| CCSF is recruiting: Both a Communication & Marketing Manager and two Trainees! | | To read the job description for the Communication and Marketing Manager position click here!
To read more about the two one-year traineeships starting on the 2nd of September 2024: - Click here: For more information and how to apply through Stiftelsen Svensk Franska Språkfonden.
- Click here: For more information and how to apply through Stipendiefonden för Svensk Utlandsungdom.
| | | 3 Avril 18h00-20h30: Quels enjeux pour l’UE en 2024 et au-delà? | | | Avec Pierre-Alexandre Miquel, Directeur-adjoint de l’Union européenne, Ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères Pour plus d'information, et pour vous inscrire, veuillez cliquer ici. RSVP au plus tard le 1er avril. | | | | 10 Avril 08h30-10h30: Comité RH | | | Anneli Pinchard, Saab, will take the lead on the topic: “Evolution of Leadership Expectations and Leadership Development within SAAB”. Online meeting on Teams. For premium members only. | | | | 15th of May 10h30-13h00: Case study: Energy efficiency to reach net zero - Visit of Alfa Laval Vicarb | | | Visit of Alfa Laval Vicarb in Fontanil - Grenoble, with CCSF AuRa.
The visit will include a presentation of Alfa Laval's innovation to help decarbonise the industry, and showcase of two heat exchangers with optimised energy efficiency that drastically reduce CO2 emission. | | | | 30th of May 18h15-21h30: Cyber Security Unveiled with David Jacoby | | Evening seminar organised by CCSF and Axis Communications on the topic “Cybersecurity unveiled” with guest-speaker: David Jacoby, Ethical Hacker and Cyber security expert, in partnership with Axis Communications.
This event will try to answer the question, “how did we end up in this vulnerable world, and why?” What will the future unfold for us and what can we do to proactively prevent cyber threats.
Location: Cyber Campus, La Défense. For more information and to register, click here. | | | | 18th of June 17h00-19h30: Presentation Business Climate Survey France 2024 Report | | | Team Sweden in France invites you to a presentation event with discussions and insights about the economic outlook, key facts about the market and Swedish company performances in France related to this year's Business Climate Survey. Leading Swedish company representatives will share their views on the business climate in France.
Location: the Embassy of Sweden
Registration link will be available soon. | | | | 7-8th of November: Le Leadership suédois et le Management franco-suedois | | Professional training in intercultural management to help optimisise your Franco-Swedish business commuication.
Led by Laurence Romani, Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics, in the department of Management and Organisation, she has over 20 years of experience researching and teaching in the field of cross-cultural differences.
The course will be held in french.
For more information and to register click here. | | | | Highlights from Previous Events | | | 13th of March: Ambassador's Reception in honour of CCSF members | | | On the 13th of March, CCSF had the pleasure of being received at the Swedish Ambassador Håkan Åkesson's Residence, for a reception in the honour of CCSF's members. The reception is a longstanding annual tradition celebrating and deepening the strength of French-Swedish bilateral relations.
We thank the Embassy of Sweden in France for a fantastic evening, and a great Team Sweden collaboration. | | | 22nd of March: Delegation visit from KTH Innovation | | As a follow-up from the partnership collaboration in December between KTH and CCSF around French-Swedish Business Day, CCSF had the pleasure to receive a delegation from KTH Innovation, visiting Paris on the occasion of Hello Tomorrow .
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the French and Swedish innovation ecosystems, possible synergies in deeptech, the French Tech & Innovation market, and further collaboration possibilities for French-Swedish startup and innovation stake-holders. | | | 27th of March: Evening conference 'Décarbonation des flottes - 2024, année de l’accélération?' | | On the 27th of March, CCSF and AFRY co-hosted an evening conference on fleet decarbonisation. The evening included a presentation by Yasmine Assef, Senior Principal, Future Cities and Mobility at AFRY, providing the technological, logistical, and legal context. This was followed by interventions from guest speakers Sébastien Meunier, Fleet Sales Manager at Volvo Cars, Gilles Baustert Director of Marketing, Communication & Public Affairs at Scania France, and Nicolas Schottey, CEO at Mobilize Power Solutions, Renault Group, who enlightened us on initiatives taken towards decarbonising, projections for the future, and challenges being faced. We thank you all for an enlightening and informative evening, filled with fruitful discussions! | | | News From the CCSF Community | | | AstraZeneca to acquire Amolyt Pharma | |  | | Photo Copyright: JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP. | | | AstraZeneca announces it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Amolyt Pharma, a french clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on novel treatments for rare endocrine diseases. The acquisition is part of Astra Zeneca's plan to bolster the Alexion, their Rare Disease late-stage pipeline, as well as expand on its bone metabolism franchise.
Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will acquire all of Amolyt Pharma’s outstanding shares for a total of up to 1.05 B$ , including 800 M$ upfront at deal closing, and an additional 250 M$ to Amolyt Pharma shareholders payable upon achieving specified regulatory milestones. | | | Iliad Group invests 1.2B € to acquire 19,8% stake in Swedish Tele2 | |  | | Photo: www.telecomtv.com. | | French investor Xavier Niel and his telecom group Iliad have invested 1,2B € to acquire 19,8% of Sweden's second largest telecom operator Tele2. Iliad and Niel are buying the stake from Kinnevik, the largest shareholder in Tele2, through Freya Investissement. Tele2 currently counts over 8 Million subscriptions, with revenues of 2,6 B€, out of which 3/4 are issued from their Swedish activity, and the rest from across Eastern Europe.
“The Iliad Group and the Tele2 Group have a lot in common. We both believe in the power of innovation and the importance of an entrepreneurial mindset. Our business sector in Europe is highly demanding. So, we have a great deal of respect for what Tele2’s shareholders, management and teams have achieved, and we’re delighted that Kinnevik has chosen Freya as Tele2’s new reference shareholder,” said Thomas Reynaud, director of Freya and CEO of the Iliad Group. The acquisition is subject to approval by relevant authorities, but is due to be finalised in Q3 of 2024. The transaction will take place in three steps with a first close of 2.9 billion crowns while the rest is conditional on regulatory approvals, Kinnevik said. Once completed, Iliad would become the biggest shareholder of Tele2, far ahead of the Blackrock who currently hold 5,9% of the capital. Source: Brèves Économiques // www.telecomtv.com. | | | French Michelin forms partnership with Antin and Enviro to build tire reclycling factory in Sweden | | | French manufacturing company Michelin joins forces with private equity firms Antin and swedish company Enviro, to build the world's first ever end of life tire-recycling plant in Uddevalla, Sweden. Once completed, the factory will have a recycling capacity of 25k tons of tire per year, and should create around 40 jobs. | | | French Beneteau invest in Swedish electric hydrofoil boat builder Candela | |  | | Photo: All Rights Reserved, CANDELA. | | French boat giant Beneteau joins Candela's most recent call for investors. The Swedish company Candela are pioneers in the commercial development of flying hydrofoil motorboats. Gustav Hasselskog, founder and CEO of Candela, explains: "I'm particularly pleased to announce that the Bénéteau Group, the world's largest producer of pleasure boats, is one of our investors in this round of financing. Their investment is proof that electric foil boats really are the way forward for the boating industry." (www.boatindustry.com)
Source: di.se // www.boatindustry.com | | | Cevian Capital acquire 23% of Rexel's capital becoming largest shareholder | |  | | Photo: Rexel All Rights Reserved. | | | Swedish investment firm Cevian Capital has announced a 23% investment into French Rexel group, the world's second largest distributor of electrical, heating, lighting and plumbing equipment. The valuation of this participation is estimated to amount to 1,3 B €.
Source: Brèves Économiques. | | | Swedish Companies and Partners are Recruiting | | | CCSF is recruiting: Both a Communication & Marketing Manager and two Trainees! | | To read the job description for the Communication and Marketing Manager position click here!
To read more about the two one-year traineeships starting on the 2nd of September 2024: - Click here: For more information and how to apply through Stiftelsen Svensk Franska Språkfonden.
- Click here: For more information and how to apply through Stipendiefonden för Svensk Utlandsungdom.
| | | Sweden officially joins NATO | |  | | Photo: Tom Samuelsson/Government Offices. | | | On Thursday the 7th of March Sweden officially became a full member of NATO, as the 32nd member country of the alliance. The moment was marked in Washington DC, whereby Sweden’s instrument of accession was deposited by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, with the United States Government, as depositary of the North Atlantic Treaty.
On the 11th of March, Sweden’s flag was raised at NATO headquarters in Brussels. In attendance was Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, HRH Crown Princess Victoria, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Micael Bydén, alongside political party leaders, and a number of Swedish Ministers.
NATO is an intergovernmental organisation with a both political and military dimension. | | | Ursula von der Leyen runs again for European Commission Presidency after EPP endorsement | | On 7 March, the European People’s Party (EPP) convened its two-day congress in Bucharest, Romania, marking the official launch of its EU elections campaign. During this gathering, EPP delegates ratified the party manifesto and threw their support behind Ursula von der Leyen as their candidate for the role of European Commission President. Von der Leyen, expected to secure a second term in the Commission based on recent polls, collected widespread backing as she faced no opposition in the internal vote (with 400 in favor, 89 against, and 10 abstentions). Despite certain complex internal dynamics at the national level, such as the French ‘Les Republicains’ accusing von der Leyen of representing a technocratic shift and thus withholding their support, the EPP remains confident in its direction for the upcoming cycle. This direction is defined by the necessity for the EU to enhance its industrial and defense capabilities in response to Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, along with the growing security threats and instability in crucial geographical areas and economies.
Von der Leyen also recently expressed her readiness to work with the European Conservative and Reformists (ECR – right-wing conservatives), provoking backlash from centrist-liberals (Renew Europe) often working with EPP to get majorities in the Parliament. This willingness is explained by the fact that according to recent polls, even though the EPP and the Socialists and Democrats are expected to remain the two largest parties, ECR and ID (Identity and Democracy – far-right) are anticipated to gain a significant amount of seats, resulting in a more right-winged Parliament after the elections.
Next steps
The elections will take place on 6-9 June while the new President of the European Commission is expected to be nominated on 27 or 28 June. | | | Council Endorses Agreement on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence | | | On 15 March, the Council has approved the interinstitutional agreement on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, reached in December. The agreement paves the way for full adoption later this year, and follows weeks of uncertainty and debate, as the Belgian Presidency was unable to secure the backing of a qualified majority (at least 55% of countries – 15 – that represent 65% of the EU population). Difficulties to find an agreement notably concerned provisions relating to the type of companies falling withing the scope of the Directive. To recall, this Directive seeks to enhance the safeguarding of human rights and the environment by mandating companies to perform due diligence assessment through their global value chains. In order to achieve this goal, businesses falling under the jurisdiction of the new Directive will need to carry out thorough due diligence assessments across their value chains.
The rules will apply progressively. Companies with over 5.000 employees and €1.5 billion net turnover will have to comply with the Directive from late 2027. The scope will then be extended to companies with over 3.000 employees and €900 million net turnover from late 2028 to finally be applied to companies with over 1.000 employees and €450 million net turnover. Both EU and non-EU companies will fall within the scope of the Directive and the turnover will correspond to net turnover in the EU for non-EU companies and worldwide net turnover for EU companies.
Next steps
The European Parliament is expected to provisionally approve the text on 24 April during the final plenary session with the corrigendum procedure (vote on English version only), while it is expected to be formally adopted in autumn 2024 (in all EU official languages), followed by the Council. | | | New European Defence Industrial Strategy | | In response to increasing pressure stemming from the war in Ukraine and uncertainty surrounding the US’ role in NATO if Donald Trump emerges victorious in this year’s elections, the Commission unveiled its new European Defence Industrial Strategy and Industry Programme. Specifically, the Strategy outlines a series of initiatives to support the competitiveness and preparedness of the EU defence sector. Central measures notably include VAT exemptions, grants and loans aimed at aligning supply and demand throughout the bloc and opening supply chains by incentivising increased cooperation between EU Member States.
The European Commission notably proposes to mobilise EUR 1.5 billion between 2025 and 2027 to increase manufacturing capacities, with the funds intended to encourage joint procurement, establish reserves and production lines ready for immediate use. They will also be used to redirect orders of the defence market, compile product catalogues and identify bottlenecks, while including Ukraine on a nearly equal footing with EU Member States. Moreover, the programme grants the Commission the opportunity to coordinate equipment purchases on behalf of Member States, with the aim of minimising investment risks for factories. This relatively small budget is expected to fill the void until the next multi-annual budget of the EU for the 2028-2035 period.
Next steps
The European Commission proposal will now have to be discussed and negotiated by the Parliament and the Council. | | | Agreement To Ban Products Made With Forced Labour | | In a move signalling the EU’s commitment to upholding human rights, the European Parliament and the Council have reached an agreement on new rules designed to ban products made with forced labour from EU markets. The main aim of the proposal is to prohibit the placing on the EU market or exports from the EU of products made with forced labour. Notably, the agreement grants authority to Member States and the Commission to scrutinise supply chains suspected of utilising forced labour. Criteria will need to be applied by the Commission and national authorities in the assessment of violations, such as (i) the scale and severity of the suspected forced labour, (ii) the quantity or volume of products place on the market, (iii) the share or the parts of the products likely to be made with forced labour in the final product and (iv) the proximity of economic operators to the suspect forced labour risks in their supply chains.
Should violations be identified, products will need to be removed from EU markets or disposed of, until corrective actions are taken. Consequently, companies that fail to comply with the rules will be subject to fines, with the final decision to be taken by the authority that led the investigation. To streamline enforcement, the initiative introduces a list of high-risk economic sectors and geographic areas, known to be particularly vulnerable to forced labour, alongside a set of digital tools. Indeed, a data base containing updated data regarding risks associated with force labour will be established by the Commission to support the work of the Commission and Member States.
Next steps
The agreement reached is now waiting to receive final approval in a Parliamentary plenary session on 22 April and receive formal endorsement by the Council. | | | Packaging And Packaging Waste Law Agreed by Council And European Parliament | | On 4 March, the Council and the Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the Packaging and the Packaging Waste Regulation. The revision aims to enhance the safety and sustainability of packaging within the EU by mandating that all packaging be recyclable, minimizing the use of harmful substances, reducing excessive packaging, promoting the use of recycled materials, and enhancing collection and recycling efforts.
The text notably strengthens the requirements for substances of concern in packaging by implementing specific thresholds for the placing on the market of food contact packaging. The text also provides for 2030 and 2040 targets for minimum recycled content in packaging, with exemptions for compostable plastic packaging and packaging where the plastic component accounts for less than 5% of the total weight from the specified targets. In addition, the new text establishes new mandatory re-use objectives for 2030 and provides indicative targets for 2040. The targets will vary depending on the type of packaging used by operators and there will be five-year derogation possibilities under certain conditions. The Regulation will also oblige Member States to set up deposit return systems to ensure the separate collection of at least 90% of single use-plastic bottles and metal beverage containers by 2029. Lastly, rules for restrictions on certain packaging formats will be introduced.
Next steps
The agreement will now have to be approved by the European Parliament in a Plenary session in April and be officially endorsed at Ministers level in the Council. | | | | |
