Organised by Business Sweden (the Swedish Trade and Invest Council) in partnership with the Embassy of Sweden in Dublin, the Resilience Forum takes place during the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It follows from recent triple-helix Swedish-Irish roundtable discussions on resilience in 2025-26, having identified a need for a platform to promote enhanced collaboration, preparedness and innovation.
With security among the three key Irish Presidency priorities, the Resilience Forum seeks to provide a platform for exchange on building resilience and addressing security challenges in the context of growing geopolitical instability. This will include dialogue opportunities dedicated to enhancing Swedish-Irish, as well as EU- and international level collaboration, in light of threats to critical infrastructure, maritime security as well as hybrid challenges.
In the context of “the European year of competitiveness” in 2026 and the Irish EU policy priority of competitiveness, and the importance of securing open trade will also feature as part of the Resilience Forum – including ensuring global trade flows, supply chains and shipping routes.
Agenda
| Time | Session / Topic | Speakers / Moderator |
|---|---|---|
| 09:30–10:00 | Registration, Coffee & Networking | — |
| 10:00–10:10 | Welcome Remarks | Gustaf Bergström, Swedish Trade & Invest Commissioner to Ireland, Business Sweden |
| 10:10–10:20 | High-level address or Presentation 1 | Speaker TBC |
| 10:20–11:00 | Session 1: "Ensuring global trade flows amidst geopolitical threats and rising uncertainty" | • Ronnie Downes, Assistant Secretary, EU & Trade Regulation Division, Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (An Roinn Fiontar, Turasóireachta agus Fostaíochta) • Pernilla Trägårdh, Director, Department for Trade and Security, Swedish National Board of Trade (Kommerskollegium) • Claes Berglund, Director Public Affairs & Sustainability, Stena AB • Moderator: Caitríona Heinl, Executive Director, The Azure Forum for Contemporary Security Strategy, and Adjunct Research Fellow at the School of Politics and International Relations (SPIRe), University College Dublin • Additional speakers TBC |
| 11:00–11:30 | Coffee/tea break | — |
| 11:30–11:40 | High-level address or Presentation 2 | Speaker TBC |
| 11:40–12:20 | Session 2: "Strengthening resilience through critical infrastructure protection and emergency planning" | • Jacqui McCrum, Secretary General, Department of Defence (An Roinn Cosanta) • Elisabeth Lönne, Chief Commercial Officer, Stena Line • John Griffin, CEO, Ericsson Ireland • Camilla Åberg Linder, Shipping Policy Expert, Swedish Shipowners’ Association (Svensk sjöfart) • Moderator: TBC • Additional speakers TBC |
| 12:20–12:35 | High-level address or Presentation 3 | Speaker TBC |
| 12:35–12:45 | Closing Remarks | Swedish Ambassador to Ireland (TBC) |
| 12:45–14:00 | Standing lunch - Optional | — |
| 14:00–14:30 | Coffee/tea & Networking - Optional | — |
Speakers
- Swedish Ambassador to Ireland (TBC)
- Gustaf Bergström, Swedish Trade & Invest Commissioner to Ireland, Business Sweden
- Ronnie Downes, Assistant Secretary, EU & Trade Regulation Division, Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (An Roinn Fiontar, Turasóireachta agus Fostaíochta)
- Pernilla Trägårdh, Director, Department for Trade and Security, Swedish National Board of Trade (Kommerskollegium)
- Claes Berglund, Director Public Affairs & Sustainability, Stena AB
- Moderator: Caitríona Heinl, Executive Director, The Azure Forum for Contemporary Security Strategy, and Adjunct Research Fellow at the School of Politics and International Relations (SPIRe), University College Dublin
- Jacqui McCrum, Secretary General, Department of Defence (An Roinn Cosanta)
- Elisabeth Lönne, Chief Commercial Officer, Stena Line
- John Griffin, CEO, Ericsson Ireland
- Camilla Åberg Linder, Shipping Policy Expert, Swedish Shipowners’ Association (Svensk sjöfart)
Details
Language: English
Cost: No participation fee.
Where: 9 St. Stephen’s Green 2 Dublin, Ireland
Time: 09:30 - 14:00 IST