Migration and asylum

Today, Monday 21 November, Minister for Education Gustav Fridolin will deliver the opening address at the Education International Conference in Stockholm on the theme schooling for newly arrived pupils. During the week, Mr Fridolin will take part in a number of conference activities.

The Swedish Government has decided to prolong internal border controls from 12 November 2016 to 11 February 2017.

When the EU heads of state and government gathered for the European Council meeting in Brussels on 20 and 21 October, four issues were in focus: migration, the EU’s relations with Russia, the escalating humanitarian and security crisis in Syria, and trade. Prime Minister Stefan Löfven participated in the meeting, which incidentally was the first such meeting attended by the new UK prime minister Theresa May.

On 5 October 2016, Sweden and Afghanistan signed a memorandum of understanding on the readmission of people whose residence permit applications have been rejected.

The Government has presented a number of measures to ensure legally secure and more efficient returns of people whose asylum applications have been rejected.

OP-ED on behalf of the Governments of Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sweden and the United Kingdom

The Government is mobilising efforts to foster an open and democratic society. Initiatives within the framework of ‘a Sweden that stands together’ were presented in the 2016 Spring Fiscal Policy Bill. This work will continue with additional initiatives for a society with open meeting places, more local cultural activities and an enhanced civil society, as well as measures against discrimination, extremism, threats and hate. A total of SEK 132 million is being committed in the Budget Bill for 2017 and the autumn amending budget for 2016. The initiatives are included in the Budget Bill for 2017 and the autumn amending budget for 2016, which are based on an agreement between the government parties and the Left Party.

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.