Published: 23 Jul 09 11:54 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/20860/20090723/
The Swedish foreign ministry announced on Thursday it was closing one embassy and four consulates general, including those in New York and Los Angeles due to budget constraints.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
As white-collar union Saco slammed Sweden's systems for helping well-educated foreigners into the labour market, The Local spoke to researcher Josefin Edström about the disconnect between foreign professionals and Swedish employers. READ () »
This year's Beckmans fashion graduates unleashed a dramatic clash of collections in Stockholm this week. It may have been dazzlingly hot outside in the sunshine, but on the catwalk things got a little dark. READ () »
For this week's secret location picture gallery quiz, we head to a city that's among the top 20 in terms of population size. Can you guess which one it is in nine clues? READ () »
Sweden's Princess Madeleine is "less nervous than she thought" about her impending walk down the aisle at Stockholm's Storkyrkan church to wed US financier Chris O'Neill. READ () »
Swedes are having less sex than ever before, a new survey has revealed, and their libidos appear to have waned too, prompting researchers to warn that "desire disorders" may be keeping Swedes from getting intimate. READ () »
A man has been arrested on the suspicion of murdering a 20-year-old woman who vanished three weeks ago in northern Sweden, and whose suspected body parts were uncovered on Monday. READ () »
At least two schools, a police station, and 15 cars were set ablaze in Stockholm on Thursday night as riots in the suburbs of the Swedish capital continued for the fifth straight night. READ () »
With one 18-year-old remanded in custody after four nights of rioting in Stockholm, Sweden's Integration Minister Erik Ullenhag said the rioters are a small minority, and did not represent a clash between young people in the suburbs and society. READ () »
More news from Germany at thelocal.de
More news from France at thelocal.fr
More news from Norway at thelocal.no
More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch
Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss
“Örngott”, “luttanpluttan” and “chokladglass” »
"Hej! How is your Swedish coming along? I have received many questions on the Facebook page and in my email lately and it seems like a good idea to post the answers here. Enjoy! Question 1 – “får inte” or “måste inte” Could you please clarify for me which is the most commonly used phrase in Swedish for..." READ »
Your comments about this article:
The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.
i hope the swedes won't get too mad over this!(atleast you have free health care) wash dc isn't that far away by bus or train,it's sweden way to save money when money is an issue these days.
As for "free" health care.. we pay enormous amount of taxes to fund this. With waiting lists for 1 to 2 years for knee surgery or other small problems..So nothing is for free...
Often used by connected Swedes as a venue to impress their new NYC employers
But ordinary Swedes must use it occasionally in an emergency (passport reissue etc)
FWIW, why don't the Nordic countries share one consulate??
OK Norway is not in the EU, but SE, DK and FI are
Sweden plus a couple of its neighbours would add up to a region more populous than the Netherlands (16.2 million people) for example ... which I guess would give economies of scale
LA though...they really should have something over there.
by american standards it's FREE or little next to nothing. LA should have a consulate office,where is the nearest consulate office in LA or near california?
well if the citiies kommune's didn't spend the tax money on unless things and put the tax money forwards health care. you wouldn't have to waite 1 or 2 years for an knee operation(in the 60's taxes in sweden was at 27%), the health care then was great!
I guess for people on the west coast or atleast for Californians, it will work the same way, just the application will be forwarded to DC. It will probably raise the cost they charge to ship your documents...lol.
And traveling back to the home land would cost even more.
The Honorary Consulates don't do passports any longer, so they are of no help to us either.
Is this another notch in the expansion of the US legal and 'global support' system?
Will the Embassy alone be able to respond to a natural disaster 5000 Km away? Swedes are now required to appear in person when renewing their passports. If you lose your passport while in the U. S., will you have to travel to Washington D. C. to get a temporary passport to travel home?
As a budget cutting effort this really isn't going to make a significant change in the overall Foreign Ministry. It will have a significant financial impact on Swedish citizens living in the affected countries. Maybe other cost cutting efforts could have been made through out the Foreign Ministry such as cutting residence allowances for consular staff and staff reductions as well.
As for this 1-2 years for a knee operation. Under the Swedish health care system if a service can not be offered within 90 days you can have the procedure done privately and the state will have to pick up the cost. I work in Emergency medicine and I moved to Sweden from the US and Sweden's system is just as good as the US one for quality of care but without the bankruptcy at the end of it.