Sweden Shifts Right on Crime and Migration — EU Council Captaincy – POLITICO
This week, the EU Confidential team travels to Stockholm to investigate Sweden’s domestic political challenges such as migration, crime and climate — and we dive into the country’s priorities as it takes on the presidency of the EU Council.
Host Suzanne Lynch meets with POLITICO’s Stockholm correspondent Charlie Duxbury in Sweden’s Riksdag to discuss the country’s recent election. It resulted in a conservative coalition government that relies, controversially, on support from the far-right Sweden Democrats to push through its policies.
We dive into Sweden’s challenges with migration, sit down with Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard and a leading voice in the opposition on this issue, the Green Party’s Annika Hirvonen. And we hear from Tobias Lohse, CEO of Refugees Welcome Sweden, about the practicalities of integrating migrants into society.
Charlie then takes us to a neighborhood struggling to tackle violent crime, to discuss how this issue is shaping the political debate at home. You can read more of Charlie’s coverage of gang violence in Sweden here.
Finally, we unpack Sweden’s priorities when it starts its presidency of the Council of the EU — tasked with guiding EU policy for the next six months. And we hear from Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Foreign Minister Tobias Billström.