Mission: The Future

In light of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s televised speech on the morning of 21 September, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson later the same day issued the following statement:

Simplistic and occasionally inaccurate information about migration, integration and crime in Sweden is sometimes disseminated. Here, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs looks at some common claims. The government agencies in Sweden that are responsible for collecting data and statistics on matters such as migration, integration and crime are the Swedish Migration Agency, the Swedish Public Employment Service, the Swedish Police Authority and the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå). The information below is therefore largely a presentation of data collected by these agencies and international organisations.

The Prime Minister has today requested her dismissal. The Prime Minister and the other ministers have therefore been dismissed by the Speaker of the Riksdag. They will remain in office until a new government is in place. The Government is thus a caretaker government.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde and Minister for International Development Cooperation Matilda Ernkrans will visit New York to participate in the high-level week, known as UNGA Week, in connection with the opening of the UN General Assembly on 19–23 September.

The Swedish Government has today decided to donate more than 500 000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to Ukraine.

The Government has adopted a national action plan to implement the European Council Recommendation establishing a European Child Guarantee. The European Child Guarantee aims to prevent and combat social exclusion by guaranteeing the access of children in need to a set of key services.

Translation of SOU 2022:7.

Sweden has chosen to intervene (participate) in two court cases concerning Russia’s responsibility for violations of international law. A case between Ukraine and Russia on allegations of genocide is pending before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. At the same time, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is hearing an inter-state case against Russia concerning serious violations of human rights during the war in Ukraine.

The prime ministers of Sweden, Denmark and Finland have jointly written a letter to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on the importance of urgent action to tackle soaring energy prices.

The Government has today (3 September) announced measures to safeguard financial stability in the face of Russia’s energy war with Europe.

Security around the Baltic Sea and enhanced defence cooperation were on the agenda when Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist met his Nordic and Baltic colleagues on Gotland.

The Financial Stability Council has had an extraordinary meeting, on 4 September, due to the liquidity problems in the market for electricity derivatives. These problems have prompted the government to propose state credit guarantees to mainly electricity producers trading in this market.

On 30 August, Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist took part in an informal meeting of EU defence ministers in Prague, Czechia. The meeting focused on continued support to Ukraine.

The Government has approved another SEK 500 million to support Ukraine in accordance with what the Prime Minister told Ukraine’s minister for foreign affairs when he visited Stockholm on 29 August. The funds will be used for the reconstruction of Ukraine, humanitarian procurements and transport of Ukrainian wheat.

The Government will donate artillery ammunition worth approximately SEK 500 million to help defend Ukraine.

Life sciences company Nordic Biomarker received the Government’s prize Exporter of the Year, and Region Norrbotten received Exporting Region of the Year. The prizes will be awarded on 31 August by Minister for Foreign Trade and Nordic Affairs Anna Hallberg in the presence of H.R.H. Prince Daniel.

On Friday 2 September, defence ministers of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Norway and Sweden will meet at the Gotland Regiment (P 18) to discuss defence cooperation.