https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The group leaders from parties in the Swedish parliament met on Thursday afternoon to discuss how to rescue the system of pairing-off after the far-right Sweden Democrats shattered the agreement by sending MPs to vote it had agreed to hold back. https://www.thelocal.com/20260430/parliamentary-leaders-in-crisis-meeting-after-sweden-democrat-coup Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:45:37 +0200 parliamentary-leaders-in-crisis-meeting-after-sweden-democrat-coup Sweden’s opposition parties failed to add transitional rules to the new stricter citizenship bill when it was voted through by parliament, meaning the tougher rules will apply even to pending applications when they come into force on June 6th. https://www.thelocal.com/20260429/swedens-parliament-rejects-transitional-rules-for-citizenship-bill Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:21:48 +0200 swedens-parliament-rejects-transitional-rules-for-citizenship-bill Sweden's four opposition parties have included a joint counter-motion in the citizenship bill which goes before parliament on Wednesday, calling for transitional rules to be brought in for existing applications and ongoing appeals. https://www.thelocal.com/20260428/swedens-opposition-submit-joint-text-on-transitional-rules-for-citizenship Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:07:50 +0200 swedens-opposition-submit-joint-text-on-transitional-rules-for-citizenship Budget airline Ryanair said Friday that it would reduce flights to and from Berlin starting in October and relocate aircraft based in the German capital, citing comparatively high costs and taxes. https://www.thelocal.com/20260424/ryanair-to-significantly-cut-flights-from-berlin-from-october Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:06:53 +0200 ryanair-to-significantly-cut-flights-from-berlin-from-october Sweden's government said that the country might need to ration fuel – but there are no imminent plans of doing so – if the Middle East war drags on. https://www.thelocal.com/20260423/sweden-may-have-to-ration-fuel-as-worst-energy-crisis-in-a-long-time-deepens Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:48:41 +0200 sweden-may-have-to-ration-fuel-as-worst-energy-crisis-in-a-long-time-deepens With less than a month until parliament is set to vote on Sweden's biggest citizenship overhaul in years, Spotify Workers Unionen and the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees (TCO) have thrown their support behind a campaign to include transitional rules for those already in the Migration Agency's queue. https://www.thelocal.com/20260402/swedish-union-leaders-warn-haphazard-citizenship-reforms-could-harm-international-reputation Thu, 02 Apr 2026 08:31:41 +0200 swedish-union-leaders-warn-haphazard-citizenship-reforms-could-harm-international-reputation The Swedish government is moving forward with a bill to reject or revoke residency permits of foreigners who are not living up to its standards for good behaviour. https://www.thelocal.com/20260324/summer-2026-sweden-could-start-revoking-residence-permits-over-poor-conduct Tue, 24 Mar 2026 09:35:19 +0100 summer-2026-sweden-could-start-revoking-residence-permits-over-poor-conduct A government inquiry has proposed stripping dual nationals of their Swedish citizenship if they are found guilty of weapons and explosives crimes, money-laundering, or benefits fraud committed "as part of a criminal network". https://www.thelocal.com/20260318/inquiry-proposes-stripping-swedish-citizenship-for-certain-gang-crimes Wed, 18 Mar 2026 10:45:15 +0100 inquiry-proposes-stripping-swedish-citizenship-for-certain-gang-crimes Sweden's government has dropped plans to bring in compulsory language tests for those applying for permanent residency, a spokesperson for Migration Minister Johan Forssell has told The Local. https://www.thelocal.com/20260317/swedish-government-scraps-language-tests-for-permanent-residency Tue, 17 Mar 2026 10:39:43 +0100 swedish-government-scraps-language-tests-for-permanent-residency Volkswagen said Tuesday that it would cut 50,000 jobs in Germany by 2030 as its profit slid to its lowest level since 2016. https://www.thelocal.com/20260310/volkswagen-to-cut-50000-jobs-in-germany-by-2030 Tue, 10 Mar 2026 09:03:59 +0100 volkswagen-to-cut-50000-jobs-in-germany-by-2030 Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson has called for the country’s controversial ‘teen deportations’ to be suspended with immediate effect until a solution has been found. https://www.thelocal.com/20260305/sweden-democrat-leader-calls-for-freeze-on-teen-deportations Thu, 05 Mar 2026 16:10:52 +0100 sweden-democrat-leader-calls-for-freeze-on-teen-deportations Douglas Thor, leader of the Moderate Party’s youth wing, raised the issue of unfair deportations long before it became a top political issue. He isn’t seeking credit – he wants a solution for those affected. https://www.thelocal.com/20260304/moderate-youth-leader-confident-of-solution-for-swedens-teen-deportations Wed, 04 Mar 2026 06:58:30 +0100 moderate-youth-leader-confident-of-solution-for-swedens-teen-deportations Sweden's government recently announced plans to tighten up citizenship rules for all applications from June 6th – even those already in the queue. The Local spoke to Patrick Gallen, spokesperson for Fair Transition, a campaign group calling for transitional rules in the new law. https://www.thelocal.com/20260302/can-this-campaign-group-change-swedish-governments-mind-on-citizenship Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:26:16 +0100 can-this-campaign-group-change-swedish-governments-mind-on-citizenship Germany's largest airline Lufthansa grounded flights on Thursday as a strike by pilots and cabin crew got underway. https://www.thelocal.com/20260212/hundreds-of-flights-cancelled-in-germany-as-lufthansa-staff-strike Thu, 12 Feb 2026 09:42:22 +0100 hundreds-of-flights-cancelled-in-germany-as-lufthansa-staff-strike Sweden is revoking the so-called track changes ('spårbyte') immigration path, which means that thousands of foreign workers may have to leave the country. The Local has looked into the nitty-gritty of who is affected and what their chances of staying are. https://www.thelocal.com/20250324/how-does-swedens-track-change-repeal-affect-work-permit-holders Mon, 24 Mar 2025 10:00:28 +0100 how-does-swedens-track-change-repeal-affect-work-permit-holders Germany's Bundestag on Friday approved a landmark military service law as thousands of school students walked out of classrooms to protest against the return of compulsory assessments for 18-year-olds. https://www.thelocal.com/20251205/german-parliament-passes-military-service-law-as-school-students-protest Fri, 05 Dec 2025 13:48:53 +0100 german-parliament-passes-military-service-law-as-school-students-protest French unions have issued a strike call for December in protest at the 2026 Budget, which is currently being debated in parliament and which one union leader described as a "horror show". https://www.thelocal.com/20251112/french-unions-call-december-strike-over-horror-show-budget-plans Wed, 12 Nov 2025 10:16:05 +0100 french-unions-call-december-strike-over-horror-show-budget-plans Oktoberfest remained closed for much of Wednesday as police investigated a bomb threat and the death of a suspect. Here's what we know so far about the closure and the explosions and blaze in northern Munich. https://www.thelocal.com/20251001/qa-what-we-know-about-the-fire-in-munich-and-why-oktoberfest-closed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 14:59:52 +0200 qa-what-we-know-about-the-fire-in-munich-and-why-oktoberfest-closed Drones flew over multiple airports across Denmark and caused one of them to close for hours, police said on Thursday morning after a similar incident this week prompted Copenhagen airport to shut. https://www.thelocal.com/20250925/multiple-danish-airports-affected-in-new-round-of-drone-flights Thu, 25 Sep 2025 10:03:32 +0200 multiple-danish-airports-affected-in-new-round-of-drone-flights Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabián Picardo has warned that The Rock's new post-Brexit status will make it "a very attractive place" for Britons wanting to skirt Schengen's 90-day rule, adding that an influx of residents could push property prices up. https://www.thelocal.com/20250912/gibraltar-head-fears-influx-of-brits-moving-to-the-rock-to-avoid-90-day-rule Fri, 12 Sep 2025 12:49:11 +0200 gibraltar-head-fears-influx-of-brits-moving-to-the-rock-to-avoid-90-day-rule