Today in Sweden: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Sweden's next PM gets two weeks, security police take over gas leak probe, and forecaster predicts zero growth: find out what's going on in Sweden with The Local's roundup.
Moderate leader given two weeks to form next government
Ulf Kristersson, Sweden's likely next PM, has been given two weeks to strike a deal with the Sweden Democrats, Christian Democrats, and Liberal parties over forming a government after meeting the parliament's speaker on Wednesday.
Kristersson met Andreas Norlén, who was voted back in for a second term as Speaker on Monday, at 11am to give what he described as “a fairly detailed” description of how far the negotiations had progressed.
“In summary, it’s a good situation, we have had constructive discussions,” he said.
Kristersson said in a press conference that he had proposed a two-week period for further talks, with a meeting with Norlén after a week to report on the week’s progress.
Norlén later accepted his proposal.
Sweden's Säpo security police take over pipeline blast investigation
Sweden's Säpo security police force has taken over the investigation into explosions at the Nord Stream undersea gas pipeline. The Swedish Coast Guard's underwater drones are already near the site of the explosions and able to go down and look for evidence.
"Säpo is taking over the investigation because this could be a case of a serious crime which at least partly is directed at Swedish interests. It is also not possible to rule out the involvement of foreign powers," the agency said in a press release.
The coast guard's KBV 003 Amfitrite vehicle is waiting for the signal from the police to send down underwater drones to search for evidence.
"This is not a decision we take ourselves, but if one of the coordinating agencies thinks it would be interesting to get pictures from the leakage area, we are able to help," said Jimmie Broth, a rescue operation leader with the agency.
Swedish vocab: en undervattensfarkost – an underwater vehicle/submarine
Sweden's economic forecaster now expects zero growth next year
Sweden's National Institute of Economic Research, the official government economics forecaster, has warned that Sweden faces an economic slump next year that will see economic growth grind to a complete stop.
With greater than expected energy prices, interest rate rises and inflation, the institute has shaved 1.6 percentage points off its forecast for growth in 2023, leaving GDP flat for the year, at -0.1 percent in market prices, and at 0.1 percent corrected in calendar terms.
The institute now expects unemployment of 7.7 percent in 2023, up from the forecast of 7.5 percent from June.
Swedish vocab: en revidering – a reassessment
Swedish nuclear plants "on alert" after pipeline attacks
Sweden's nuclear power stations at Ringhals and Forsmark have been put on "extra vigilance", as a result of the leaks at the Nordstream 1 and 2 pipelines.
"The threat scenario for Sweden has widened and deepened and is both military and civil," Sweden's Säpo security police said in a statement.
The nuclear power stations were put on high alert following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but were returned to a normal footing later on.
Swedish vocab: skärpt uppmärksamhet – high alert (literally "sharpened vigilance") .
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Moderate leader given two weeks to form next government
Ulf Kristersson, Sweden's likely next PM, has been given two weeks to strike a deal with the Sweden Democrats, Christian Democrats, and Liberal parties over forming a government after meeting the parliament's speaker on Wednesday.
Kristersson met Andreas Norlén, who was voted back in for a second term as Speaker on Monday, at 11am to give what he described as “a fairly detailed” description of how far the negotiations had progressed.
“In summary, it’s a good situation, we have had constructive discussions,” he said.
Swedish vocab: en undervattensfarkost – an underwater vehicle/submarine
Sweden's economic forecaster now expects zero growth next year
Sweden's National Institute of Economic Research, the official government economics forecaster, has warned that Sweden faces an economic slump next year that will see economic growth grind to a complete stop.
With greater than expected energy prices, interest rate rises and inflation, the institute has shaved 1.6 percentage points off its forecast for growth in 2023, leaving GDP flat for the year, at -0.1 percent in market prices, and at 0.1 percent corrected in calendar terms.
The institute now expects unemployment of 7.7 percent in 2023, up from the forecast of 7.5 percent from June.
Swedish vocab: en revidering – a reassessment
Swedish nuclear plants "on alert" after pipeline attacks
Sweden's nuclear power stations at Ringhals and Forsmark have been put on "extra vigilance", as a result of the leaks at the Nordstream 1 and 2 pipelines.
"The threat scenario for Sweden has widened and deepened and is both military and civil," Sweden's Säpo security police said in a statement.
The nuclear power stations were put on high alert following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but were returned to a normal footing later on.
Swedish vocab: skärpt uppmärksamhet – high alert (literally "sharpened vigilance") .
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