO, King Carl XVI Gustaf (78) emphasized that membership of the military alliance was "not directed against anyone". It would not change the basis of Swedish foreign and security policy. "Sweden wants peace. Preserving Sweden's freedom and independence is still our most important goal," said the monarch

On Thursday morning, the former economics professor, accompanied by WKÖ President Harald Mahrer, got a taste of university life at the renowned Stockholm School of Economics. The business delegation was also scheduled to meet with the Swedish Council for Artificial Intelligence. Among other things, they discussed how AI could be used more in the public sector in future, for example in healthcare or administrative finance.

Tackling bureaucratic obstacles
The necessary data utilization would, of course, require society to have strong trust in local and state authorities. This is probably greater in Sweden than in countries such as Austria, according to one finding. This is one of the reasons why Swedish society is far more open to the topic of AI than in other countries.

For future projects, Europe must also work together to expand the electricity supply and remove bureaucratic obstacles, which would lead to a significant competitive disadvantage compared to the USA or countries such as China and India. Cooperation is therefore required. There are areas for improvement in the EU, particularly in terms of bureaucracy.

Harald Mahrer accompanies the Federal President to Sweden.(Bild: Martin Jöchl)

Sweden and Austria are two countries that invest a great deal in research and development as well as in the field of innovation, said WKÖ President Mahrer. Together with Belgium and Sweden, they are among the "top three countries" in this respect. We should not only learn from the best, "but must also cooperate with the best".

Van der Bellen: "Cooperation in Europe works"
On Wednesday, Van der Bellen also praised the EU's economic competence in particular in view of the numerous talks on economic and technological topics in Stockholm. In view of the market opportunities opened up by the European Union, the Federal President said in an obvious reference to the FPÖ campaign in the EU election campaign: "It's not madness what has happened." After an exchange of views with Sweden's conservative-liberal Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Wednesday, Van der Bellen also stated: "Cooperation in Europe is working, at least in the economic sphere."