Catalonia and Sweden debate good environmental practices

Catalan delegation participates for second time in Almedalen political festival held annually on Swedish island of Gotland

Conference organised by Fores and Diplocat in Sweden
Conference organised by Fores and Diplocat in Sweden / Krystyna Schreiber

Krystyna Schreiber | Barcelona

July 7, 2017 06:42 PM

A delegation from Catalonia took part in the Nordic festival of Almedalen on Friday in a debate titled Catalonia and Sweden before Agenda 2030 – sharing good practices from North and South". Mattias Goldmann, executive director of Sweden’s renowned Fores think tank, stressed that Sweden was a small country that only accounts for 0.15% of global emissions, and showed a strong interest in fostering relations with Catalonia. “We should strengthen our collaboration. Catalonia and Sweden share foundations and ambitions with regards to Agenda 2030, so let's explore future collaboration," he said during his speech.

The debate in Gotland was conceived as an exchange of ideas between the north and the south of Europe, reinforcing common goals, such as sustainable social, economic and environmental growth. Other Swedish participants included Evin Cetin, lawyer and member of the Social Democratic Party, and Jakob Lagercrantz, founder and coordinator of the 2030 Sekretariatet platform, which is made up of companies, institutions and associations from Swedish civil society that are committed to the environment and the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations.