International

This year’s theme for UN World Environment Day was ‘Ecosystem Restoration’. One Swedish example is the Government’s drive in recent years to restore wetlands. This has a positive impact on biodiversity and the capacity to bind carbon dioxide. Artic wetlands are at severe risk of destruction due to climate change.

On 7–18 June 2021, Denmark, Finland and Norway and Sweden, together with the United States, will host the recurring international air exercise Arctic Challenge Exercise 2021 (ACE 21). It will be the fifth year the exercise is held within the framework of Nordic cooperation. Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist will visit the exercise in Luleå on 15 June.

VIENNA/STOCKHOLM, 13 June 2021.

The Government has decided on an amendment to the temporary ban on entry into Sweden. The amendment concerns an exemption for residents of a certain specified non-EU country and is in line with the Council of the European Union’s latest recommendation to EU Member States.

The Government has decided to extend the entry bans for foreign citizens who cannot present a negative COVID-19 test result on arrival in Sweden. A temporary ban on non-essential travel to the EU via Sweden, introduced following a call from the European Council and the European Commission, has been in effect since March 2020. Since February it also includes a requirement of a negative COVID-19 test result for entry into Sweden. The ban includes certain exemptions. To travel to Sweden from countries outside the EU/ EEA, you must be covered by at least one of the exemptions from the entry ban and also be able to present a negative COVID-19 test or be exempt from the test requirement. These rules have been extended to apply until 31 August 2021. A separate entry ban with a testing requirement for entry from EEA states and certain other states has also been in force since February. To travel to Sweden from EEA states and certain other states, you must be able to present a negative COVID-19 test or be exempt from the test requirement. These rules have been extended to apply until 30 June 2021. However, as of 31 May 2021, no entry restrictions apply to travel from Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway.

Swedish Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist and his Indian counterpart, Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh, today participated in a digital seminar focusing on defence industry cooperation between India and Sweden. In his speech, Peter Hultqvist stressed the countries’ close and long-standing bilateral relations and their growing strategic partnership, not least on defence issues.

With a view to inspiring and influencing Swedish development policy, Minister for International Development Cooperation Per Olsson Fridh will launch an international advisory group for action on the environment, climate and biodiversity in connection with World Environment Day on 5 June. The advisory group will make an important contribution to fine-tuning Sweden’s global engagement in the most affected countries ahead of coming international high level meetings on climate, environment and biodiversity.

The International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752 today issued the following joint statement:

Special session of the General Assembly, United Nations, New York, 2–4 June 2021 Check against delivery

The humanitarian situation in Yemen is alarming, with millions of people facing famine. On 1 June, the European Commission and Sweden co-hosted the third Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.