The Local Europe 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 Sweden developing state-issued alternative to BankID Both Swedish citizens and registered foreign residents of Sweden will be eligible for the planned government-issued electronic identification and verification service, which is currently being developed by the Swedish Police Agency. https://www.thelocal.com/20260309/sweden-developing-state-issued-alternative-to-bankid Mon, 09 Mar 2026 10:03:48 +0100 sweden-developing-state-issued-alternative-to-bankid Are Swedes funny? Explaining the many types of Swedish jokes Swedes generally get lumped in with the Germans as a nation with no sense of humour (unlike their slightly funnier neighbours the Dutch, Danish and Norwegians). But it's not true! Or not entirely, anyway. Swedes do have a sense of humour, it's just a bit different. Here's The Local's contributor Richard Orange's guide to help you recognise when a Swede is trying to be funny. https://www.thelocal.com/20210311/are-swedes-funny-the-many-types-of-swedish-jokes Thu, 11 Mar 2021 15:07:50 +0100 are-swedes-funny-the-many-types-of-swedish-jokes 'Norwegian office workers are lazy': How do Swedes rate life in Norway? What’s the difference between living in Sweden and Norway? Is life in one country better than the other? Who better to ask than three unbiased Swedes living in Norway. https://www.thelocal.com/20251017/norwegian-office-workers-are-lazy-how-do-swedes-rate-life-in-norway Fri, 17 Oct 2025 13:24:44 +0200 norwegian-office-workers-are-lazy-how-do-swedes-rate-life-in-norway Why are temperatures of 25C considered a heatwave in Sweden? In other parts of the world, 25C (77F) is an average summer’s day, so why do Swedes feel the heat more, and what can be done to mitigate the effect of heatwaves in the future? https://www.thelocal.com/20240626/why-are-temperatures-of-25c-considered-a-heatwave-in-sweden Wed, 26 Jun 2024 17:07:50 +0200 why-are-temperatures-of-25c-considered-a-heatwave-in-sweden Buying my first apartment in Sweden: How we won the bidding war Learn Swedish. Get a personnummer. Go cashless. Moving to a new country means going through a series of 'firsts'. The Local's reader Alexander de Nerée writes about some of the challenges, quirks and adventures he has faced since moving to Sweden. https://www.thelocal.com/20210407/buying-my-first-apartment-in-sweden-how-we-won-the-bidding-war Wed, 07 Apr 2021 12:20:16 +0200 buying-my-first-apartment-in-sweden-how-we-won-the-bidding-war Why do Swedes and Danes insist on pretending they speak the same language? There's something heroic about the way Danes and Swedes insist on trying to communicate with one another using their own languages, but more often than not end up nodding, smiling, and only pretending to understand. Why not give up and just speak English? https://www.thelocal.com/20210429/why-do-swedes-and-danes-insist-on-pretending-they-speak-the-same-language Thu, 29 Apr 2021 11:20:29 +0200 why-do-swedes-and-danes-insist-on-pretending-they-speak-the-same-language Swedish alcohol monopoly Systembolaget to trial self-checkout tills Swedish alcohol monopoly store Systembolaget will roll out self-checkout tills in two of its stores. https://www.thelocal.com/20210913/swedish-alcohol-monopoly-systembolaget-to-trial-self-checkout-tills Mon, 13 Sep 2021 14:41:54 +0200 swedish-alcohol-monopoly-systembolaget-to-trial-self-checkout-tills