Today in Sweden: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson celebrates 60th birthday, supreme commander explains criticised side business, Swedish casinos close due to falling revenue, and much more in the latest news.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson celebrates 60th birthday
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson invited around 350 people to a party on Wednesday to celebrate his 60th birthday. The list of invitees included high-profile business people, public officials, diplomats, and politicians. Around 260 people said yes, reports Swedish news agency TT.
The party has been making headlines in Sweden after it was revealed that the taxpayer would foot the bill. It is not yet known how much it cost, but TT reveals that former Prime Minister Stefan Löfven's 60th birthday reception for around 180 guests in 2017 cost 79,000 kronor.
Kristersson also held a private party on Saturday, which his representatives said he paid for out of his own pocket, with 60-70 invitees.
Swedish vocabulary: a birthday party – en födelsedagsfest
Supreme commander explains criticised side business
The supreme commander of Sweden's Armed Forces, Micael Bydén, has faced criticism after he registered a private business together with his partner, former police intelligence head Linda Staaf, while still in his role as military chief.
The business, a limited company, is called Byden Ops and is described as a consultancy firm in "strategic global analysis, business development and leadership".
Critics argue that owning a side business risks damaging public confidence in Bydén and lead to concerns that he's not fully focused on his main job. According to Bydén, the company is currently dormant and will only become active once he leaves the Armed Forces.
His current contract runs until September this year.
In a letter to Armed Forces staff, seen by public broadcaster Sveriges Radio's news programme Ekot, he writes that the mere notion that setting up a consultancy business would affect his role as supreme commander never struck him. "After 42 years in the Armed Forces, of which nine as its boss, that thought is unreasonable to me, I'm that steeped in loyalty to our mission," he writes.
Swedish vocabulary: a limited company – ett aktiebolag
Swedish casinos close due to falling revenues
Sweden's state-owned casinos in Gothenburg and Malmö are set to close, after years of dwindling visitor numbers and revenues.
"We have long seen a trend that more and more people are gambling online. In the past ten years, online casinos have grown rapidly which changes the opportunities to run physical casinos," Patrik Hofbauer, CEO of Svenska Spel, said in a press statement.
Casino Cosmopol currently employs around 120 people in Gothenburg and 80 people in Malmö.
After the closure, Casino Cosmopol in Stockholm will be Sweden's only remaining brick-and-mortar casino.
Swedish vocabulary: to gamble – att spela (att spela can also mean "to play" in a non-gambling sense)
Sweden moves to tighten up requirements for citizenship via notification
Under proposed new rules, people suspected or convicted of committing certain crimes, deemed a threat to Swedish security or connected to "certain groups and organisations" would be barred from citizenship via notification.
Currently, Swedish citizenship can be granted at birth or following adoption, through notification or through application.
Citizenship through notification – medborgarskap genom anmälan – is available to children who have lived in Sweden for at least three years (two if stateless), young adults between 18 and 21 who have lived in Sweden since they turned 13 (15 if stateless) and Nordic citizens.
The requirements for citizenship through notification are not as restrictive as citizenship through application (medborgarskap genom ansökan). The proposed new rules would tighten up the requirements for the former.
Swedish vocabulary: a crime – ett brott
Hungarian PM: Government 'supports Nato membership of Sweden'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Wednesday said he reaffirmed in a phone call with Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg his "support" for Sweden's membership to the security alliance. Hungary remains the last holdout to ratify Sweden's Nato bid.
"I reaffirmed that the Hungarian government supports the Nato membership of Sweden," Orbán wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"I also stressed that we will continue to urge the Hungarian National Assembly to vote in favour of Sweden's accession and conclude the ratification at the first possible opportunity," he added.
Turkey's parliament on Tuesday ratified Sweden's Nato membership after more than a year of delays that upset Western efforts to show resolve in the face of Russia's war on Ukraine.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to sign Sweden's ratification document and conclude Ankara's role in the protracted saga in the coming days.
Swedish vocabulary: to sign – att skriva under
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Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson celebrates 60th birthday
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson invited around 350 people to a party on Wednesday to celebrate his 60th birthday. The list of invitees included high-profile business people, public officials, diplomats, and politicians. Around 260 people said yes, reports Swedish news agency TT.
The party has been making headlines in Sweden after it was revealed that the taxpayer would foot the bill. It is not yet known how much it cost, but TT reveals that former Prime Minister Stefan Löfven's 60th birthday reception for around 180 guests in 2017 cost 79,000 kronor.
Kristersson also held a private party on Saturday, which his representatives said he paid for out of his own pocket, with 60-70 invitees.
Swedish vocabulary: a birthday party – en födelsedagsfest
Supreme commander explains criticised side business
The supreme commander of Sweden's Armed Forces, Micael Bydén, has faced criticism after he registered a private business together with his partner, former police intelligence head Linda Staaf, while still in his role as military chief.
The business, a limited company, is called Byden Ops and is described as a consultancy firm in "strategic global analysis, business development and leadership".
Critics argue that owning a side business risks damaging public confidence in Bydén and lead to concerns that he's not fully focused on his main job. According to Bydén, the company is currently dormant and will only become active once he leaves the Armed Forces.
His current contract runs until September this year.
In a letter to Armed Forces staff, seen by public broadcaster Sveriges Radio's news programme Ekot, he writes that the mere notion that setting up a consultancy business would affect his role as supreme commander never struck him. "After 42 years in the Armed Forces, of which nine as its boss, that thought is unreasonable to me, I'm that steeped in loyalty to our mission," he writes.
Swedish vocabulary: a limited company – ett aktiebolag
Swedish casinos close due to falling revenues
Sweden's state-owned casinos in Gothenburg and Malmö are set to close, after years of dwindling visitor numbers and revenues.
"We have long seen a trend that more and more people are gambling online. In the past ten years, online casinos have grown rapidly which changes the opportunities to run physical casinos," Patrik Hofbauer, CEO of Svenska Spel, said in a press statement.
Casino Cosmopol currently employs around 120 people in Gothenburg and 80 people in Malmö.
After the closure, Casino Cosmopol in Stockholm will be Sweden's only remaining brick-and-mortar casino.
Swedish vocabulary: to gamble – att spela (att spela can also mean "to play" in a non-gambling sense)
Sweden moves to tighten up requirements for citizenship via notification
Under proposed new rules, people suspected or convicted of committing certain crimes, deemed a threat to Swedish security or connected to "certain groups and organisations" would be barred from citizenship via notification.
Currently, Swedish citizenship can be granted at birth or following adoption, through notification or through application.
Citizenship through notification – medborgarskap genom anmälan – is available to children who have lived in Sweden for at least three years (two if stateless), young adults between 18 and 21 who have lived in Sweden since they turned 13 (15 if stateless) and Nordic citizens.
The requirements for citizenship through notification are not as restrictive as citizenship through application (medborgarskap genom ansökan). The proposed new rules would tighten up the requirements for the former.
Swedish vocabulary: a crime – ett brott
Hungarian PM: Government 'supports Nato membership of Sweden'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Wednesday said he reaffirmed in a phone call with Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg his "support" for Sweden's membership to the security alliance. Hungary remains the last holdout to ratify Sweden's Nato bid.
"I reaffirmed that the Hungarian government supports the Nato membership of Sweden," Orbán wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"I also stressed that we will continue to urge the Hungarian National Assembly to vote in favour of Sweden's accession and conclude the ratification at the first possible opportunity," he added.
Turkey's parliament on Tuesday ratified Sweden's Nato membership after more than a year of delays that upset Western efforts to show resolve in the face of Russia's war on Ukraine.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to sign Sweden's ratification document and conclude Ankara's role in the protracted saga in the coming days.
Swedish vocabulary: to sign – att skriva under
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