European_union

The following articles have been tagged with "European_union":

'Every wasted krona amounts to theft'

Analysis & Opinion: 18 Mar 10
Recognizing frustration among a heavily taxed electorate, the Swedish Taxpayers Association has joined hands with the free-market think tank Timbro to appoint a special ombudsman to which citizens can report wasteful government spending. READ »

Genocide vote sparks diplomatic fallout

National: 12 Mar 10
Sweden's ambassador to Turkey was summoned to the Turkish foreign ministry on Friday morning after the Swedish parliament voted to recognize the 1915 mass killing of Armenians and other ethnic groups as genocide. READ »

Ambassador 'concerned' over sudden Roma influx

National: 11 Mar 10
Sweden's ambassador in Belgrade has expressed concern over the number of Serbian citizens seeking asylum in Sweden in the wake of a recent relaxation of visa restrictions. READ »

Trove of shipwrecks found in Baltic Sea

National: 9 Mar 10
A dozen previously unknown shipwrecks have been found on the bed of the Baltic Sea; some of them are thought to up to 1,000 years old, the Swedish National Heritage Board said on Monday. READ »

Fees make competition for students more equal

Analysis & Opinion: 19 Feb 10
A bill proposing tuition fees for students from non-EU countries will enable Sweden to compete on a more level playing field with universities in other countries, argues Niklas Tranæus from the Swedish Institute. READ »

Stockholm 'one of Europe's richest regions'

Business & Money: 18 Feb 10
The Stockholm area is one of the ten richest regions in the European Union, according to new figures from Eurostat, the EU's statistics agency. READ »

Sweden's Borg talks tough on Greece debt

Politics: 16 Feb 10
Sweden's finance minister Anders Borg has led the chorus of European partners calling on Greece to "surpass" market expectations in dealing with its debt crisis. READ »

'IMF solution an option for Greece': Borg

Politics: 10 Feb 10
Sweden's finance minister Anders Borg has raised the prospect of the International Monetary Fund as a possible solution to the debt crisis in Greece. READ »

Justice Minister reluctant to store data

National: 4 Feb 10
The European Court of Justice has told Sweden that it must implement a 2006 measure requiring telecom operators to store information about their customers’ phone calls and emails. But Justice Minister Beatrice Ask remains sceptical. READ »

Arrest warrant for Swede over Auschwitz sign theft

National: 2 Feb 10
Police in Poland have issued a warrant for the arrest of Anders Högström, a former neo-Nazi recently indicted over the theft of the "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign from the Auschwitz death camp. READ »

Sweden and Poland push for nuclear arms cuts

Politics: 2 Feb 10
Sweden and Poland have joined forces in calling on the United States and Russia to sharply reduce their nuclear weapons arsenals in Europe. READ »

Foreign docs' poor Swedish leading to errors

Society: 27 Jan 10
A doctor’s insufficient Swedish skills are being blamed for delaying the removal of a patient’s tumour by nearly two months, prompting concern among health officials about the number of doctors who don’t speak the language well enough. READ »

Borg seeks US-inspired European bank tax

Business & Money: 19 Jan 10
Swedish Finance Minster Anders Borg on Tuesday called for a European bank tax similar to a new US scheme, in an attempt to rectify shabby public finances and create a cushion to protect against future financial crises. READ »

Crisis takes its toll on Sweden's balance sheet

Business & Money: 12 Jan 10
Sweden’s state finances deteriorated markedly during 2009, with the National Debt Office reporting a deficit of 176 billion kronor ($24.8 billion) for the year. READ »

Agency blasts Sweden's 'most expensive' ranking

Society: 11 Jan 10
The Swedish Institute has slammed as “nonsense” an index released last week which ranked Sweden as the most expensive country in the world. READ »

Criticism soars as Sweden's wolf hunt ends

Analysis & Opinion: 7 Jan 10
Sweden's first wolf hunt in 45 years came to an end this week after hunters met their quota of 27 kills in just four days, as ecologists blasted the hunt as rushed and cruel and slammed the government's decision to allow the cull. READ »

Swedes kill 20 wolves in newly sanctioned hunt

National: 3 Jan 10
After the Swedish environmental authority issued permits for 10 percent of Sweden's entire wolf population to be killed, hunters shot dead more than 20 wolves on Saturday, according to local media estimates. READ »

Sweden's help sought in Auschwitz theft probe

National: 30 Dec 09
Polish authorities investigating possible Swedish ties to the theft of the Auschwitz “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign planned to formally ask for help from the Swedish justice ministry, the Polish justice ministry said on Wednesday. READ »

Sweden moves ahead with uni application fees

Education: 29 Dec 09
In a bid to reduce high administration costs, Sweden's government is calling for non-European Union applicants to be slapped with a registration fee when seeking admission to the country's colleges and universities. READ »

Wolves fair game as Sweden sets cull

Society: 18 Dec 09
Swedish authorities have broken with a 45-year tradition and given the all clear for hunters to kill a total of 27 wolves next year in a bid to control the country's burgeoning lupine population. READ »

Two degree climate deal unlikely: Reinfeldt

Politics: 16 Dec 09
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has said the Copenhagen summit is unlikely to result in a pledge to try to cap the rise of global temperatures since the dawn of the industrial era at two degrees Celsius. READ »

EU pledges climate cash to poor nations: Reinfeldt

Business & Money: 11 Dec 09
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has announced that the European Union's member states have agreed to give $10.6 billion to help developing nations tackle climate change. READ »

Reinfeldt calls on US to raise climate targets

Politics: 10 Dec 09
Swedish Prime Minster Fredrik Reinfeldt implored the United States on Wednesday to implement more ambitious goals for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. READ »

Big fat Greek bailout 'unlikely': Borg

Business & Money: 9 Dec 09
Sweden’s finance minister Anders Borg warned Greece on Wednesday that European countries were unlikely to help the Mediterranean nation solve its current budget crisis. READ »

Bildt blasts Belarus over student's expulsion

Politics: 9 Dec 09
Swedish foreign minister Carl Bidlt found himself embroiled in a verbal spat with his counterpart from Belarus on Tuesday over the questionable expulsion of a university student due to "poor attendance". READ »

Thousands of Iraqis granted Swedish asylum

National: 8 Dec 09
Sweden granted protection to 8,700 asylum seekers in 2008, with Iraqis accounting for almost half the total, according to new figures from EU statistics office Eurostat. READ »

EU closes in on banking oversight deal: Borg

Business & Money: 2 Dec 09
Sweden’s finance minister Anders Borg said on Wednesday that the EU was closer to a agreeing to a new set of measures for policing banks and financial institutions across national borders. READ »

Reinfeldt hails first day of EU's Lisbon Treaty

Politics: 1 Dec 09
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt welcomed “a new era” for the European Union on Tuesday, the first day the changes laid out in the Lisbon Treaty came into force. READ »

Bildt blasts 'prejudice' of Swiss minaret ban

Politics: 30 Nov 09
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt on Monday slammed Switzerland's referendum to ban the construction of minarets on mosques in the Alpine country. READ »

Bildt fears insipid EU top job compromise

Politics: 19 Nov 09
Sweden's foreign minister Carl Bildt has given voice to apprehensions that the EU may settle on an uninspiring compromise candidate for the new post of president when the union's leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday. READ »

Reinfeldt pushes for consensus on EU leader

Politics: 19 Nov 09
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt made a last ditch effort on Wednesday night to get EU leaders to agree on a candidate to become the European Union’s first president. READ »

Too early to recognize Palestinian state: Bildt

Politics: 17 Nov 09
Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, has said it is "premature" to recognize a Palestinian state. READ »

Sweden hopes gas talks don't turn poisonous at EU-Russia summit

Analysis & Opinion: 16 Nov 09
EU and Russian leaders will open summit talks in Sweden on Wednesday in an atmosphere clouded by uneasy relations between Moscow and Stockholm over human rights and last's year's war in Georgia. READ »

Sweden refuses Turkish extradition request

National: 12 Nov 09
Sweden’s highest court on Wednesday rejected a request from Turkey to have one of its citizens extradited to face accusations of committing murder while a member of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). READ »

Afghanistan must bridge credibility gap: Bildt

Politics: 11 Nov 09
With Kabul's credibility "bordering disaster", Swedish foreign minster Carl Bildt has called on Hamid Karzai to instigate widespread reforms during his second term as president of Afghanistan. READ »

Borg voices concern over EU bank talks

Business & Money: 10 Nov 09
Swedish finance minister Anders Borg said on Tuesday that delicate negotiations to create new cross-border financial supervisory bodies to oversee banks in the European Union were at a "make-or-break" point. READ »

Social Democrats slam Nord Stream approval

Business & Money: 6 Nov 09
Sweden’s decision to allow the Russian-led Nord Stream gas pipeline to pass through its territorial waters has prompted a scathing response from the political opposition. READ »

Reinfeldt reclaims top spot in Sweden power rankings

National: 6 Nov 09
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt can once again lay claim to the title of Sweden’s most power person, having nudged his own finance minister Anders Borg from the top spot in a new ranking released on Thursday. READ »

Reinfeldt warns India of climate change dangers

Politics: 6 Nov 09
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt on Friday cautioned India about the impact of climate change if upcoming UN climate talks fail to produce a new agreement to reduce emissions. READ »

Sweden gives all clear to Baltic Sea gas pipeline

National: 5 Nov 09
The Swedish government on Thursday gave its permission for German firm Nord Stream AG to lay down pipelines for transporting natural gas from Russia to Germany through the Swedish economic zone of the Baltic Sea. READ »

Morocco expels Swedish diplomat

National: 5 Nov 09
Morocco on Wednesday ordered the immediate departure of a Swedish diplomat accused of handing over official Moroccan documents to Western Saharan separatists. READ »

Sweden hails Balkan border deal

Politics: 4 Nov 09
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt on Wednesday oversaw a deal aimed at resolving a divisive border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia. READ »

Swedish relief as Czechs sign Lisbon Treaty

Politics: 3 Nov 09
The Swedish EU presidency can begin its hunt for a new EU Council president after Czech President Vaclav Klaus put pen to paper on Tuesday to make his country the last in the union to sign the Lisbon Treaty. READ »

Obama welcomes Reinfeldt for White House visit

Politics: 3 Nov 09
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt met with Barack Obama on Monday to discuss how to reach what the US President called an "important deal" at the upcoming Copenhagen conference on climate change. READ »

Reinfeldt urges EU unity on climate change aid

Politics: 29 Oct 09
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt pushed European leaders to commit to concrete figures for helping poor countries fight climate change as EU heads gathered for a summit in Brussels on Thursday. READ »

Estonia agrees to repay emergency Swedbank loan

Business & Money: 29 Oct 09
Swedbank learned on Thursday that the government of Estonia was planning to repay the €50 million ($74 million) it borrowed from the Swedish bank to help it through the country’s economic crisis. READ »

Activists dump tonnes of coal in Vattenfall protest

Politics: 28 Oct 09
Activists from Greenpeace dumped 18 tonnes of German coal in front of Sweden’s government offices in Stockholm on Wednesday as a protest against Swedish state-owned coal plants abroad. READ »

Swedish historian touts Nordic power bloc

Politics: 27 Oct 09
Sweden and its four Nordic neighbours should consider forming a federation in order to increase the region’s international weight, a Swedish historian proposes. The 'bloc of ice' would be headed by Denmark's Queen Margrethe. READ »

Wallström: EU president 'should be a woman'

Politics: 27 Oct 09
Amid discussions by EU foreign ministers about the need for strong leadership, Swedish EU commissioner Margot Wallström has called for the appointment of a woman to serve as EU president. READ »

Bildt's inaction breeds suspicion in Israel

Politics: 26 Oct 09
Israel’s government remains surprised that Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt has yet to reschedule a previously cancelled trip to Israel. READ »

European bank approves Saab loan request

National: 21 Oct 09
Saab Automobile has received permission to borrow 4 billion kronor from the European Investment Bank, the bank’s board revealed on Wednesday. READ »

Encouraging results for Swedish HIV vaccine

Science & Technology: 19 Oct 09
A Swedish HIV vaccine, Hivis, has shown the best preliminary results the world has seen so far, according to experts. READ »

Gangster faces Turkish trial for bomb attacks

National: 16 Oct 09
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of the leader of the Original Gangsters criminal gang on suspicion of being behind an attempt to blow up two men. Turkey, where he now lives, has confirmed that it is prepared to host a trial. READ »

Sweden slams Zimbabwe over PM aide arrest

National: 16 Oct 09
The Swedish EU Presidency has slammed a decision by a Zimbabwe court to send a close aide to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to jail, calling it an act of "politically motivated abuse." READ »

Sweden cautions Czechs over Lisbon 'opt outs'

Politics: 9 Oct 09
The Swedish EU presidency has cautioned the Czechs that their demands for an extra "footnote" on the Lisbon treaty sends out "the wrong message at the wrong time". READ »

ABB fined for breaching EU competition rules

Business & Money: 7 Oct 09
Swedish-Swiss engineering firm ABB, along with six other manufacturers of power transformers, have been fined a total €67.6 million ($99.4 million) for violating European Union competition rules. READ »

Reinfeldt steps up pressure to ensure Lisbon treaty adoption

Politics: 5 Oct 09
Sweden's Fredrik Reinfeldt on Monday pushed the Czech Republic and Britain not to further delay approval of the European Union's Lisbon reform treaty. READ »

Sweden welcomes Irish 'Yes' to EU Treaty

Politics: 3 Oct 09
The Irish Yes vote for the European Union's Lisbon treaty is "a good day for Europe," Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, speaking for the EU's Swedish presidency, said on Saturday. READ »

Borg warns of pump priming debt mountain

Business & Money: 1 Oct 09
Sweden's finance minister Anders Borg warned EU leaders on Thursday that states cannot keep throwing good money after bad and called for a discussion to supervise the easing of expansionary fiscal policy. READ »

Sweden looks to boost Afghanistan force

Politics: 30 Sep 09
Sweden wants to send more troops to Afghanistan after an assessment by the Armed Forces concluded that the current force of 500 soldiers is too small. READ »

Time to accept EU membership: Left Party

Politics: 27 Sep 09
Left Party leader Lars Ohly has stated that it is time for the party to discard its demand for Sweden's withdrawal from the European Union, the last of the major Swedish parties to do so. READ »

Sweden pushes India and China to act on climate

Politics: 26 Sep 09
Sweden is calling for less talk and more action from major emerging economies in climate issues after Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt raised concerns over progress while addressing world leaders this week. READ »

Rancid Swedish Cold War meat sold to Poland

National: 25 Sep 09
Meat from Swedish stockpiles dating back to the Cold War has been sold to Poland to be served in restaurants. READ »

Sweden concerned over climate talks

National: 25 Sep 09
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt expressed deep concern on Thursday over the progress of climate negotiations at the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh, with only weeks to go before the Copenhagen conference. READ »

Estonia approves TeliaSonera purchase

Business & Money: 25 Sep 09
The Estonian government formally approved the sale of the state's 27 percent stake in telecoms provider Eesti Telekom to the Nordic group Telia Sonera. READ »

TeliaSonera to increase stake in Estonian telecoms firm

Business & Money: 23 Sep 09
Estonia is set to sell its share of leading telecommunications provider, Eesti Telekom, to Nordic group TeliaSonera. READ »

Reinfeldt: pace of climate talks 'too slow'

Politics: 23 Sep 09
Speaking at a United Nations climate summit on Tuesday, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said negotiations on a new global warming deal were moving far too slowly. READ »

Older Europeans drinking more: Swedish study

Science & Technology: 21 Sep 09
Alcohol consumption is on the rise among older Europeans, a new Swedish study shows, with researchers claiming that public health officials have been slow to react to the problem. READ »

Reinfeldt to G20: 'Cap bank bonuses'

Politics: 18 Sep 09
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt succeeded on Thursday in convincing European leaders to agree to push for limits on bonuses for bankers at the upcoming G20 summit. READ »

Reinfeldt calls for end to banks' bonus culture

Business & Money: 16 Sep 09
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt took aim at bonuses common at large banks when he opened the Swedish parliament on Tuesday, saying big bonuses "must come to an end". READ »

Sweden wants EU 'snus' tobacco ban to go up in smoke

Analysis & Opinion: 15 Sep 09
As countries across the EU curb smoking in public, Sweden is fighting to get a European-wide ban lifted moist tobacco, AFP's Marc Preel reports. READ »

Sweden mulls application fees for foreign students

Education: 15 Sep 09
Students from outside the European Union (EU) may soon be required to pay 1000 kronor ($143) just to apply for admission to Swedish colleges and universities. READ »

Sweden mulls new high-speed rail lines

National: 14 Sep 09
Sweden should build high-speed rail lines connecting Stockholm to Gothenburg and Malmö, a government appointed commission recommends. READ »

Zimbabwe sanctions not discussed in EU meeting

National: 13 Sep 09
The Swedish development aid minister Gunilla Carlsson has said that EU sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe were not discussed at an EU meeting with President Mugabe on Saturday. READ »

Sweden refuses SA request to drop Zimbabwe sanctions

Politics: 12 Sep 09
The Swedish EU presidency has resisted pressure from South African President Jacob Zuma to drop sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe. Development aid minister Gunilla Carlsson will meanwhile head an EU delegation to Harare on Saturday. READ »

EU to offer billions in climate aid to poor nations: Reinfeldt

Politics: 10 Sep 09
Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt on Wednesday announced plans for the European Union to offer developing countries €15 billion ($22 billion) a year to help combat climate change. READ »

Reinfeldt calls September EU summit

Politics: 4 Sep 09
Sweden's prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has called a an extraordinary EU summit on September 17th to prepare for the upcoming G20 summit in Pittsburgh, the Swedish EU presidency announced in a statement on Friday. READ »

'No time line for Afghanistan exit': Bildt

Politics: 1 Sep 09
The international community will not leave Afghanistan until the country has undergone a secure transition, Sweden's foreign minister Carl Bildt said on Tuesday. READ »

Italy: EU should condemn Aftonbladet article

Politics: 31 Aug 09
Italy’s foreign minister, Franco Frattini, says he has met with his Swedish counterpart Carl Bildt to iron out a strategy for resolving the crisis which flared after the publication of a controversial article in the Aftonbladet newspaper. But Bildt denies the crisis was discussed. READ »

Sweden's free speech tradition draws Israeli ire

Analysis & Opinion: 27 Aug 09
Sweden's fervent defence of free speech has sparked a diplomatic storm with Israel over the government's refusal to condemn an article accusing Israeli soldiers of smuggling dead Palestinians' organs, write AFP's Igor Gedilaghine. READ »

Sweden mulls EU summit to discuss crisis

Politics: 26 Aug 09
The Swedish EU presidency is considering calling an extraordinary EU summit in September to find common ground ahead of a G20 meeting about the global economic crisis in Pittsburgh. READ »

'Aftonbladet must be held accountable for false allegations'

Analysis & Opinion: 25 Aug 09
In an open letter to the people of Sweden, Moshe Kantor, President of the European Jewish Congress, calls on government officials to demand editorial responsibility over the publication of an article accusing Israeli defence forces of harvesting the organs of dead Palestinians. READ »

Sweden announces EU immigration reform plans

Politics: 25 Aug 09
The Swedish EU presidency announced on Monday that proposals to reform immigration policy will be presented in September. READ »

Transgender belly dancer helps launch Arab gay initiative

Lifestyle: 21 Aug 09
As a human rights group publishes details of a bloody campaign of hate being waged against gays in Iraq, Rami Abdelrahman speaks to members of a recently founded initiative for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Arabs in Sweden. READ »

'Bildt interview supports my immunity deal': Karadzic

Politics: 18 Aug 09
Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic asserted on Monday that Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has submitted information backing his claims of an immunity deal. READ »

Swedes neglect their fruit and veg: report

Society: 13 Aug 09
Sweden trails behind its European neighbours in regard to consumption of fruit and vegetables, a new report has shown. READ »

Greenpeace launches cod-fishing protest

National: 11 Aug 09
Activists for environmental group Greenpeace have started dropping boulders into EU-protected cod fishing grounds off Sweden to impede bottom-trawling, a spokesperson has confirmed. READ »

Sweden summons Iran ambassador over trials

National: 11 Aug 09
Sweden's foreign minister Carl Bildt has summoned Iran's ambassador to protest against the mass trials of election demonstrators and warned that further steps will be taken if necessary. READ »

Greenpeace to drop boulders in cod protest

National: 9 Aug 09
Greenpeace has announced its continued intention to drop boulders into two protected areas of the waters separating the Swedish and Danish mainlands in a bid to block cod-fishing and prevent bottom trawling. READ »

Swedish anti-piracy law keeps downloaders on the defensive

Analysis & Opinion: 4 Aug 09
Four months after Sweden implemented a new law to crack down on internet piracy, the AFP’s Marc Preel discovers that the debate continues about the measure’s long-term implications for file sharers and copyright holders alike. READ »

Swedish MP: I don't want to force abortion on Ireland

Society: 4 Aug 09
Swedish MP Birgitta Ohlsson has denied she wants to use the EU's Lisbon Treaty to impose liberal abortion laws on other countries. She just wants a debate, she says. READ »

Swedes have the longest holidays in Europe: study

Society: 31 Jul 09
With an average of 33 days annual leave, Swedes are streets ahead of their European counterparts when in comes to taking holidays, a new report shows. READ »

EU slammed for 'propaganda'

Politics: 27 Jul 09
The European Union spends millions every year on publicity material about itself that can only be described as propaganda, a Swedish think-tank has said. READ »

Bildt: bigger role for EU in Afghanistan

Politics: 27 Jul 09
The European Union should take on a larger role in Afghanistan, Sweden's foreign minister, Carl Bildt, has suggested. READ »

Bildt to meet Holbrooke in Kabul ahead of elections

National: 25 Jul 09
While Swedish troops stationed at Aqchah in northern Afghanistan on Thursday night battled in a firefight with opposing forces, Foreign Minister Carl Bildt was in Kabul on Friday to join US regional envoy Richard Holbrooke for a pre-election assessment trip. READ »

Sweden calls for EU to act on climate change

Politics: 24 Jul 09
Swedish officials called for a tough stance on climate change at a meeting of European environment and energy ministers held in Åre in central Sweden on Friday. READ »

Ministers meet in Sweden to spar over EU energy targets

Analysis & Opinion: 24 Jul 09
The energy and environment ministers of the European Union are meeting this week in the Swedish resort town of Åre to debate how to reduce the EU's energy consumption, report the AFP’s Catherine Marciano and James Franey. READ »