Migration and asylum

New York 20 September 2016. Check against delivery.

UN High-Level meeting on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants, 19 September 2016, New York. Round table – addressing the root causes of large movements of migrants Check against delivery.

Prime Minister Stefan Löfven had a meeting today with Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Jan Eliasson. Among the topics discussed was the upcoming summits on migration in mid-September in New York, which will be attended by Mr Löfven.

Humanitarian needs in the world are huge. In the autumn amending budget for 2016, which is based on an agreement with the Left Party, the Government proposes that SEK 6.4 billion be fed back to development assistance. SEK 2.5 billion of this will go to new initiatives focusing on displaced children, and SEK 3.9 billion will restore initiatives previously subject to cuts.

On Tuesday 16 August Prime Minister Stefan Löfven had talks with Serbia’s Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić to discuss issues including Serbia’s cooperation with the EU and common security issues.

Prime Minister Stefan Löfven today visited Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, a temporary home to 80 000 Syrian refugees. During his visit Mr Löfven met those living in the camp and visited a recreation centre for children and young people. He also met with UNHCR staff and management in Zaatari.

Prime Minister Stefan Löfven is in Jordan for a two-day visit focusing on global responsibility-sharing for refugees. On 14 August Stefan Löfven met with Jordanian Prime Minister Hani Mulki for talks on issues including the consequences of the war in Syria, the countries’ bilateral relations and the Middle East peace process. They also exchanged experiences on UN Security Council work.

The temporary act on restrictions to the possibility of being granted a residence permit in Sweden entered into force on 20 July. The act sets a maintenance requirement as a condition for being granted a residence permit in two instances; firstly, in connection with family member immigration and secondly, to allow issuing a permanent residence permit if the individual has an income from employment or business activities. The act does not specify how large an income is required. Instead, this is now specified in an ordinance.

On 15–16 August, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven will travel to Belgrade for talks with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić and President Tomislav Nikolić. The talks will focus on growth and migration issues, European cooperation, development in the region and how relations between the two countries can be developed.

On Sunday 14 August, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven will travel to Jordan for discussions on the refugee situation and other current regional issues. On Monday 15 August, Mr Löfven will have talks with Jordan's Prime Minister Hani Mulki, visit refugee camps with the responsible UN organisations and take part in a seminar on job creation for young people.

On 15 June, Sweden’s Minister for Financial Markets Per Bolund met representatives of banks and government agencies to find ways forward that will make it easier for asylum seekers to gain access to bank accounts. During the meeting, Finansinspektionen (the Swedish financial supervisory authority) presented its response to the European Banking Authority’s opinion.

Visby, 28 June 2016. Check against delivery.

Today, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven received Latvia's Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis for talks. Much of their time was dedicated to current issues on the EU agenda, not least the imminent referendum in the UK, fair conditions in the labour market and proposals for joint EU solutions in the migration area.

Today, the U.S. Government announced that Sweden will co-host the Leaders’ Summit on the Global Refugee Crisis, initiated by President Barack Obama. The Summit, to be held in New York in September, aims to work for a global division of responsibility for the world’s refugee situation. Sweden was invited to participate as a co-host, together with Canada, Ethiopia, Germany, Jordan and Mexico.

The Swedish Government has decided to prolong internal border controls from June 8th up to and including November 11th 2016. Following a decision in the Council of the European Union, internal border controls are no longer prolonged on a monthly basis.

Malmö, 25 May 2016. Check against delivery.

The Government has decided to instruct the Swedish Migration Agency to increase the number of places at detention centres, to reduce the time from asylum application to return and to enhance return procedures by means of liaison officers stationed at missions abroad.

Medical age assessments are needed for individuals seeking residence permits in Sweden. The Government has therefore instructed the National Board of Forensic Medicine to promptly start conducting medical age assessments and immediately increase its capability and capacity in this area.

Today, 13 May, President Obama hosted the US-Nordic Leaders Summit in Washington DC. Talks were held at the White House with the Prime Ministers of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland, and Finland’s President. The talks resulted in a joint declaration that addresses a number of issues that are important for Sweden, ranging from security policy to climate change.

Dhaka, Bangladesh 11 May 2016 Check against delivery