Social services including care for older people

In the Budget Bill for 2016, the Government proposed that SEK 250 million should be allocated annually during 2016–2019 to strengthen and develop these activities. The funds will be devoted primarily to increased staffing, as well as to initiatives to promote skills and quality.

On 12 October, the Government arranged the national action 'Sweden together'. Participants were invited to around ten seminars as part of the event. One of the themes was 'How we are developing reception of unaccompanied minors and young people'.

"In recent years we have seen an increase in the number of EU citizens staying in Sweden temporarily, many of whom come from Romania and Bulgaria. These people are in a vulnerable situation. We need to find effective ways to manage this situation, and cooperation between our countries is of course very important," said Ms Regnér when meeting her Bulgarian counterpart Mr Kalafin on 9 September.

Between 31 October and 3 November, State Secretary Pernilla Baralt visited Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, to discuss a draft of a bilateral cooperation agreement on social issues.

Minister for Children, the Elderly and Gender Equality Åsa Regnér and the Government’s National Coordinator Martin Valfridsson hosted a conference on Friday 11 September. Conference participants included Romanian Secretary of State Ciprian Necula.

Romania and Sweden have appointed a working group comprising officials from both countries. The group met for the first time in Stockholm on 8–9 October. The group consisted of staff from Romania's Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Protection and Elderly, the Ministry of European Funds and the Embassy of Romania.

On Friday 27 November, the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs held a consultation at official level with NGOs and agencies that work with vulnerable EU citizens in Romania. The Ministry listened to the NGOs' and agencies' problems, ideas, project proposals, topical issues and expertise.

On Monday 1 February, the national coordinator for vulnerable EU citizens presented his final report, Framtid sökes (Wanted: a future), to Åsa Regnér, the minister responsible for the issue, at a press conference. Martin Valfridsson, whose remit now ends, proposes that county administrative boards be instructed to coordinate this work, with the overall responsibility resting with the Stockholm County Administrative Board.

On 31 October, the Government sent the Swedish report ‘National follow-up of the regional implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA) in Sweden’ to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). “People do not become more alike simply because they get older. We continue to have different interests. Our needs continue to be individual. A modern policy for older people must not only take this into account – this must be an obvious starting point that informs this policy. The rights of older women and men must be in focus when we develop care for older people in Sweden,” says Minister for Children, the Elderly and Gender Equality Åsa Regnér in connection with Sweden having now submitted the report.

Stopping men's violence against women is a priority issue for Sweden's feminist government. The Government is therefore now presenting a national strategy to prevent and combat men's violence against women.