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MEPs acted against Swedish interests: PM

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MEPs acted against Swedish interests: PM

Sweden’s Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt is unhappy with Swedish members of the European parliament who supported an EU budget increase despite his centre-right coalition trying to keep down the costs.

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“It comes down to a potential conflict between Sweden’s interests and the European parliament, which remarkably enough has received support from Swedish MEPs," Reinfeldt told the Swedish Riksdag upon his return from the stranded long-term budget talks in Brussels.

Even Swedish MEPs from parties that form part of the government-coalition alongside Reinfeldt’s Moderate Party voted to increase long-term union spending.

Cecilia Wikström of the Liberal Party (Folkpartiet) and Kent Johansson from the Centre Party both voted in favour of the increase, which the news agency TT claims could add another 10 billion kronor ($1.5 billion) to Sweden’s membership bill.

As did Göran Färm, who heads the group of Swedish opposition Social Democrats in Brussels.

Färm dismissed Reinfeldt’s criticism as an attempt to shift the blame for his and other country leaders' failure to shore up the fraught negotiations.

"Nobody takes responsibility for how the EU parliament works,” he told TT.

"Instead, everyone just retreats to a national standpoint to fight it out over whether it means a plus or a minus for your own budget," Färm said.

"It’s unsustainable."

TT/The Local/at

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