Sweden in the EU

On 2–3 June, ministers, decision-makers and experts from Europe will convene in Stockholm for FOREST EUROPE’s tenth Ministerial Conference, hosted by Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren. The Conference also represents the highlight of Sweden’s chairmanship of FOREST EUROPE in 2025–2026.

On 17 May, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will receive Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in Gothenburg. During the visit, the leaders will hold bilateral meetings and participate in discussions with European business leaders on innovation and trade. Mr Kristersson and Mr Modi will also hold joint press statements, together with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. HRH The Crown Princess will also participate in the programme.

On 11 May, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, is organising a conference in Stockholm on youth and gender equality issues for a future democratic Belarus. The forum gathers youth representative of the Belarusian democratic movement and civil society representatives, decision-makers and experts from the EU and Sweden. The aim is to highlight the importance of young people’s political participation to the democratic development of Belarus.

The Government is now moving forward with an assignment for Svenska kraftnät, Sweden’s power grid authority, that allows for a planned renewal and upgrade of an electricity cable connection to Denmark to be put on hold. At the EU’s meeting of Energy Ministers in March, Swedish Minister for Energy, Business and Industry Ebba Busch announced that Sweden would halt new or upgraded electricity cable connections to continental Europe unless there was a shift in the focus of the legislation being negotiated in the European Commission’s European Grids Package.

On 12 May, EU defence ministers will meet in Brussels within the framework of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. Continued EU support to Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and its implications for European defence and security, and strengthening European defence preparedness are on the agenda. Minister for Defence Pål Jonson will represent Sweden at the meeting.

Germany is Sweden’s most important trading partner, and the world’s fourth-largest economy. On Wednesday 6 May, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson received Germany’s Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Stockholm for a meeting on regional security policy, total defence and cooperation between Sweden and Germany.

On Tuesday 5 May, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson received President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda for a bilateral meeting in Stockholm. Minister for EU Affairs Jessica Rosencrantz also participated.

In his speech on nuclear deterrence doctrine, given on March 2nd at Ile Longue, President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron announced bilateral strategic dialogues with the European partners involved, to establish the concept of forward deterrence.

The EU’s 20th package of sanctions includes comprehensive measures that hit the Russian economy, including Russia’s energy revenues and the shadow fleet. The package also includes measures against sanctions evasion, crypto services and access to sensitive technology used on the battlefield.

The Government takes an extremely serious view of the continuing settlement policy and the increased settler violence in the West Bank, and is therefore proposing new measures in the form of an expanded differentiation policy. The Israeli Government’s actions in the West Bank violate international law.

Statement by Sweden’s Minister for Energy, Business and Industry and Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch, 10 april, Stockholm.

Sweden is this year’s chair of the For Forest+ group. In this context, Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren hosted a meeting of the group’s members on 31 March, during which the group welcomed Germany as a new member. With the addition of Germany, For Forest+ now consists of eight EU Member States that collectively account for around 60 per cent of the forests of the 27 EU Member States (EU27).

On 31 March 2026, Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard is taking part in an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers.

Joint statement by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Ukraine.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson received President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola on Friday, 27 March. Together, the leaders visited Stockholm’s stock exchange, Nasdaq Stockholm, and discussed ways to strengthen the EU’s capital markets and competitiveness.

Statement by Minister for Energy, Business and Industry and Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch at the Energy Council meeting in Brussels on 16 March 2026.

Joint Statement by the ministers responsible for migration from the Nordic Countries.

Sweden’s AI Strategy sets the long-term direction of the Government’s work with AI. It also provides guidance for work with AI throughout Sweden. The Government adopted the Strategy in February 2026.

Sweden aims to take a leading role in artificial intelligence. The Government is now presenting a new AI strategy with the aim of providing more effective government agencies, clearer rules for businesses and better conditions for research. The objective is for Sweden to be among the world’s top 10 countries in the field of AI.

Today, 18 February, Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard presented the Government’s 2026 Statement of Foreign Policy in the Riksdag. The Government’s foremost foreign policy priorities are support to Ukraine and increased pressure on Russia, stronger cooperation in security and trade, and gender equality and women’s empowerment.