The talks focused on the strengthening of bilateral relations and current topics on the EU agenda, from the future of Europe, the rule of law and enlargement to climate change and migration.

The high officials confirmed the excellent relations between Slovenia and Sweden and the effective cooperation of the two countries within the European Union and other international fora. They called for further strengthening bilateral cooperation, with State Secretary Božič highlighting opportunities for stronger cooperation in artificial intelligence and green technologies, both of which will be priority areas during Slovenia’s EU Council Presidency in the second half of 2021. He also invited Sweden to participate in development projects in the Western Balkans and presented a project of teaching mediation skills to students in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Slovenia and Sweden are like-minded countries that advocate democracy, the rule of law, effective multilateralism and human rights, and they are both climate-ambitious countries. For this, Božič and Dahlgren believe that the EU should take the lead in the field of emerging knowledge and technologies.