On May 27th, the Swedish-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce, the Swedish Embassy in Lisbon, Business Sweden, and Ericsson Portugal hosted a business seminar exploring the role of connectivity and defence in strengthening Europe’s resilience. The conversations reinforced a clear message: Europe’s strength lies in its ability to act collectively, invest boldly, and build resilience across borders.
Portugal and Sweden – two countries located in the opposite periphery of Europe, have an unique opportunity of setting a good example of how cooperation can encourage innovation, connecting vital infrastructure with a robust defence.
What became equally clear during the business seminar, is that collaboration alone is not enough. Europe must back its ambitions with funding. Increased European investment in shared infrastructure, defence, and industrial cooperation is not optional — it is essential. Fragmentation is one of Europe’s greatest vulnerabilities, and only coordinated, well-resourced action between industries, governments, and institutions can overcome it.
Key highlights from the business seminar included contributions from:
- H.E. Elisabeth Eklund, Ambassador of Sweden to Portugal and H.E. Erik Widman, Ambassador and Defence Export Coordinator
- Jennifer Ekström, President & Chairwoman, Swedish-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce (CLS)
- Marco Pinto, R&D National Defence Representative, and José Neves, President AED Cluster Portugal & Director of Homeland Security and Defense at GMV
- Juan Olivera Urquijo, Country Manager at Ericsson Portugal
The seminar concluded with roundtable discussions moderated by CLS Board Member Anna Bergström Segerberg featuring contributions from representatives at Ericsson Portugal, SAAB, OGMA, and Requtech.
In modern defense operations, connectivity is no longer a support function. It is part of the operational backbone. Decision superiority, autonomous systems, ISR, joint operations and resilience all depend on secure and adaptive digital infrastructure. As global leader in Next-Generation Mission Critical connectivity, Ericsson is delivering 5G capabilities engineered for defence today and the needs of tomorrow.
Throughout the seminar, discussions highlighted how Portugal and Sweden can serve as a model for strategic collaboration. The conversations reinforced a clear message: Europe’s resilience depends on its ability to act collectively, invest strategically, and strengthen cooperation across borders.
Sweden and Portugal have a real opportunity to lead by example by combining innovation, industrial expertise, and long-term vision to help shape a more unified and resilient Europe.
In a rapidly changing world, resilience is no longer built alone - it is built together.
CLS sends our sincerest thank you to all participants, partners and speakers for your attendance and valuable contribution to this seminar.
