prop · GX0334en · 2009-10-21 00:00:00 — At the request of the Government, the for Economic and Regional Growth has updated some older measurements. The results of these measurements will be used to simulate administrative costs associated with the development of new regulations. is one of the few countries now able to simulate the costs. For further information on the measurements, refer to Govt. Communication 2008/09:206. In , the Registration Office presented a proposal on a reduced reporting requirement by companies by way of increased coordination between central government authorities (. no N2009/4509/MK). The point of departure was that a business will only have to provide one particular piece of information once to state public authorities. Other authorities will then not need to solicit the same information from that business as the information already submitted will be available to all authorities. Simpler accounting rules expected to reduce businesses' costs are currently under preparation in the Government Offices. The work focuses primarily on smaller businesses. The aim is for a bill to be decided around the turn of the year 2009/2010. The interim report Share Capital in (Aktiekapital i privata aktiebolag, SOU 2008:49) proposes that the minimum share capital requirement for private limited liability companies be reduced. The work in the Government Offices now aims to have a bill ready that can be decided around the turn of the year 2009/2010. Increased access to capital The ongoing financial crisis has temporarily increased the need for supplementary market measures regarding investment and working capital for day-to-day activities. Owing to the situation in the banking sector, banks have been unable to meet the increased demand for credit among the country's new companies and SMEs. The Government has therefore made a major effort to meet businesses' demand for capital, with measures such as giving () a capital injection of billion and deciding on greater flexibility in 's lending. Thus is now able to finance a greater proportion of SMEs' capital requirements. Furthermore, projects have been approved in most of 's Regions that with the help of EU funding and national and regional co-financing, aim at increasing the availability of risk capital for SMEs. Also, the demand for export credits has increased markedly during the Consequently, the Riksdag in accordance with the Government's proposal, decided at the end of 2008 to increase the capacity of the () with both a capital injection as well as opening up the possibility of borrowing from the National Debt Office in 2009 on market terms. This was done in the bill Measures exportfinansiering) (Govt. 2008/09:86). authorised the Government, via the National Debt Office, to extend a line of credit to the of billion and a credit guarantee frame for borrowing up to a billion. the same time, the frame for export credit guarantees provided by the () was raised from SEK 200 billion to billion (Govt. 2008/2009:86). Budget , the Government has proposed a further increase in the EKN's limit for export guarantees from billion to billion and an extension of the Export 's borrowing limit of billion and credit guarantee limit for borrowing to a maximum of billion (compared with billion for 2009). Business advisory services for entrepreneurs A review has been conducted of the state-financed business advisory The findings were reported in February 2009. remit included instructions to analyse the design of advisory services aimed at the self-employed and the potentially self-employed, to examine whether there were any overlaps or displacement of private actors, and to propose how public administration of the advisory services can be made This matter is being studied by the Government Offices. The ambition is to more clearly define the central government's commitments and achieve efficiency gains and coordination of the advisory services measures and increase the presence of private Social protection system for the self-employed In the 2010 Budget , the Government announced reforms in the social security system for the self-employed. The reforms cover the unemployment insurance, sickness insurance and parental insurance The proposals aim at the of clear and predictable rules, more equal treatment of the self-employed and the employed, and more freedom of choice for the self-employed. Proposals on the parental insurance systems will lead to more equal treatment of the self-employed and the employed. insurance proposals will provide more security for the self-employed, making the transition from employment to self-employment safer. Changes proposed in sickness insurance will also provide more security for those moving from employment to self-employment and reduce companies' risk in taking on employees. One example is that all the self- possibilities of choosing more qualifying days than they can today. Sickness insurance contributions have been reduced for all the selfemployed and the contribution for those choosing many qualifying days has been reduced the most. The Government intends to come back with these proposals in spring and they should be able to come into effect no later than 1 2010. Public procurement and SMEs Under the Competition Authority's strategy for procurement issues, priority will be given to supervision with a special focus on paving the way for small companies to participate in procurement frameworks. The framework agreements entered into by the State are regulated in the Ordinance (1998:796) Central Government Procurement Coordination. As for central government procurement frameworks, the for has had the task of reviewing central government procurement coordination. The findings were reported in 2009. In its report, the for argues that the central government procurement coordination does not exclude SMEs in general, but that there are areas of framework agreements where SMEs are underrepresented. for proposes that a new agency for central government procurement coordination be established to administer framework agreements. The report has been circulated for comment and the proposals will be reviewed in the Government Offices in autumn . The Legal, Financial and has been given the remit to provide practical guidance to contracting authorities and divisions and to suppliers on how an efficient and legally secure procurement process should be implemented. contracting authorities and divisions and representatives from the business sector and interest organisations, the Agency is to develop instruments, methods and systems for more efficient procurement. guide to procurement of health care and social services is also being In its appropriation directions for 2009, the Agency has also been instructed to work to ensure that procuring organisations and agencies take quality and sustainable development into account and to make it easier for SMEs to participate in procurements. Women showed considerable interest in the national programme for women's entrepreneurship in 2008 and there was a high level of activity. The measures included advisory services, information dissemination, training advisers, training in entrepreneurship and programmes. Evaluation halfway through the programme shows that the programme is developing in accordance with the Government's ambitions to increase awareness of women's entrepreneurship, that it is progressing well and has been positively received. In addition to this programme, the Government's measures also include research and an ambassadors' programme for womens entrepreneurship. programme has served as a model for an ambassadors' programme at the EU level launched in October 2009. In , the Government gave funding to coordinate a national programme for training women board This is an initiative aimed at raising the profile of women who have the requisite expertise to sit on company boards. makes it possible for 200 women to participate in a mentoring programme and scholarships are awarded for elective training for board Entrepreneurship in health care and social services In 2006 the Government decided on measures for the development of entrepreneurship and enterprise in health care and social services, with the aim of increasing diversity, improving quality and providing greater freedom of choice (see also Section 3.3). In 2009, the for Economic and Regional Growth on a remit from the Government, drew up an action plan for entrepreneurship and innovation in health care and social services. Between 2006 and 2009, over million has been allocated to measures that enhance entrepreneurship in health care social services, the pharmaceutical sector and other areas of welfare. Government now intends to strengthen measures in these areas in order to further encourage a diversity of providers and innovation in the This is being accomplished by such measures as the of a welfare development council that will bring together actors in the market and maintain a dialogue on barriers to market development and work on proposals on how these can be removed. Budget for 2010, the Government has proposed allocating million for the purpose of entrepreneurship and innovation in the welfare To promote entrepreneurship among young people, the Government in 2009 presented a strategy for entrepreneurship in the field of The strategy emphasises the key role education plays in School lays the groundwork for an entrepreneurial approach and the Government has used the strategy to put measures into practice to encourage entrepreneurship at all levels of the Entrepreneurship among people with foreign backgrounds The Government has allocated million annually between 2008 and 2010 to encourage entrepreneurship among people with a foreign for Economic and Regional Growth is coordinating the initiatives. The initiatives are primarily directed at established entrepreneurs with a foreign background that want to get help developing and expanding their companies. with a foreign background have gained access to loans and business Between 2007 and 2008, lending to this target group increased by 61 per cent. Furthermore, the Agency for Economic and Regional Growth has started a researchers' forum with the task of compiling information about entrepreneurs with a foreign background and disseminating it to advisory and financing actors and the general public. The purpose is to increase awareness of and to improve attitudes towards these entrepreneurs. for Economic and Regional Growth has also initiated cooperation with commercial banks in an attempt to improve their financing situation. In 2008, the Government decided to make greater use of entrepreneurs with a foreign background in trade and investment promotion. Many entrepreneurs with a foreign background have a good knowledge of the business culture, politics, religion and language in their countries of origin and can therefore help Swedish companies to reach new markets and improve trade relations between and other countries. has been instructed by the Government to form, develop and support networks for entrepreneurs with a foreign background with the aim of increasing foreign trade. Conferences have been held at which entrepreneurs, public authorities such as , and Government representatives have had opportunities for the direct exchange of ideas and experiences that will form the basis for future work. Cultural and creative businesses: initiatives and an action plan Improved conditions for cultural creators and creative entrepreneurs and increased cooperation with the business sector may contribute to both regional development and increased competitiveness. The Government presented an action plan for cultural and creative businesses in autumn . The action plan is part of a long-term programme for the cultural and creative industries totalling million in 20092012, of which million is intended for a new initiative for 20102012. The action plan involves a broadening of the culture creators' labour market and a wider distribution of culture in society. The aim of the action plan is to create a good entrepreneurial climate in cultural and creative industries for developing business ideas and entrepreneurship. Initiatives in the action plan are to be based on entrepreneurs' specific needs and potential. Additional aims of the initiatives in the action plan are to improve business advisory services, increase knowledge about the significance of these industries for growth and improve the capacity to measure it. The initiatives also cover incubators and network creation as well as innovation and design. In the new owner's directives for , the Government has specified that the company is to implement a groupwide skills development initiative in the cultural and creative industries to provide business advice and financing in an appropriate . This means that companies with good business ideas will have more opportunities to get financing. 3.6Sustainable infrastructure for increased competitiveness, growth and welfare To expand, improve and link up European infrastructure and complete priority cross-border projects A well-functioning infrastructure is a basic precondition for enterprise and long-term sustainable growth in all parts of the country. A region's chances of retaining and attracting businesses depend on the availability of well-functioning transport and communication systems. The transport system should make everyday life easier for people and for businesses by providing efficient and transport with less impact on the climate. Regional expansion can be one way of improving the business sector's access to labour with different expertise while it presents new opportunities for individuals to find attractive work places and living environments within commuting distance. Larger regions are less vulnerable since they have the prerequisites for a more differentiated labour market and a higher degree of specialisation that enhances their competitiveness. The infrastructure bill that the Government presented in has been approved by the Riksdag (Govt.Bill 2008/09:35, Committee Report 2008/09:TU2, 2008/09:145). The authorities and regions are currently implementing an analysis and setting priorities that will result in proposals for national and regional infrastructure plans for 20102021. Seeking co-financing from other interested parties who are willing to contribute funding is also included in the remit to the authorities. Co-financing can take such forms as direct financial grants or user fees. In 2010 the Government will adopt the national plan and decide the definitive frameworks for the regional plans. Implementation of the special short-term package of billion for investments in the transport infrastructure that the Government proposed in the 2009 Budget (Govt. 2008/09:1) is under way. Together with the ambitious increases for operation and maintenance decided earlier, the initiative 10 billion. Special measures have subsequently been taken to maintain existing infrastructure and at the same time provide employment to construction workers. The Riksdag's decision on the bill Measures for and Adaptation (Åtgärder för jobb och omställning) (Govt. 2008/09:97, Committee Report 2008/09:FiU18, 2008/09:183) resulted in the allocation of billion for 20092011 to infrastructure for the operation and maintenance of roads and railways. In its 2010 Budget (Govt. 2009/10:1), the Government proposes allocating an additional billion to infrastructure in 20092011. The increased resources are to be used for both roads and railways with the aim of reducing the downturn in employment. Initiatives for enhanced cooperation on crossborder infrastructure have been taken with neighbouring countries in . is currently working with to extend the existing highway E16 from to . Another example is the initiative that will be taken to review how capacity utilisation on the link can be improved. During its EU Presidency, intends to highlight the Commission's work on a white paper on EU transport policy after 2010. () has been instructed by the Government to conduct a SWOT analysis describing European transport policy's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Starting with 's work, will put particular emphasis on the importance of a cohesive and efficient European transport system in which the introduction and use of new technology will play a substantial role. The Commission has also begun work on revising the guidelines for the trans-European transport network (TEN-T). On a Swedish initiative, Nordic-Baltic cooperation has been established aimed at cooperating and taking joint initiatives on TEN-T matters. An important starting point for is that TEN-T is better able to contribute to the creation of a joint European transport system. As a step towards adapting the Swedish and Nordic electricity transmission grid to energy and environmental policy in the future, extensive work is under way to further increase transmission capacity and robustness in the power system. In this way, there will be more potential for efficient use of joint production resources in the Nordic region, which gives competitive advantages and creates better conditions for energy supply, the environment and growth. The Nordic action plan for the electricity market, decided by the Nordic energy ministers in 2008, includes supporting future network investments and implementing investments already agreed that have been circled as strategically important for the Nordic electricity market. In autumn , the positive employment developments in in recent years changed as a result of the financial crisis. Despite the rapid deterioration in the labour market situation, there was high employment and low unemployment in 2008 as a whole. The number of permanently employed also increased sharply. The labour market situation has, however, continued to worsen during the first half of 2009. The number of employed has declined, unemployment has increased, and the number of dismissal notices has continued to be high. In Reform Programme for Growth and 20082010, the Government presented proposals and measures planned or taken to reduce exclusion and enable more people to get jobs. This year's employment chapter focuses on the measures that have been taken since last year and, to the extent available, on the results obtained and on the evaluation of these measures. The Government's measures to counter the economic crisis are key components of this year's reform programme. also focuses on the challenges handed in the Commission and Council recommendations in 2009 on getting more of the long-term unemployed, those on sick leave, young people and people with an immigrant background into the labour market. The goals of the Government's initiatives are a well-functioning labour market and a sustainably higher level of employment achieved primarily by reducing exclusion. The most important objective of the unemployment policy is to increase the level of employment that is consistent with stable inflation and economic equilibrium, i.e. in sustainable employment. The long-term policy has concentrated on measures that increase the labour supply since it is the supply that determines employment in the long run. The most important reform has been the in-work tax credit, which strengthens the incentives to work by making it more worthwhile. Other important measures have been the changes in the unemployment and sickness insurances. other measures have been taken to increase access to good quality The supply side reforms, however, need to be supplemented with measures that stimulate the demand for people who are particularly detached from the labour market. New start jobs reduce the costs of employers who hire such people. Measures that improve matching between jobseekers and job vacancies increase employment. has been given a clearer remit as an intermediary and labour market programmes now focus more sharply on job search activities. The Government has taken special measures for dealing with the high youth unemployment that has existed for a long A job guarantee for young people is one such measure. the job guarantee is for young people to find jobs or enrol in the regular Employment policy's most important objective in the current economic situation is to try to stop the crisis from having a long-term impact on the It is the Government's opinion that the long-term policy pursued thus far is also appropriate in this economic situation since these measures help make the labour market more adaptable. believes, however, that the long-term employment policy needs to be supplemented with measures that stimulate demand, stem the fall in employment and counteract persistence in unemployment. Government's measures to stimulate demand include a permanent tax reduction for repair, maintenance and improvement (the RMI deduction) and more resources for infrastructure investments. The Government's measures to dampen the fall in employment include increased local Labour market policy has been adjusted by putting a strong focus on initiatives for both the shortand long-term unemployed to prevent unemployment from becoming persistent at high levels for a long time or people from being excluded from the labour market. short-term unemployed has primarily been in the form of measures that support and encourage people who lose their job to continue looking for work and the offer of work experience places to enhance skills or maintain contact with the world of work. To improve the long-term unemployeds' competitiveness, it is important to ensure the quality of the job and development guarantee and the job guarantee for young people. New start jobs have been strengthened with the aim of maintaining the competitiveness of people most detached from the labour market. As to the long-term measures discussed in this chapter, a reduction in sickness absence is a key part of the Government's policy to reduce exclusion. The Government has implemented a comprehensive package of measures aimed at providing incentives to make use of the individual's ability to work, improve the support given individuals and offer more opportunities to get back to work. people are an important target group in the Government's work to end exclusion. To make it easier for young people to enter the labour market and get work experience, the Government has taken such measures as lowering the social contributions for young people in order to reduce the costs of employing them. Moreover, employing people on fixed-term contracts has become easier. Newly arrived refugees have difficulty getting a job regardless of the economic situation and therefore have been made an employment policy priority. Among other things, the Government has introduced a special subsidised employment, step-in jobs, offered to unemployed recent immigrants along with Swedish lessons. 4.1Targets for employment policy To implement employment policies aimed at achieving full employment, improving quality and productivity at work, and strengthening social and territorial cohesion The Government's objective to increase the level of employment that is consistent with stable inflation and economic equilibrium in general remains firm, i.e. an increase in sustainable employment. Thus the longterm direction of the policy for growth and employment will also continue well in line with the overall goals of Employment Strategy: full employment, higher quality and productivity at work, and strengthened social and territorial cohesion. Objectives of Employment Strategy and the outcome for For sources, see 3 Indicators for following up the employment strategy. By 2010, every unemployed person, before reaching four months (young people) or twelve months (adults) of unemployment, is to be offered a job, apprenticeship position, supplementary education and training or other measure that aids employability.