Dear Members of BSCC

2010 was a great year! Think Britain in Gothenburg in June was the highpoint for many of our activities. The focus was on Britain not only within BSCC but also in the business community, the political world and last but not least in many financial discussions. Elections and coalition governments were the key issues in both our countries. Britain will be foremost in our thoughts in 2011 as well.

Sweden has been doing quite well in 2010 and we have even managed to reach top positions in some areas. Sweden´s green investments are now showing its advantages and Sweden´s economy based on cautious budget management has also proven instrumental. Our school system has attracted interest from the UK. Our way of running coalition governments has also been a main point of discussion. With the current “Alliance” government, we today know that we will continue on basically the same track as during the last four years.

The world will be under stress from many angles but business must continue as usual.  The severe financial crisis in Europe and in the US is a natural extension of the major global crisis from 2008. Many new topics will arise and be discussed. One matter of interest today is the size of the banking sector compared to GDP. Iceland had 7 times, Ireland was at 5 times when problems escalated. It is interesting to note that Sweden today is at 3 plus times.

BSCC has during 2010 organized and participated in 20 quality events with increasing numbers of participants. Our close cooperation with the Embassy and UK Trade and Investment department are  beneficial for all parties. We are satisfied with this path and we will continue down the same route in 2011.

During the year 2010 we have met with, and widened our network with interesting people through  the chamber. The list is quite long. We have had many meetings with HE Ambassador Andrew Mitchell where discussions have been intense on many different topics. Our board and other members all appreciate the initiated and intense discussions led by him.

We do want to thank Ambassador Mitchell and his team for all the important and excellent support we have received during 2010. The Board of BSCC has also done an excellent job and contributed well to our positive development in 2010 and we do hope for even more support in 2011.

We believe our members have significantly appreciated the work of the chamber and our way to emphasize the relationship between the UK and Sweden, and that many new business transactions have been concluded thanks to the work of the chamber.

For 2011 we would challenge you all to bring a new member to the BSCC network. This will broaden all our contacts and further bring energy into our connections with the business community. You, our membership base is the base for our continuous development.

We are looking forward to a prosperous 2011.

Björn Savén

Chairman of BSCC

December 2010