Sweden in the EU

Prime Minister Stefan Löfven will receive Ireland’s Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar on Thursday 3 October. Mr Löfven and Mr Varadkar will discuss issues surrounding Brexit, as well as current bilateral and EU issues.

The Government will soon present a government bill to the Riksdag containing proposals for new rules on residence permits for research and higher education studies. The proposals will implement the European Union’s ‘Students and Researchers Directive’. An important aim of the proposals is to attract more students, researchers and other highly qualified people to Sweden, and make it easier for those who have studied in Sweden to stay in the country to work.

Sweden has the first feminist government in the world. This means that gender equality is central to the Government’s priorities – in decision-making and resource allocation. Women and men must have the same power to shape society and their own lives; this is a human right and a matter of democracy and justice. There is also overwhelming evidence that gender equality boosts economic growth. Despite this, trade policy today benefits men more than women. With this in mind, the Swedish government’s feminist trade policy includes six focus areas where we will step up efforts to ensure that trade policy and trade promotion activities benefit women and men equally.

The Swedish Government has assessed that the risk of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a withdrawal agreement has increased. To address the most serious consequences of a no-deal withdrawal, the Government has taken a range of measures that strengthen Sweden’s preparedness. At a press conference today, Minister for Finance Magdalena Andersson and Minister for EU Affairs Hans Dahlgren outlined Sweden’s preparations ahead of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

On Thursday 15 August, some 80 volunteers from more than 30 countries are invited to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to celebrate the impact made by the MFA’s and Wikimedia Sweden’s international initiative, WikiGap. The initiative has gained a foothold in more than 60 countries and has so far resulted in 32 000 new or edited articles about women on Wikipedia. These articles have now been viewed more than 100 million times.

On 15 August at Fashion Week Trade, Minister for Foreign Trade Ann Linde will be taking part in a round-table discussion on feminist trade policy and its relevance for the fashion industry. With more than 700 footwear, clothing, underwear, accessories and childrenswear collections, Fashion Week Trade is Sweden’s largest fashion event, including for fashion buyers.

The Government has decided to nominate Ylva Johansson, Minister for Employment and one of Sweden’s most experienced ministers, as the new Swedish European Commissioner.

The Government’s objective is to ensure a sustainable migration policy that safeguards the right of asylum and, within the framework of managed immigration, facilitates mobility across borders, promotes demand-driven labour migration, harnesses and takes account of the development impact of migration, and deepens European and international cooperation. This fact sheet outlines the Government’s current work in this area.