Can the Nordic Region become Europe's growth engine?
Cecilia Malmström, Carl Bennet and the Nordic Council of Ministers' Karin Elleman will discuss this topic on Thursday 5 November in Gothenburg, during Economic Outlook – a specially designed Nordic economic seminar arranged by Business Region Gothenburg. The seminar begins the day that continues with the opening ceremony of the first industrial summit, the Nordic Compass Summit.
There is a great turnout when the Nordic Compass Summit takes place for the first time. The meeting is organised by Nordic Compass – The Nordic Round Table for Industry in collaboration with, among others, the City of Gothenburg through Business Region Göteborg and Göteborg & Co.
In a world characterised by geopolitical tensions, increased international competition, trade barriers and rapid technological development – not least within AI – the ambitions of the meeting are high. The summit is intended to result in concrete initiatives that strengthen the overall competitiveness of Nordic industry and make the Nordic region even more robust.
I can assure you that we in Gothenburg are strongly committed to the issues on the table, and this applies not least to our large companies. We are pleased that this industrial mobilization is taking place, and we are honoured that the meeting is taking place in Gothenburg. Ultimately, it is about strengthening the whole of Europe.
5 Nov: Economic Outlook with record audience
Thursday at Clarion Hotel Draken will begin with a public seminar arranged by Business Region Gothenburg. The Economic Outlook in the Nordic region will be presented by SEB's Chief Economist Jens Magnusson, with comments by Business Region Gothenburg's Henrik Einarsson.
This will be followed by a panel discussion led by Cecilia Malmström – researcher at the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg, former EU Commissioner with responsibility for trade issues and before that Swedish Minister for EU Affairs. She will discuss with industrialist Carl Bennet (main owner of Getinge, Lifco and Elanders) and Karen Ellemann, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers and former minister in several Danish governments with a number of different portfolios. The conversation will revolve around the questions:
- Can the Nordic Region become Europe's engine of growth?
- What does this mean for Gothenburg's business community?
The seminar will be published here on Invest in Gothenburg afterwards.
Why the meeting is taking place in Gothenburg
The city was chosen as the host city for the Nordic Compass Summit because the region combines many of the capabilities needed to strengthen Nordic competitiveness and resilience: industrial excellence, innovation power and a strong culture of collaboration.
"Gothenburg is Sweden's industrial centre, home to several of the Nordic's largest global companies and the main port in the Nordic region. With two decades of strong growth behind us, our region is a concrete example of how European competitiveness can be built through innovation in open collaborations. We look forward to hosting a results-oriented conversation on deeper Nordic collaboration," says Patrik Andersson, CEO of Business Region Gothenburg.
Among the alliance partners are companies with large operations in Gothenburg such as Saab, Ericsson, Carl Bennet AB, SKF and Volvo Group. Participating in the Nordic Compass Summit 2026 are also politicians such as Sweden's Minister of Defense Pål Jonsson (M) and Sweden's EU Commissioner Jessika Roswall.
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