According to an article on the government's website, the aim of the exercise was to provide insight into the challenges faced by the business sector in a wartime situation, as well as to generate insights that the Business Council's participants can work on to enhance capability and strengthen resilience within their own organisations.
The focus was on challenges related to workforce shortages, the need for rapid innovative civilian and military solutions, and the role of companies when supply chains are challenged.
– It is important that we can draw the right conclusions from the war taking place in Ukraine, in order to strengthen our ability to act at home if Sweden were to be affected, says Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M), Minister for Civil Defence.
The Business Council aims to improve private-public cooperation on common issues that strengthen total defence and crisis preparedness in Sweden. The next meeting of the Business Council will take place on 15 October, with the theme of supply preparedness in the food sector.
The Business Council was established by the government at the beginning of 2023 as a forum for information exchange on issues related to total defence and crisis preparedness, which are of common importance to the business sector, the state, and employee and employer organisations.
The council is led by the Minister for Civil Defence and the government is also represented by the Minister for Defence, the Minister for Energy and Enterprise, and the Minister for Rural Affairs.
Other members of the council come from:
Almega
Byggföretagen
Energiföretagen
Lantbrukarnas Riksförbund
Lif – the research-based pharmaceutical companies
LO – The Swedish Trade Union Confederation
SACO – The Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations
SOFF – The Security and Defence Industry Association of Sweden
The Swedish Bankers' Association
Swedish Trade Federation
The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise
The Swedish Transport Group
TCO – The Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees
Teknikföretagen
Additional organisations may be invited to the council's meetings depending on the areas discussed.