Stockholm

Relations between Estonia and Sweden are constructive, pragmatic and strong. Over the years, bilateral cooperation has been characterised by close collaboration in pursuit of common goals.

Sweden was among the first countries to re-recognise Estonia on 27 August 1991, and was the first foreign nation to appoint an ambassador to the newly re-independent Estonia. Swedish Ambassador Lars Arne Grundberg began his posting in Tallinn on 29 August 1991. Estonia’s current Ambassador to Sweden is Margus Laidre who peresented his credentials on 4 December 2025. The current Swedish Ambassador to Estonia, Charlotte Wrangberg, presented her credentials on 1 October 2024.

The is an Estonia-Sweden Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Estonian Parliament, chaired by Maris Lauri. In the Swedish Riksdag, there is a Baltic Friendship Group, chaired by Stefan Olsson.

Sweden-Estonia Cooperation Fund

In December 2018, the Swedish Government established the Sweden-Estonia Cooperation Fund as a centenary gift marking 100 years since the Baltic states first gained independence. The fund, worth 10 million Swedish kronor, aims to deepen collaboration between Sweden and Estonia. Key areas of cooperation include social issues, the economy (particularly start-ups) and culture, with youth as a central target group. Sweden has established similar bilateral funds with Latvia and Lithuania.

Estonia-Sweden Cooperation Report

The visionary report on Estonia Sweden future cooperation was completed in summer 2022 and presented at the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in September 2022. The report was written by independent experts Pär Nuder from Sweden and Raul Eamets from Estonia. It identifies four priority areas with the greatest potential for future collaboration: digitalisation, climate, energy policy and sustainable forestry. Security and defence matters are not addressed in the report. It also proposes the establishment of an Estonia–Sweden Cooperation Centre, modelled on the Sweden-Finland Hanaholmen/Hanasaari centre.

Defence Cooperation

Bilateral defence cooperation between Estonia and Sweden dates back to the early years of Estonia’s regained independence, when Sweden played an important role in supporting the development of Estonia’s national defence. This assistance included military instructors, officer training programmes, and the supply of various equipment. Sweden was also instrumental in the establishment of the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL) and has contributed staff and students over the years.

Estonia’s defence cooperation with Sweden has significantly intensified in recent years, grounded in shared views on the regional security situation. Both countries place great importance not only on bilateral defence ties, but also on regional security cooperation.
Sweden is represented at the Baltic Defence College in Tartu and at the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn.

Sweden’s recent accession to NATO opens up greater opportunities for both bilateral and multilateral defence cooperation. The accession of both Sweden and Finland to NATO has considerably strengthened security in the Baltic Sea region and across the transatlantic area.

Cultural Cooperation

Cultural ties between Estonia and Sweden have traditionally been close. Cultural events are often initiated by the artists themselves, supported by both the geographical and cultural proximity of the two nations and a well-established Estonian community network in Sweden.

Swedish musicians, writers and artists are regularly featured at Estonian festivals – and the reverse is also true. Estonia also engages in regional cultural cooperation with Sweden through platforms such as the EU Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture, EUNIC, the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), and the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture.

Economic Cooperation

Sweden is Estonia’s third-largest trading partner, after Finland and Latvia. In 2023, the volume of trade between the two countries amounted to €3.3 billion (exports: €1.7 billion; imports: €1.6 billion). Over 2,000 Estonian companies export goods and services to Sweden – among the largest are Ericsson Eesti, Harmet, PKC (vehicle and trailer manufacturing), Regional Jet (air transport), Telia Eesti and Circle K Treasury Operations Europe. As of 30 June 2024, Sweden’s direct investment in Estonia stood at €3.8 billion, accounting for 10.2% of total foreign direct investment, placing Sweden third overall. The majority of investments have gone into financial and insurance services (45%), manufacturing, and real estate.

Detailed trade data with Sweden is available via the Statistics Estonia portal.

There is an Swedish-Estonian Chamber of Commerce in Sweden, and a Scandinavian Chamber of Commerce operating in Estonia.

Agreements

Bilateral agreements between Estonia and Sweden can be accessed via the Riigi Teataja.