LOGISTICS TRADE
Sweden’s infrastructure is very advanced, considering the country’s size and climate. They have an extensive road system, making it easy to reach most places of the country. Large sums of money are spent on plowing and de-icing roads across the country thanks to Sweden’s chilly winters. All vehicles are required to use winter tires from December to March.
Sweden is also known for their advanced, environmentally friendly electric rail network. The rail system only uses electricity from renewable sources, like hydro-electric power.
Sweden has a number of smaller airports and several large airports, with two in Stockholm alone. As such, most international flights will go through Stockholm at some point.
Finally, Sweden operates dozens of ports all along the coast, as the country is largely cut off from the rest of the world by land. It has the longest coastline in all of Europe, with around 95% of its foreign trade transported via boat.
Trade Agreements and More
Sweden is a member of both the EU and WTO. For the most part, Sweden has flown under the radar in terms of WTO disputes. Only one case has been brought against them, a case brought by the United States involving intellectual property rights. The case, opened in May, 1997, was a complaint by the United States for Sweden’s failure to address civil proceedings involving intellectual property rights. The case was relatively minor, and both parties came to a mutual agreement in 1998.
Customs
Sweden has over 2000 employees working for its customs organization across the country. Swedish Customs’ main objective is “simplifying what is legal and preventing what is illegal.” There are around 22 different forms that an exporter to Sweden needs to be aware of, but not all of them apply to every transaction.
To import goods to Sweden, one must start by submitting an Import Declaration and paying all customs duties, the VAT, and any other taxes that may be specifically targeted at the commodity. The goods must then be taken to a specified location near the border, where they may be held for a maximum of 20 days, or 45 days if they arrived by boat. Next, the importer needs to apply for an approved customs procedure. Then, the importer needs to present a customs declaration for import at the customs clearance office. At this point, any other extra documentation regarding the goods needs to be submitted, and the process is complete.
For example, let’s suppose we want to import a crate of t-shirts to Sweden. Well, first, we would start by submitting an Import Declaration. We would need to pay the EU customs duty as well as the VAT, or Value Added Tax. Next, depending on which port we chose, the crate would be taken to a warehouse near our chosen port. Since our crate arrived via boat, we would have 45 days to apply for an approved customs procedure. In this case, we would chose the customs clearance procedure, which would allow free access for our t-shirts. Next, we would need to present a customs declaration for import at the customs office that has jurisdiction of the warehouse our crate is in. If there were any other documents related to our t-shirts we needed, we would submit them at the customs office. Then, if everything checks out, we’re done!
So, while the Swedish customs procedure isn’t overly simple, it is definitely not as complicated as some other countries. There are some much more tedious steps if you’re attempting to import certain goods, like live animals, firearms, food, medical products, and alcoholic beverages.
Sweden is a fairly technologically advanced country. Broadband internet is available almost everywhere in the country, with about 90% of the population connected in 2014. In the 2014-2015 World Competitiveness Report, Sweden scored 10th in the Global Competitiveness Index, a good indication of the country’s healthy economic status. It was actually only 24th in the Best infrastructure category, scoring behind most other western European nations. Sweden went on to score 13th in the world in the Technological adaptation category, behind the U.S. and U.K. but ahead of Germany and France.
Technology and Communication
Infrastructure and Transportation
