Swedish and Irish Business Leaders focus on Strengthening Resilience across Ireland
Stena Line brought together key Swedish and Irish stakeholders, government departments and industry leaders in Dublin for a high‑level roundtable highlighting the need to strengthen resilience across transport, energy, digital and physical infrastructure.
The ‘Enhancing Resilience through Innovation, Technology and Collaboration’ roundtable was co-hosted by the Swedish Ambassador to Ireland, H.E. Ms Lina van der Weyden, the Swedish Trade and Invest Commissioner to Ireland, Gustaf Bergström, at Business Sweden and facilitated by Liam Lacey, Director of the Irish Maritime Development Office.
The event provided an opportunity for business leaders to examine crisis preparedness, supply chain security and the role of critical infrastructure in supporting Ireland’s economy and connectivity.
The discussion takes place as Ireland prepares one of the most influential roles in Europe as Presidency of the Council of the European Union on the 1 July. For six months, Ireland will be at the centre of EU decision‑making, steering complex negotiations that shape laws and policy for people across Europe.
Niclas Mårtensson, Stena Line Chief Executive, said:
“It is timely that we are having these discussions as we all are experiencing and managing the impact of significant global issues. Ireland’s geographic position means maritime connectivity and resilient transport networks are absolutely essential with a heavy reliance on road and maritime transport. Recent issues have underlined the need for preparedness, flexibility and close collaboration between private business and government. By sharing lessons learned and working together across borders, we can help build systems that are more robust and better prepared for future challenges.”
The roundtable builds on a previous Swedish‑Irish engagement held at the Embassy of Sweden in 2025 and aims to support practical collaboration between public and private stakeholders.
Gustaf Bergström, Swedish Trade & Invest Commissioner to Ireland at Business Sweden, said:
“Ireland and Sweden share common challenges and opportunities when it comes to resilience. This roundtable provided a valuable platform to align policy ambition with industry capability, exchange best practice and identify concrete opportunities for collaboration that deliver real impact.”
Opening the event, H.E. Lina van der Weyden, Ambassador of Sweden to Ireland, said:
“This engagement reflects the strength of the Swedish‑Irish relationship and our shared commitment to innovation, sustainability and resilience. Bringing together public authorities and businesses is essential as we work to strengthen resilience and critical infrastructure at national and European level.”
The roundtable explored critical infrastructure resilience, crisis preparedness and opportunities to deepen Swedish‑Irish cooperation, with further engagement on these key issues planned later in 2026.
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For more information contact Shirley Oguz, PR and Communications Manager, Stena Line.
shirley.oguz@stenaline.com 07779 851168
Stena Line is one of Europe's leading ferry companies with approximately 40 vessels and 19 routes in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, operating 35,000 sailings each year. Stena Line is an important part of the European logistics network and develops new intermodal freight solutions by combining transport by rail, road, and sea. Stena Line also plays an important role in tourism in Europe with its extensive passenger operations. The company is family-owned, was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Gothenburg. Stena Line has 8,750 employees and an annual turnover of 20.2 billion SEK.
