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 Embracing the Sweden Democrats was supposed to give the Liberals access to much needed support from their allies. The risk is that it pushes their poll ratings even further into the basement, argues The Local's James Savage. https://www.thelocal.com/20260318/politics-in-sweden-hugging-akesson-close-could-be-the-kiss-of-death-for-liberals Wed, 18 Mar 2026 07:18:08 +0100 politics-in-sweden-hugging-akesson-close-could-be-the-kiss-of-death-for-liberals The Local and several other Swedish news sites have made the decision to name Migration Minister Johan Forssell as the government minister whose close relative has been linked to white supremacist groups. The Local Sweden's editor explains the decision. https://www.thelocal.com/20250709/why-are-swedish-media-suddenly-naming-forssell-as-minister-in-white-supremacism-scandal Wed, 09 Jul 2025 18:38:24 +0200 why-are-swedish-media-suddenly-naming-forssell-as-minister-in-white-supremacism-scandal Simona Mohamsson vowed to bring 'tough love' to immigration and integration politics in her first speech as party leader. Will one of her first moves be to change the Liberals' stance on the far-right Sweden Democrats, asks The Local Sweden's Editor Emma Löfgren. https://www.thelocal.com/20250625/politics-in-sweden-who-is-the-new-leader-of-the-struggling-liberals Wed, 25 Jun 2025 09:18:12 +0200 politics-in-sweden-who-is-the-new-leader-of-the-struggling-liberals The deadline to nominate the leader of Sweden's Liberal Party has passed with Climate Minister Romina Pourmokhtari far out in front. But as the choices made by the party's three top districts remain secret, there's still a chance of a surprise. https://www.thelocal.com/20250521/can-anyone-beat-the-favourite-to-lead-swedens-liberal-party Wed, 21 May 2025 14:11:48 +0200 can-anyone-beat-the-favourite-to-lead-swedens-liberal-party In the days after Sweden's new security adviser, Tobias Thyberg, stepped down over "sensitive" pictures from an old account on the Grindr dating app, people in Sweden are starting to ask whether it was right for him to go, writes The Local's Nordic Editor Richard Orange. https://www.thelocal.com/20250514/moral-panic-sweden-divided-after-leaked-grindr-pics-topple-adviser Wed, 14 May 2025 10:58:32 +0200 moral-panic-sweden-divided-after-leaked-grindr-pics-topple-adviser When Hamas attacked Israel on October 2023, the right-wing parties in Sweden slammed the left for being too close to Palestinian groups. Now Israel is preparing a new Gaza invasion, the boot is on the other foot, writes The Local's Nordic Editor Richard Orange. https://www.thelocal.com/20250507/how-israels-invasion-of-gaza-became-swedish-party-politics-again Wed, 07 May 2025 12:18:46 +0200 how-israels-invasion-of-gaza-became-swedish-party-politics-again Russia said on Thursday it would treat Ukrainian strikes on transport infrastructure using German Taurus long-range missiles as "direct participation" in the conflict by Berlin. https://www.thelocal.com/20250418/russia-warns-germany-against-supplying-taurus-missiles-to-ukraine Fri, 18 Apr 2025 17:44:04 +0200 russia-warns-germany-against-supplying-taurus-missiles-to-ukraine When Sweden's government announced its final plans for financing new nuclear, it had clearly learned some lessons from the criticism the draft proposal received last autumn. But not, perhaps, the right ones, argues The Local's Nordic Editor Richard Orange. https://www.thelocal.com/20250402/ideological-swedens-government-shrugs-off-criticism-of-nuclear-funding-plan Wed, 02 Apr 2025 11:48:54 +0200 ideological-swedens-government-shrugs-off-criticism-of-nuclear-funding-plan The centre-left Social Democrats, and not the conservative Moderates, are the long-term 'natural partners' for the far-right Sweden Democrats, a senior member of the populist party's ruling committee has claimed. Why is the party making overtures to its historic arch enemy? https://www.thelocal.com/20250326/why-are-the-sweden-democrats-making-overtures-to-the-social-democrats Wed, 26 Mar 2025 11:54:23 +0100 why-are-the-sweden-democrats-making-overtures-to-the-social-democrats The knives have been out for Centre Party leader Muharrem Demirok since last summer and on Monday he finally gave up the fight, announcing his resignation. Will his replacement be in a position to choose Sweden's next prime minister? https://www.thelocal.com/20250225/could-a-new-centre-leader-determine-swedens-next-pm Tue, 25 Feb 2025 12:59:50 +0100 could-a-new-centre-leader-determine-swedens-next-pm European leaders are reeling from from the new US administration's statements on Ukraine, European defence, and European politics, so how are politicians in Sweden positioning themselves for President Donald Trump's new world order? https://www.thelocal.com/20250220/ice-in-the-stomach-swedish-politicians-react-to-trumps-new-world-order Thu, 20 Feb 2025 10:04:35 +0100 ice-in-the-stomach-swedish-politicians-react-to-trumps-new-world-order Sweden's government parties already have the parliamentary majority they need to drive through stricter citizenship rules, but their Sweden Democrat allies want to go even further. Here are the different parties' positions. https://www.thelocal.com/20250122/politics-in-sweden-how-political-parties-want-to-change-citizenship-rules Wed, 22 Jan 2025 11:30:06 +0100 politics-in-sweden-how-political-parties-want-to-change-citizenship-rules This is the year on which the Swedish right-wing parties' decision to open up to the Sweden Democrats will be judged. Will far-reaching reforms to migration, criminal justice and nuclear power be realised, asks The Local's Nordic Editor Richard Orange. https://www.thelocal.com/20250107/politics-in-sweden-why-2025-is-an-ox-year-for-swedens-government Tue, 07 Jan 2025 18:08:07 +0100 politics-in-sweden-why-2025-is-an-ox-year-for-swedens-government "Call it an ultimatum if you want," exclaimed Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar as she laid out in the starkest terms yet that her party plans to insist on ministerial positions in a future government. Is she serious, asks The Local's Nordic Editor Richard Orange. https://www.thelocal.com/20241203/is-the-left-party-serious-about-blocking-a-government-it-isnt-part-of Tue, 03 Dec 2024 13:16:45 +0100 is-the-left-party-serious-about-blocking-a-government-it-isnt-part-of Sweden's government has announced plans to use existing rules to slow down the award of Swedish citizenships, potentially forcing tens of thousands of people to wait three years or more longer than they hoped. https://www.thelocal.com/20241130/swedish-government-announces-deal-to-slow-down-sweden-citizenship-awards Sat, 30 Nov 2024 12:20:33 +0100 swedish-government-announces-deal-to-slow-down-sweden-citizenship-awards Sweden's government will soon receive the conclusions of its inquiry into forcing school and health workers to report undocumented migrants. Might it be about to clash with the Sweden Democrats over how to interpret the deal that gave it power, asks The Local's Nordic Editor Richard Orange. https://www.thelocal.com/20241119/how-swedens-snitch-law-is-putting-the-tido-agreement-to-the-test Tue, 19 Nov 2024 13:02:32 +0100 how-swedens-snitch-law-is-putting-the-tido-agreement-to-the-test The shock election of Donald Trump provided the perfect opportunity for Sweden's prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, to display his statesmanlike qualities, Nordic Editor Richard Orange explains in this week's Politics in Sweden. https://www.thelocal.com/20241112/politics-in-sweden-how-trumps-victory-let-swedens-pm-show-off-his-gravitas Tue, 12 Nov 2024 12:34:21 +0100 politics-in-sweden-how-trumps-victory-let-swedens-pm-show-off-his-gravitas Sunday was the first party leader debate since the announcement of a budget that rewards well-off voters with sizeable tax cuts. But after an autumn of scandals, the opposition failed to cut through, writes The Local's Nordic Editor Richard Orange. https://www.thelocal.com/20241015/politics-in-sweden-the-opposition-failed-to-land-a-killer-blow-on-tax-cuts-for-the-rich Tue, 15 Oct 2024 17:53:07 +0200 politics-in-sweden-the-opposition-failed-to-land-a-killer-blow-on-tax-cuts-for-the-rich Next week, Sweden's Deputy Prime Minister, Ebba Busch, will attend the India Sweden Innovation Day in Stockholm in person for the first time, showing that India's green transition matters even to her less-than-green government, writes The Local's Nordic Editor Richard Orange. https://www.thelocal.com/20241008/why-partnering-india-in-the-green-transition-matters-even-to-this-swedish-government Tue, 08 Oct 2024 13:03:15 +0200 why-partnering-india-in-the-green-transition-matters-even-to-this-swedish-government Sweden's government on Monday kicked off work on the item on its to-do list over which it is perhaps most divided: a national ban on begging. https://www.thelocal.com/20241001/politics-in-sweden-swedens-government-enters-trickier-territory-with-begging-ban Tue, 01 Oct 2024 11:49:25 +0200 politics-in-sweden-swedens-government-enters-trickier-territory-with-begging-ban