Equality between women and men is a fundamental norm and an explicit political goal in Sweden. Issues of gender equality became a significant part of public policy in the early seventies of the XX century, which was primarily reflected through the measures to encourage the employment of women (changes in the way income tax is calculated, introduction of parental leave and accessibility of preschool services). The ultimate goal of Sweden’s gender equality policy is that women and men have the same opportunities, rights and responsibilities in all areas of life.
During the visit, the delegation had an opportunity to exchange experiences related to the planning, implementation and evaluation of public policies and regulations with a number of state institutions of the Kingdom of Sweden applying the principle of gender equality in their work, such as the Ministry of Employment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the City of Stockholm, the Innovation Agency, Public Management Agency, Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth and Association of Local Authorities and Regions.
Significant contacts were made during the visit and they should serve as the basis for future cooperation between the state institutions of the Republic of Serbia and the Kingdom of Sweden, especially with those dealing with the analysis and assessment of public policies, improvement of regulations, support in the implementation of impact analysis and quality control of impact analysis, as well as simplification of administrative procedures.
It is also worth noting, that on the first day of the visit, the representatives of the Republic of Serbia were warmly welcomed by the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Kingdom of Sweden, who presented the existing bilateral cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the Kingdom of Sweden to them and emphasized the importance of this visit for the improvement of bilateral cooperation with the competent departments.