Swedish Government launches Made with Sweden initiative – a concerted push for free trade and global collaboration
On 18 December, the Government unveiled Made with Sweden, an initiative to increase Swedish exports, promote investment and strengthen international cooperation in a time of growing protectionism.
Trade barriers and protectionism threaten the open market that has been crucial to Sweden’s prosperity. History shows that trade and cooperation have led to progress and growth, while isolation is a dead end. To counteract this, the Government is now launching Made with Sweden.
The Government has instructed the Swedish Institute, Business Sweden, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the Swedish Export Credit Agency and the National Board of Trade to support the Made with Sweden initiative, which will increase Swedish exports, promote investment and strengthen international collaboration. Sweden’s missions abroad have been instructed to prioritise the initiative in the coming years.
“We want to attract investment to Sweden. But we also want Swedish companies to invest abroad. We want production from foreign companies in Sweden, as well as Swedish production overseas. We want the world’s talents here – but we also want our young people to discover the world and our researchers to collaborate with the best research institutes in the world. We want our goods on their shelves, and their goods on ours. In a world that is turning inwards, Sweden is standing up for openness,” says Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa.
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Swedish Chamber Member: EF English Proficiency Index 2025 launched
The 2025 EF English Proficiency Index, assessing 123 countries, reveals persistent global disparities in English skills. The Netherlands tops the ranking, followed by Croatia and Austria, while Germany posts one of Europe’s biggest gains. Speaking remains the biggest challenge, with over half of countries scoring lowest in this skill, and wide gaps exist across reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
Encouragingly, the gender gap is shrinking worldwide, though youth under 25 continue to lag behind older adults, defying post-pandemic expectations. Regionally, Europe has plateaued, Asia shows the narrowest skill gaps, Latin America the largest age disparities, and Africa the most varied performance.
For the first time, EF used AI to assess speaking and writing, offering a richer view of communication skills. With English remaining the key language for global collaboration, innovation, and access to leading AI tools, proficiency is more critical than ever.
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Swedish Chamber Member: Noviflora CEO Hendrico de Brabander steps down
After careful consideration, Hendrico de Brabander has announced his decision to step down as CEO of Noviflora. Xander van Reisen, second generation within the family business and currently Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), will assume the role of CEO as of 1 April 2026.
Hendrico de Brabander joined the family business over nineteen years ago. Under the shared vision and leadership of De Brabander and Van Reisen, Noviflora experienced strong growth and evolved from an export company into an international organization with operations in the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and Switzerland.
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Swedish Chamber Business Awards 2025
Life saving innovation, talent-shortage solutions and resilient IT-Ops honoured with the Swedish Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2025.
In recognition of their exceptional performance in the Dutch market and beyond, we are honoured to give three Swedish-related companies the Swedish Chamber Business Awards 2025: AstraZeneca, Einar & Partners and Proxify.
The awards were proudly presented by the jury and the Ambassador of Sweden at our festive award ceremony during the Annual Exclusive Lucia Dinner in Amsterdam on Thursday, 4 December 2025. This year’s recipients reflect how Swedish expertise continues to influence key sectors in the Dutch economy—from life-saving medical innovation to critical digital infrastructure and solutions addressing the structural shortage of technology talent.
Swedish Chamber Patron Member AstraZeneca receives the prestigious Achievement Award for its strong innovation, sustainability and societal benefit, supported by its Swedish heritage, the recipients of the award on stage was Randolf Swinkels, Business Unit Director Respiratory & Immunology + Vaccines & Infectious diseases and Renee de Vries, Head of Communications & Public Affairs. The Entrepreneurship Award goes to Swedish Chamber Member Proxify for its disruptive model to target talent shortage in global tech markets. Their tangible results in the Dutch market, combined with high-quality talent network and strong growth, collectively exemplify entrepreneurial excellence, the recipients of the award on stage were William Svedström, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer and Philip Henriksson VP of Sales. Swedish Chamber Member Einar & Partners wins the Tech for Good Award for its resilient, scalable IT Operations that prevent large-scale digital failures that can have far-reaching economic and social consequences., the recipient on stage was Alexander Ljungström, Founder and Managing Director.
Big congratulations to all winners!
The jury, led by Mr Jan Sundelin, Partinc Capital, Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Swedish Chamber and Chair of the Tech Committee also comprises H.E. Ambassador of Sweden to the Netherlands, Mr Julius Liljeström, Mr Tomas Korseman, Business Sweden Benelux and Mr Ashkan Danaei, Tetra Pak, Chairperson of the Sustainability Committee.
About the Swedish Chamber of Commerce Business Awards
Since 2010, the Swedish Chamber Business Awards have recognised Swedish-related companies in the Netherlands that combine measurable growth with innovation and sustainability. The awards are a collaboration with the Embassy of Sweden in the Netherlands and Business Sweden BeNeLux.
See pictures from the ceremony .
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Annual Exclusive Lucia Dinner
Following the Sustainability & Innovation Summit on December 4, many of you joined us for the Annual Exclusive Lucia Dinner at the historic St. Olof’s Chapel.
This magical evening filled with tradition, music, celebration, and Swedish hospitality marked a festive end to the Chamber’s 65th anniversary year. We are grateful to everyone who helped make the night unforgettable, from the Swedish Julbord and Business Award Ceremony to the Lucia procession, entertainment, and charity raffle, where we gathered over 1800 euros to support Het Vergeten Kind.
We warmly thank all participants for contributing to a truly memorable day of knowledge sharing, collaboration, and celebration.
We look forward to welcoming you to future events hosted by the Swedish Chamber of Commerce.
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Sustainability & Innovation Summit
Thank you for joining the Swedish Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Sustainability & Innovation Summit 2025, held on December 4 at the Barbizon Palace in Amsterdam.
We were delighted to welcome such an engaged and forward-thinking group of members and guests to this high-level forum. Bringing together executives, policymakers, academics, and innovators from Sweden and the Netherlands, the Summit offered rich perspectives on how we can collectively tackle today’s sustainability challenges while shaping tomorrow’s innovative solutions.
With distinguished speakers from Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Vattenfall, SSAB, SAAB, the Netherlands Innovation Center Sweden, RISE Research Institute of Sweden, Ericsson Netherlands, Vattenfall, , the sessions explored Sweden’s global leadership in fossil-free innovation as well as the evolving landscape of AI and tech autonomy.
“Tackling today’s challenges, shaping tomorrow’s solutions.”
Your participation and contributions helped make the Summit a success, and we hope the discussions inspired new ideas for driving sustainable transformation within your organisation.
A special thank you to our speakers for sharing their expertise, to our moderators Britta Wyss Bisang and Alexander Ljungström, and to our Honorary Guest, H.E. Mr Liljeström, Ambassador of Sweden to the Netherlands, for their valued presence and insights.
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News from Swedish Chamber Patron Member Scania
News from Swedish Chamber Patron Member Scania - Kusters Transport & Logistics has expanded its fleet with two new Scania 420R tractor units featuring the fuel-efficient Super driveline.
The Eindhoven-based transport company Kusters Transport & Logistics chose Scania for its proven reliability, positive driver experiences, and the service-oriented approach of its local dealer.
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Dutch Chamber Seminar and Annual Dinner 2025
The Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the Netherlands was hounured to take part of the Dutch Chamber in Stockholm's Seminar and Annual Dinner on November 14, 2025.
A heartfelt thank-you for a truly memorable day and evening. It was a pleasure to take part in the insightful seminar on Leading Through Uncertainty at the Royal Netherlands Embassy, featuring inspiring contributions from Anko van der Werff (CEO SAS) and Dennis van Schie (VP Supply Northvolt).
The celebration continued with an unforgettable annual dinner at the Vasa Museum—an extraordinary setting that beautifully highlighted the historic ties between Sweden and the Netherlands.
Grateful to have been part of such a remarkable occasion!
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