TLG - Media, page-15697

From Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Sweden:

"The future is up north! Last week, ambassador Bengt van Loosdrecht and policy officer Jara Verkleij traveled to the region of Norrbotten to explore the great opportunities that lie here for Sweden, the Netherlands and the EU.

Within the discussion on open strategic autonomy, the search for critical raw materials, as well as its responsible use and understanding of the supply chain, becomes more important every day.

In Luleå, Emma Själin and Stefan Sandberg from Talga Group told us all about the use of graphite in battery anodes, the market for electric vehicles and competitiveness within the mining sector.

At Luleå University of Technology, we got a crash course from Pär Weihed, Glenn Bark, Daniel Johansson, Saeed Chehreh Chelgani, Charlotte Andersson and Iris van der Werf on natural resources from mine to application. In addition, we discussed challenges and opportunities within academia, as well as potential for enhancing collaborations with Dutch Higher Education Institutes.

We also met with the Dutch community at LTU Levien Melse, Julian Somberg and Jaap van de Beek.

In Kiruna, we experienced the workings of the largest iron ore mine in Europe at LKAB, where we got a glimpse of the massive turnover and economic forces at hand. Communications Director Niklas Johansson prepared us well for this the week before.

Many thanks to all for hosting us and we look forward to strengthening the ties between Sweden and the Netherlands!"