Prime Minister's press statement at the European Round Table for Industry (Sweden)

📌 Summary:

• PM Narendra Modi delivered a press statement at the European Round Table for Industry in Gothenburg (Sweden's industrial heartland), hosted with Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson and Ursula von der Leyen
• PM received the Royal Order of the Polar Star, Degree Commander Grand Cross — Sweden's highest civilian honour
• India-Sweden ties anchored in democratic values, rule of law and human-centric development; both nations consider innovation a development driver
• Sweden-India Technology and AI Corridor to be strengthened with concrete initiatives; large Swedish business delegation participated in India's 2026 AI Impact Summit
• New India-Sweden Science and Technology Centre to be set up to connect startups and research ecosystems of both countries
• LeadIT (Leadership Group for Industry Transition) — India-Sweden joint global initiative on low-carbon industrial transformation — entered its third phase
• Convergence on climate action: green hydrogen, circular economy, sustainable infrastructure flagged for cooperation; combining Swedish technology with Indian scale for global climate solutions
• India-Sweden Arctic Region cooperation noted as a key contribution to global climate understanding

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 — India and bilateral / regional groupings (India–Sweden, India–EU); GS3 linkages — S&T cooperation, climate change diplomacy, green industrial transition

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Royal Order of the Polar Star — Sweden's highest civilian honour conferred in May 2026
• LeadIT (Leadership Group for Industry Transition) — co-led by India and Sweden, launched 2019 at UN Climate Action Summit, now entering Phase 3
• Gothenburg — Sweden's and Europe's industrial heartland; venue of European Round Table for Industry
• AI Impact Summit 2026 — hosted by India with Swedish business delegation participation

🔑 Key Term: LeadIT — Leadership Group for Industry Transition; an India-Sweden co-led global platform working with hard-to-abate sectors (steel, cement, etc.) to chart pathways to net-zero industrial production.