Joerg Thoene/ S00065467
Raphaël Cosnard/ S00065323
Luca Giancola/ S00073971
Andrea Hannon/ S00055693
Sweden
Official name:
Capitol:
Government:
King:
First Minister:
Currency:
Konungariket Sverige
Stockholm
Constitutional Monarchy
Carl XVI Gustavo of Sweden
Goran Personn
Swdish Crown
20 November 1959 – The European association of free exchange was established
(E.F.T.A.) to promote the economic collaboration between the European countries.
The participating countries included: Austria, Denmark, Great Britain, Norway,
Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland.
From 6 to 25 – The European union is gradually enlarged thanks to new adherence
that has happened in the course of the time.
The 6 pioneers of 1951 are: Belgium, West Germany, Luxemburg, France, Italy and
Holland.
Denmark, Ireland and United Kingdom became members in 1973, Greece in 1981,
Spain and Portugal in 1986 and Austria, Finland and Sweden in 1995.
In 2004 the European union welcomed the ten new countries: Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovak Republic and
Slovenia.
Bulgaria and Romania are set to join in 2007.
Turkey is also under consideration to join in the near future.
24/25 June 1994 – Austria, Finland, Sweden and Norway were about to sign their
adherence to the E.U., but on the 28th November 1994 a referendum in Norway
rejected their country`s entrance to the E.U.
May 1998 – Official birth of the euro, the sole European currency.
11 Countries of the E.U. join the euro partake in the euro for political reasons.
In Sweden the national coin is the Swedish crown.
2004 – A Costitution for Europe. On October 29th 2004 the Heads of States,
Government and the Ministers of the Foreign Affairs of 29 European Countries
convened in Rome for a ceremony to sign the Treaty, now called the Treaty of Rome,
and of the final action that established a Constitution for Europe.
The Treaty and the final action were signed by 25 members of the European union.
Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania (candidates Countries) only signed the final action.
The member States should now ratify the European Constitution in agreement with
their internal Legislations.
This trial of ratification could last about two years.
The capital of Sweden is called Stockholm it is the largest city in Sweden. It has an
area of 450,000km2 (174, 000, sq.mi) and is the third largest country in Western
Europe. It´s forests-53%, Mountains-11%, Cultivated Land-8%, Lakes and Rivers-9%
the longest north south distance is 1,574km (978mi) and the longest East West
distance is 499km (310mi). The Kingdom of Sweden is a Nordic country in
Scandinavia. It is boarded by Norway in the west, Finland in the northeast, the
Skagerrak Strait and the Kattegat Strait in the southwest, and the Baltic Sea and the
Gulf of Bothnia in the east. It is connected to Denmark in the southwest by the
Oresund Bridge. Sweden has a low population density 20/km2 (185th) except in its
metropolitan areas; with most of the inland consist of forests. The country has large
natural resources of water, timber, and iron ore. Its citizens enjoy a high standard of
living in a country that is generally perceived as modern and liberal. Sweden is
prosperous industrial nation in northern Europe. The people of Sweden have
developed highly prosperous industries based on their country´s three most important
natural resources- timber, which makes up about a fifth of the country exports, a very
high grade iron ore, and water power. Population in Sweden in the 1990 census was
8,587,353 and now this year 2006 there a estimated of 9,090,353.
Sweden became accession to the EU in January the 1st 1995. The currency they used
is Swedish Krona (Sek).
Sweden culture industries have a strong attraction to urban area but an even stronger
propensity to agglomerate. It is suggested that the spatial dynamics observed may be
key to the development of the industries competencies and success. An extensive data
analysis that found that cultural industries make an important contribution to the
Swedish economy and labour market. It concludes by suggesting issues that need
further quantitative and qualitative study.
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the place of culture in the
economy. The term cultural industries encompasses a wide variety of commodified
activities, including the mass media, film, and new media. Art deign, music and
architecture.
Agriculture:
Although Sweden is one of the biggest countries in Europe, its arable land amounts to
Only 2.8 million hectares (1998), about 7 percent of the total land area. The rest of the
Land is covered by forests, mountains, marshlands and lakes
The climate:
Is favourable for farming, in cold winters that inhibit infestations of many crop pests.
However, agricultural conditions and the agricultural structure, activities and
traditions
Different a great deal from south to north; the average temperature in Lund is +8.5
degrees C, compared to -1.2 in Karesuando, and the growing season in Scania in the
south is almost 100 days longer than in Norrbotten in the north. On the other hand, the
long days with the midnight sun in the north during the summer months makes the
growing period intensive and allow production of high quality potatoes, berries and
vegetables. Structural development in Sweden in the past few decades has led to
intensification and specialisation of agriculture and to fewer and larger farms. In 1961
Sweden had 233,000agricultural holdings. By 1998 the number had decreased to
85,600. In 1995 Sweden became an EU member and consequently part of the
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Since then this structural trend has been
intensified and the rate of decline has become somewhat higher in the north. During
the period 1990 to 1998, the average size of a farm grew from 29 to 33 hectares, the
total number of cows decreased while the average number per farm increased from 22
to 30, and the number of pigs per farm increased from 158 to 315. Since 1994, land
use also has changed significantly due to current price and subsidy systems: grain and
sugar production increased by approximately ten percent, while oilseed production
decreased by 60 percent. The production of legumes (peas and beans) increased by
250 percent. Total agricultural production has increased since EU membership in
1995.
EU membership has substantially influenced the economic development of agriculture
In Sweden Product prices are becoming a less important part of the farm economy,
while direct supports are becoming more important.
Services Sector:
Sweden service sector is very heterogeneous. It encompasses all types of activities
from self-employed hot dog vendors to major banks and hospitals. One way of
categorizing the various activities is to distinguish between those in "ordinary markets
subject to competition" - that is, the private sector - and those pursued and/or financed
by governmental bodies - the public sector (mainly health care, education and social
services).
The public sector expanded very rapidly during the 1960s, 70s and 80s. In the late
1950s it accounted for about 10% of jobs. Forty years later its share stood Atmore
than 30%. The public sector share decreased somewhat between 1996 and2000, but
has risen again since then. In 2003 the public sector accounted for 31% of all jobs.
One result of this sharp expansion in the tax-supported public sector is of course that
taxes rose. As a percentage of gross domestic products (GDP), tax revenues climbed
from just over 30% in the late 1950s to more than 50% in the late 1990s and have
stayed at this internationally high level since then. The public sector accounts for a
smaller percentage, less than20%, of GDP.
Due to both financing and organizational problems, the expansion of the Swedish
public sector more or less came to a halt during the 1990s. The focus of public sector
activities has instead, to a growing extent, shifted toward efficiency-raising and
greater exposure to competition. The private service sector, which grew rapidly
during the late 1990s, has instead taken over the role of job-creation engine. Its
expansion is explained in part by outsourcing from industrial companies and the
expansion of household-related sub sectors as the economy improved, but above all
by the rapid growth in company-oriented (also called business-to-business or B2B)
knowledge-intensive services.
Trading Partners:
Distributive Trade the distributive trade, which includes both retailing and wholesaling, accounts for nearly one fifth of overall output value in the service sector and
has nearly 500,000 employees, including business owners. Around 45% of jobs are in
companies with fewer than 50 employees. Meanwhile the importance of large
nationwide chains is clearly growing, especially in retailing. This subsector includes
the IKEA home furnishings and H&M apparel chains, two of the biggest success
stories in Swedish business over the past few decades. After some weak years in the
early 1990s, during a deep recession, the distributive trade grew very rapidly during
the period 1998-2003 as private consumption expanded at a good pace (with the
exception of 2001). Value-added in the distributive trade climbed by an average of
3.5% annually these years.
Examples of trading Partners:
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Hotels and Restaurant
Transportation and Communications
Financial services
Public Services
Company-Oriented Services
Types of contribution of FDI to transition
o ...to the establishment and rise of a private
Sector
o ...to the quality of the market economy
o ...financial resources during capital-intensive
Transformation
o ... to structural change and export
Competitiveness
Contribution of FDI to the quality of the market
Economy
o Elimination of inherited distortions (elimination of
Shortages)
o Rise in productivity
o Lifting services such as telecom and banking form
Neglect
o Contribution to transparency
o Correlation between FDI sales in privatization and
Transparency: 0.67
Focus: rise in productivity
Caveats on financial resources
o Too much inflow in natural resources is
Difficult to manage (e.g. Azerbaijan,
Kazakhstan)
o Ratio may be high when GFCF is far too low
(E.g. Rep. of Moldova, TFYR Macedonia)
o One should also consider FDI-related
Financial outflows (e.g. profit repatriation)
- Consider: capital flight under "national capitalism
Building" may cause even bigger outflows.
Conclusions
o Europe´s geography is changing; EU enlargement
Accelerates that process
o If adequately managed, it may result in a win-win situation
For all countries involved
o Production can get a major boost from the changing
Geography of Europe
o Despite perceptions, there has been no massive relocation
o The competitiveness of new EU members (and other
Economies in transition) is derived from a favourable
Wage/productivity ratio: the policy challenge is to help
Preserve that advantage.
Sweden joined the European Union in 1995. During the Cold War, Europe's nonaligned Western countries, except Ireland, had considered membership unwise as the
then European Community, although not involved in military co-operation, was
strongly associated with NATO countries; following the end of the Cold War,
Sweden, Austria and Finland soon joined. However, in a 2003 consultative
referendum, Swedish citizens declined to adopt the Euro. Sweden remains neutral in
international affairs, and has not joined NATO like its other Scandinavian neighbours.
Sweden's economic performance worsened beginning in the 1970s. Following a
recession in the early 1990s as a result of global economic slowdown, measures were
taken to liberalize the economy. The current government has attempted to maintain
the welfare state while improving the economy. The economic situation has
significantly improved since then. Today, Sweden has a standard of living comparable
to that of other advanced Western European nations, but it is no longer at the very top.
Sweden has had two political murders in recent history. Prime Minister Olof Palme in
1986 and foreign-minister Anna Lindh in 2003.
The Swedish Krona, depicting King Carl XVI Gustaf.
Sweden´s economy is in a phase of growth (2006) and features a modern distribution
system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labour force.
Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily
oriented toward foreign trade. The country has announced its intention to end its
dependency on oil by 2020.
The engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Telecommunications,
the automotive industry and the pharmaceutical industries are of great importance.
Agriculture accounts for only 2% of GDP and 2% of the jobs.
Sweden's industry is overwhelmingly in private control; unlike some other
industrialized Western countries, such as Austria and Italy, publicly owned enterprises
were always of minor importance. 80% of the workforce is organized through the
trade-unions which have the right to elect two representatives to the board in all
Swedish companies with more than 25 employees. The public and the trade-union
controlled pension funds, non-profit organizations and the reserve funds of the tradeunions own more than 50% of Sweden capital.
The government's commitment to fiscal discipline resulted in a substantial budgetary
surplus in 2001; however, this was cut by more than half in 2002 because of the
global economic slowdown and a decline in revenue coupled with an increase in
government spending. The Swedish Riksbank is focusing on price stability with its
inflation target of 2%. Growth is expected to reach 3.3% in 2006. High taxes have
however ensured a higher degree of government influence on household consumption
decisions than in most other Western nations. Public sector spending amounts to 53%
of the GDP; the high figure primarily reflects the large transfer payments of the
Swedish welfare state.
Swedish unemployment figures are highly contested, with the Social-Democrats
defending the official figure of 5.4% (as of 2006) and the centre-right Alliance for
Sweden claiming a much higher figure. These numbers do not, however, include
unemployed people in government programmers (about 2% of the workforce), people
on extended sick-leave, those in early retirement or those outside the unemployment
system. Unemployment is higher amongst younger people. Some analysts speculate
that the unemployment rate for younger people can be as high as 45%. Many Swedes
work abroad in Denmark, Norway and even the UK, where they are desired and
viewed as a skilled workforce. Because of the contradiction - unemployment and
cooperation´s growing economy, politicians and analysts often speak of the "jobless
growth".
Sweden is known for having an even distribution of income, with a Gini coefficient at
0.21 in 2001 (one of the most even income distributions in the industrialized world).
However Sweden still bares scars of the economic crisis in the 1990s, induced by a
glitch in the economic system and poor leadership. The crisis resulted in thousands of
people unemployed and a great national debt. Two remains of the event are the great
economic segregation in the country and the national debt of approximately 1245
milliard Swedish Krona (approx. 133miliard €, 2006.09).
The welfare state requires high taxes. Since the late 1960s, Sweden has had the
highest tax quota (as percentage of GDP) in the industrialized world, but today the
difference is only a couple of percentage points of GDP above that of other high-tax
countries such as France, Belgium and Denmark. Sweden has a two step progressive
tax scale with a municipal income tax of about 30% and an additional high-income
state tax of 20-25% when a salary exceeds roughly 300 000 SEK per year. The
employing company pays an additional 32% of an "employer's fee". In addition, a
national VAT of 25% or 18% is added to many things bought by private citizens, with
the exception of food (12% VAT), transports, and books (6% VAT). Certain items are
taxed at higher rates, e.g. petrol/diesel and alcoholic beverages.
Politics:
The three large "royal mounds" at Gamla Uppsala.
Soon after the end of the last ice age, Sweden became populated by hunters and
gatherers and then farmers during the Stone Age (10 000 BC - 1700 BC). This was
followed by the Bronze Age (1700 - 500 BC) and Iron Age (500 BC - AD 1050).
Societies in Sweden remained on the preliterate tribal and chiefdom levels to the 1st
millennium AD.
Sweden was first mentioned in the 1st century, by Roman historian Tacit us, who
wrote that the Suiones tribe lived out in the sea and were powerful in both arms and
ships. This referred to the inhabitants of eastern Sweden: Svealand, primarily around
Lake Mälaren. From this tribe, Sweden derived its name (see Etymology of Sweden).
The southern parts, on the other hand, were inhabited by the Götar in the Götaland
territory. The northern part, Norrland, was sparsely populated by Sami and possibly
different tribes/people related to the Finns.
During the Viking Age of the 9th and 10th century, Swedish vikings travelled east
setting their mark on the Baltic countries and Russia, whose name probably comes
from the Slavic name for these Vikings: Rus. This name is probably derived from
Roslagen, and is also reflected in the modern Finnish and Estonian name for Sweden:
Ruotsi and Rootsi, respectively. Their routes passed the rivers of Russia down south
to Constantinople and southern Europe.
Middle Ages
With Christianization in the 12th century, the country became consolidated, with its
centre in the agricultural regions of Östergötland and Västergötland and later on also
in the water-ways of the northern Baltic and the Gulf of Finland. In the 14th century
Sweden, like the rest of Europe, was struck by the Black Death (the Plague), with all
its effect.
During the Middle Ages, the expansion of Sweden into the northern wilderness of
Laplandia and Norrbotten, the Scandinavian peninsula, and present-day Finland
continued. Area of present day Finland was a part of Sweden proper from the early
thirteenth century until 1809.
In 1389, Norway, Denmark and Sweden were united under a single monarch in a
treaty known as the Kalmar Union. After several wars and disputes between these
nations, King Gustav I of Sweden (House of Vasa) broke free in 1521 and established
a nation state, considered the foundation of modern Sweden. Shortly afterwards he
rejected Catholicism and led Sweden to the Protestant Reformation. Gustav I am
considered to be Sweden's "Father of the Nation"
Modern history
The 18th and 19th centuries saw a significant population increase, which the writer
Esaias Tegnér in 1833 famously attributed to "the peace, the (smallpox) vaccine, and
the potatoes" [2], with the population doubling between 1750 and 1850. Many looked
towards America for a better life, and although not affluent, many Swedes had
sufficiently high incomes to be able to afford the boat tickets necessary to make the
journey across the Atlantic. It is believed that between 1850 and 1910 more than one
million Swedes moved to the United States. In the early 20th century, more Swedes
lived in Chicago than in Gothenburg (Sweden's second largest city). Most Swedish
immigrants moved to the Midwest United States, with a large population in
Minnesota. Some Swedes also moved to Canada.
Sweden was traditionally less developed than Western Europe (though more affluent
than much of Eastern and Southern Europe); industrialization began in earnest after
1870. During the late 19th century, Sweden was influenced by Protestant temperance
movements, mainly of American origin. As a result of their intense propaganda, it is
often claimed that alcohol consumption was unusually high in Sweden at this time [3].
However, there is no factual ground for believing that alcohol consumption was
higher than in other comparable countries.
Strong grassroots movements sprung up during the latter half of the 19th century
(unions, temperance groups, and independent religious groups). They were all based
on democratic principles and built a strong base for Sweden's migration into a modern
parliamentary democracy, achieved by the time of World War I. As the Industrial
Revolution progressed during the century, people gradually began moving into cities
to work in factories, and became involved in Socialist unions. A Socialist revolution
was avoided in 1917, following the re-introduction of Parliamentarism, and the
country was democratized.
Recent history
By the 1930s Sweden had achieved one of Europe's highest living standards.
Sweden remained neutral during World War I and World War II, although its
neutrality during World War II has been debated. Sweden was forcibly under German
influence for most of the war, as ties to the rest of the world were cut off through
blockades. The Swedish government felt that it was in no position to openly disagree
with Germany, but it did attempt to help the Allies in secret. Many refugees were
saved partly because of Sweden's neutrality, among them many Jews. (See further
Sweden during World War II)
Following the war, Sweden took advantage of intact industrial base, social stability
and its natural resources, making it possible to expand its industry to supply the
rebuilding of Europe, leading it to be one of the richest countries in the world by
1960. Sweden was part of the Marshall Plan but continued to stay non-aligned during
the Cold War, and is still not a member of any military alliance. During most of the
post-war era, the country was ruled by the Swedish Social Democratic Party and
established a welfare state, striving for a "well being for all"-policy.
Sweden joined the European Union in 1995. During the Cold War, Europe's nonaligned Western countries, except Ireland, had considered membership unwise as the
then European Community, although not involved in military co-operation, was
strongly associated with NATO countries; following the end of the Cold War,
Sweden, Austria and Finland soon joined. However, in a 2003 consultative
referendum, Swedish citizens declined to adopt the Euro. Sweden remains neutral in
international affairs, and has not joined NATO like its other Scandinavian neighbours.
Sweden's economic performance worsened beginning in the 1970s. Following a
recession in the early 1990s as a result of global economic slowdown, measures were
taken to liberalize the economy. The current government has attempted to maintain
the welfare state while improving the economy. The economic situation has
significantly improved since then. Today, Sweden has a standard of living comparable
to that of other advanced Western European nations, but it is no longer at the very top.
Sweden has had two political murders in recent history. Prime Minister Olof Palme in
1986, and foreign-minister Anna Lindh in 2003.
Geography
A map of Sweden with largest cities and lakes and most important roads and
railroads, from a printed CIA World Factbook.
View of Gamla Stan in Stockholm.
At 449,964 km² (173,720 square miles), Sweden is the 55th largest country in the
world and the 5th largest in Europe. The country is somewhat larger than the U.S. state
of California, and in 2006 it had a population of 9 million people.
East of Sweden lies the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia, providing a long coastline,
and mellowing the climate. To the west is the Scandinavian mountain chain, a range
that separates Sweden from Norway.
The southern part of the country is predominantly agricultural, with forests covering a
larger percentage of the land the further north one goes. Population density is also
higher in southern Sweden, with centers being in the valley of Lake Mälaren and the
Öresund region.
Gotland and Öland are the largest islands of Sweden.
Sweden enjoys a mostly temperate climate despite its northern latitude, mainly
because of the Gulf Stream. In the south of Sweden, leaf-bearing trees are prolific,
further north pines, spruces and in the very north hardy birches dominate the
landscape. In the mountains of northern Sweden a sub-Arctic climate predominates.
North of the Arctic Circle, the sun never sets for part of each summer, and in the
winter, night is unending for a corresponding period.
Largest municipalities
Denotes inhabitants in the municipality (kommun) area. Area is in km².
The figures are as of March 31, 2006.
Rank Municipality Population Land Area Density
1 Stockholm
774,411
187.74 4,124.91
2 Göteborg
487,028
450.71 1,080.58
3 Malmö
272,634
155.56 1,752.60
4 Uppsala
183,911 2,189.10 84.01
5 Linköping
137,949 1,435.80 96.08
6 Västerås
132,344
962.78 137.46
7 Örebro
128,170 1,380.11 92.87
8 Norrköping 124,729 1,503.61 82.95
9 Helsingborg 122,349
346.25 353.35
10 Jönköping
121,229 1,488.75 81.43
11
Umeå
110,919 2,331.39 47.58
12
Lund
102,452
430.27 238.11
13
Borås
99,645
915.22 108.88
14 Sundsvall
94,121 3,208.70 29.33
15
Gävle
92,257 1,615.07 57.12
Politics:
Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, in which King Carl XVI Gustaf is head of state,
but royal power has long been limited to official and ceremonial functions.
The nation's legislature is the Swedish Parliament (Riksdag), with 349 members.
Parliamentary elections are held every four years. Sweden has been a monarchy for
almost a millennium, with its taxation controlled by the Riksdag (parliament). It
consisted of two chambers, made up by representatives from the 4 estates: clerics,
nobility, townsmen and peasants, until 1866 when Sweden became a Constitutional
monarchy with a bicameral parliament. Its First Chamber was indirectly elected by
local governments, and the Second Chamber directly elected in national elections
every four years.
Developments Over the last decade:
Legislative power was (symbolically) shared between king and parliament until 1975.
In 1971 the Riksdag became unicameral. Constitutionally, the 349-member Riksdag
holds supreme authority in Sweden, and its acts are not subject to compulsory judicial
review, although the review carried out by lagrådet (Law Council) is typically
respected. Acts of the parliament must be made inapplicable at every level if they are
obviously against constitutional laws.
Legislation may be initiated by the Cabinet or by members of Parliament. Members
are elected on the basis of proportional representation for a four-year term. The
Constitution of Sweden can be altered by the Riksdag, which requires a supermajority
and confirmation after the following general elections. Sweden has three other
constitutional laws: the Act of Royal Succession, the Freedom of Press Act and the
Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression.
Executive power was shared between the King and a noble Privy Council until 1680,
followed by the King's autocratic rule initiated by the common estates of the
Parliament. As a reaction to the failed Great Northern War, Parliamentarism was
introduced in 1719, followed by three different flavours of Constitutional Monarchy
in 1772, 1789 and 1809, the latter granting several civil liberties. The monarch
remains as the formal, but merely symbolic head of state with ceremonial duties.
The Swedish Social Democratic Party has played a leading political role since 1917,
after Reformists had confirmed their strength and the revolutionaries left the party.
After 1932, the Cabinets have been dominated by the Social Democrats. Only three
general elections (1976, 1979 and 1991) have given the centre-right bloc enough seats
in Parliament to form a government. It is considered the reason for the Swedish postwar welfare state, with government expenditure of slightly more than 50% of the
gross domestic product. Now the Moderate party won the 2006 election with their
best election since the 1920's.
In May 2006, the following political parties held seats in the Riksdag (the most recent
elections were held in September 2006; the next elections will be held in September
2010):
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Socialdemokraterna (s, Social Democrats): 130 seats, 35.0% (2002: 39.8% of
votes, 144 seats)
Moderaterna (m, Moderates): 97 seats, 26.2% (2002: 15.2% of votes, 55 seats)
Folkpartiet liberalerna (fp, Liberal Party): 28 seats, 7.5% (2002: 13.3% of
votes, 48 seats)
Kristdemokraterna (kd, Christian Democrats): 24 seats, 6.6% (2002: 33 seats,
9.1% of votes)
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Vänsterpartiet (v, Left Party): 22 seats, 5.8% (2002: 28 seats, 8.3% of votes)
Centerpartiet (c, Centre Party): 29 seats, 7.9% (2002: 22 seats, 6.1% of votes)
Miljöpartiet (mp, Greens): 19 seats, 5.2% (2002: 17 seats, 4.6% of votes)
Other parties (SD, F!, Piratpartiet, Junilistan, Sjukvårdspartiet) 5.7%
(There are also 2 members of parliament who have left their respective parties during
this term and are therefore not counted above.)
Sweden has a history of strong political involvement by ordinary people through its
"popular movements" (Folkrörelser in Swedish), the most notable being trade unions,
the women's movement, the temperance movement, and -- more recently -- sports
movement. Election turnout in Sweden has always been high in international
comparisons, although it has declined in recent decades, and is currently around 80%
(80.11 in Sweden general election, 2002).
Cultural Factors : Pro or anti European sentiment, Atlantic or no…
Currently : Sweden’s position towards the EU
Swedish are rather mistrustfully towards European Union. They disapprove
some topics about the common policy like Common agricultutral policy.
Most of the swedish people feel not concerned by the European Union’s life :
for national elections, the voter turnout is very important (80%) whereas the turnout in
elections to the European parliament is lower than this.
In 2003 the Euro has been rejected after a refedum whereas a majority of
party politics was in favor of (or for) the common currency.
Openness is yet another of the fundamental principles of Sweden's public
sector. The opportunity to examine how our politicians and public agencies exercise
their power is a self-evident civil right in Sweden. Internationally, the principle of
publicity is considered so radical that it has been among the constant sources of
friction in the EU, where Swedish representatives have often encountered resistance
and lack of understanding when they have advocated greater openness and
"transparency."
Attitude to the new Constitution:
The ratification by Parliamant has been reported because of the “no” from
France and Netherland.
Voting weight of Sweden:
Sweden has got one representative in the highest decision-making body of the EU.
This is the Council of Ministers. But some decisions must be taken by qualified
majority. In this case, Sweden has 4 votes of a total of 87. There are 626 seats in the
European Parliament and Sweden has got 26 seats. An election for the European
Parliament was held in Sweden for the second time on 13 June 1999.
Sweden also selects one member to the Commission, one member to the European
Court of Auditors, one member to the EC Court of Justice and one member the EC
Court of First Instance and twelve representatives each to the Economic and Social
Committee and the Committee of the Regions.
Furthermore 800 Swedish citizens work as officials in European Union institutions.
Many of these persons are translators and interpreters. One amazing fact is that about
65 per cent of the Swedish workers in the EU institutions are women.
Sweden and the coalitions of like – minded states:
Sweden became a member of the EU in 1995. But some argued that this went against
the policy history of Sweden, also known as the policy of neutrality. This policy was
the reason, why Sweden didn’t join the EU, during the Cold War. This was
incompatible with neutrality. Other people think that this move is a natural extension
of the economic cooperation that had been going on since 1972, with the EU.
The Swedish foreign policy is based on the principle that national security is best
served by staying free of all alliances in peacetime to remain neutral if there will be a
war. But in 2002, Sweden revised its security doctrine. The Security doctrine states
that “Sweden pursues a policy of non – participation in military alliances, “but
permits cooperation in response to threats against peace and security. Swedish foreign
policy has been the result of a large agreement. Sweden cooperates very close with its
Nordic neighbors, formally in economic and social matters through the Nordic
Council of Ministers and informally in political matters through direct consultation.
The United States of America and Sweden have got a Friendship and cooperation
which is very strong and close. The United States welcomes Sweden's continued
independence, secured through self-reliance or in cooperation with other democracies.
Swedish-American friendship is supported by the presence of almost 14 million
Americans of Swedish heritage. Both countries in 1988 celebrated the 350th
anniversary of the first Swedish settlement in the United States.
U.S. direct investment ( FDI ) in Sweden in 2004 was about 2.6 billion Dollar. There
were major investments in computer software and hardware, IT/telecommunications,
industrial goods, and healthcare. But you can also see such foreign direct investment
in many other small countries like Ireland and Lithuania for example.
Levels of support for the EU:
Sweden’s attempts in support of the European integration are organized in at several
levels. There is Sweden’s bilateral support, which means, that Sweden allocated 6.5
billion Swedish krona to cooperation with Central and Eastern Europe since 1989. In
1996 the support amounted to:
(At this time, these States were not in the EU)
Lithuania – SEK 210 million
Latvia – SEK 190 million
Estonia – SEK 130 million
Russia – SEK 100 million
Poland – SEK 40 million
It is to say, that 90% of bilateral support of Sweden goes to these countries. There are
four main objectives of the cooperation between Sweden and the Central and Eastern
Europe states. They want to support the common security and support a socially
sustainable economic transition. Furthermore they want to get a deeper culture of
democracy and support an environmental sustainable economic transition.
Support to the integration of countries:
Many ways have been created specifically to support the integration of the countries
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland into the EU. There are some measures which
are planned by the government of Sweden:
-
Substantial increase in cooperation in the Baltic region
in judicial matters
Increased cooperation with the Baltic countries in
the area of statistics
Increased cooperation in the Baltic region in the area
of job-related safety
increased EU counselling services for Latvia and
Lithuania and Poland
Stronger and more specialized transfer of know how
to the Baltic region and Poland on the single market
and pre-accession issues
SWOT : waste policy
Strengths :
-
-
Awarness from the swedish population about the problem of the pollution.
Swedish government took drastic measures in order to reduce wastes and
preserve environment more hearlier than the others world countries (70’s80’s).
Sweden is one of the first countries in the world to recognise the growing
number of environmental problems.
Sweden installed a Collaboration between polluters and regulators was one
key to the achievements.
Effort to increase the sustainable development.
Opportunities :
-
-
Since the 1970s, Sweden has been among leading countries both in protecting
our own natural scenery and working in the international arena to protect the
global environment.
Sweden is constantly participing in international environmental co-operation.
Sweden is actively involved in many efforts around the world aimed at
seeking international solutions to global environmental problems and securing
sustainable development.
Weaknesses :
-
Sweden hasn’t a big weight like United States, France, Japon or Germany in
the world : a few countries are following as seriously as the Sweden about this
topic.
Treaten :
- The strong countries in the world won’t follow Sweden about waste policy.
Analysis of transposition and implementation of Council Directive 94/62/EC on
packaging and packaging waste:
A directive on the EU level is necessary to prevent and reduce the impact of
packaging on the environment and furthermore to ensure a high level of
environmental protection. Moreover the directive has to ensure a functioning internal
market for packaging. The Directive contains target rates for recovery and recycling.
Sweden has adopted higher target rates than those in the Directive.
The Directive 94/62/EC establishes certain essential requirements regarding the
composition of packaging and the potential of packaging for recycle and recovery.
The purpose section of the Swedish Ordinance corresponds to these requirements.
The Member States shall ensure that only packaging that meets these essential
requirements is placed on the market. The requirements can be met by showing that
the packaging agrees with the relevant harmonized standards, or with relevant
national standards. The Packaging Directive is therefore adopted in harmony with the
new approach in the European Unions product regulations. There are five Swedish
standards concerned with the design of packaging. At present only two of these are
harmonized, but work is under way within the European Committee for
Standardization to come up with new proposals for the essential requirements where
standards are lacking.
The Swedish EPA reports national Swedish packaging data annually to the European
Commission. The results were found to have increased once again in 2001, and
Sweden is now above the Directive's maximum rates for recovery and recycling. All
material specific targets have been reached.
Packaging
Placed on the
Recycled,
Energy
Recycled %
market
(tonnes)
recovery
Recovery %
Glass
165,000
151,200
-
92
-
Plastics
164,941
28,283
85,228
17
69
Paper
632,800
405,799
1,482
64
64
Metal
66,247
31,900
-
48
-
Wood
393,131
63,028
328,848
16
99
Total
1,422,119
680,210
415,558
48
77