Business-news outlet adds English-language site
IN RECOGNITION OF the growing international interest in the economic development of northern Sweden, the Luleå-based news outlet Affärrer i Norr has today begun publishing news in English, providing those with an interest in the Arctic the opportunity stay abreast of economic development in Sweden’s northern region.
>North Sweden Business will publish news about entrepreneurship, business and development in Norrbotten and Västerbotten, Sweden’s two northernmost counties, that are of interest to a foreign audience, according to publisher Lennart Håkonsson.
“My vision is that North Sweden Business should be a link between an international audience that is interested in the economy and the businesses of northern Sweden and anyone in northern Sweden who wants to reach outside the region with information about what is happening here,” he stated in an editorial published by Affärrer i Norr.
Once best known for steel production and iron mining, Norrbotten and Västerbotten have attracted international attention in recent years as their economies, aided by abundant hydroelectric power, have been transformed into high-tech hotspots
The transition began in earnest in 2013, when Facebook, an on-line bulletin board, opened its first server parks outside the US in Luleå, taking advantage of the availability of the region’s hydroelectric power, as well as its cool weather and its educated work force. Since then, other big conglomerates that offer on-line services, including Google and Amazon, have followed.
At the same time, Norrbotten has become known as a leader in the development of coal-free steel production, while the Västerbotten city of Skellefteå is the site of a huge factory that earlier this year became Europe’s first producer of batteries for electric vehicles.
The growing economy has seen a general shortage of workers and an economy that is bucking the national trend.
This article has been fact-checked by Arctic Business Journal and Polar Research and Policy Initiative, with the support of the EMIF managed by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
Disclaimer: The sole responsibility for any content supported by the European Media and Information Fund lies with the author(s) and it may not necessarily reflect the positions of the EMIF and the Fund Partners, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the European University Institute.
