Sweden reaches deal to boost defence spending

Sweden’s government has struck a new deal with opposition parties to boost spending on military and civil defence by three billion kronor a year, giving the green light to the Swedish Armed Forces to order 30 billion kronor in new equipment up until 2030, and to spend an extra two billion as early as this year.  

“It is a real strength that we have reached an agreement,” Sweden’s defence minister, Peter Hultqvist, said after the deal was reached on Wednesday evening. 

The Swedish Armed Forces is keen to boost its arsenal of expensive surface-to-air missiles, air-to-air missiles for its planes, and armoured personnel carriers with tank tracks.

Sweden also plans to spend 800 million kronor extra on civil defence, which will go, among other things, towards boosting the country’s rescue services and renovating bomb shelters.   

The Civil Contingencies Agency has passed the government a wish-list costed at 1.8 billion kronor, which includes strengthening protections for the civil population, including over electronic communication and post, renovating bomb shelters, and repairing emergency sirens.  

The agency also wants to launch a new communications campaign to help individuals increase their own preparedness, and money for municipalities to speed up the restoration of Sweden’s Civil Defence capabilities. 

Swedish vocabulary: försvar – defence

Time to file your tax declaration

Tax declaration season is upon us, and Swedish residents with a digital mailbox should have started to receive their digital tax declaration over the past few days.

Here’s The Local’s guide for the important dates you should remember if you want to get any money back by Easter, as well as the important deadlines you should make sure not to miss.

And here are our tips on how to declare your taxes, as well as what hidden costs you may be able to claim back.

Most often, you will not need to do anything other than confirm the information in your declaration the Tax Agency has filled in for you, but if you work freelance or are self-employed, you may need to fill information about this in yourself.

Swedish vocabulary: deklarera – to declare your taxes

Nato Secretary General: ‘Membership can happen fast if Sweden wants’

Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary general, believes that Swedish Nato membership could happen fast if Sweden wishes, pointing to Sweden and Finland’s close collaboration with Nato and fact that both countries already meet the alliance’s political and military requirements.

“I can’t say how long it would take, but it could happen fast if you want,” Stoltenberg said of potential Swedish membership.

In discussions on Nato membership, the issue has been raised that Sweden would be extra vulnerable between the time of handing in an application and membership being approved.

But to Sveriges Radio Ekot, Stoltenberg said that he thought it would be possible to find a solution which would give Sweden and Finland military protection during the application phase.

“I’m sure we would be able to find a solution to handle that situation,” Stoltenberg explained, without going in to concrete details on how that would work.

Swedish vocabulary: det kan gå snabbt – it could happen fast