EU-DIGEST

Labels: Car Industry, EU, Saab, Spyker, Sweden

Labels: Broadband, EU, Sweden

The infamous sign was stolen on December 17 but shortly afterwards it was recovered and five suspects were arrested.

On Tuesday, officials in Warsaw confirmed that Poland was to formally seek the request of Sweden in investigating the theft, confirming that Polish authorities suspect a Swedish link in the crime.

Labels: EU, Neo Nazis, Poland, Sweden

Sweden’s Minister for Finance Anders Borg yesterday presented an updated economic prognosis and said that “Sweden has landed on its feet”. The jobless rate will start to decline already next year and public finances will gradually be back to balance and surplus, but stimulus packages should continue to operate under 2010 and 2011, Borg added. Earlier this fall Anders Borg presented the budget bill as an ‘crisis budget’ and talked about an financial ‘wolf winter’. When he yesterday held a press conference about the economic situation, words like these where absent. Instead an overall positive picture was painted, albeit with some saving clauses.

The recovery of the Swedish economy is somewhat stronger than assumed in the forecast in the Budget for 2010. This because of stronger international developments and that the financial situation has improved. But also because household wealth has increased and that uncertainty has declined among them and among enterprises.

Labels: EU, Sweden

Sweden - Further deaths linked to swine flu vaccine

Health investigators are under more pressure as two elderly women are reported to have died, days after receiving the swine flu vaccine. It brings the total number of deaths linked to the vaccine in Sweden to four. The two latest deaths were reported to the Swedish Medical Products Agency (Läkemedelsverket) on Friday. A 74-year-old woman from Sollefteå in northern Sweden died four days after receiving the swine flu vaccine. The woman, who suffered from heart and lung disease, was classified as a high-risk patient. Läkemedelsverket are currently investigating circumstances surrounding the deaths of two high-risk patients, a 50-year-old man with a serious heart condition and woman with an acute muscle disease. “It’s important to says that they had complicated illnesses,“ Gunilla Sjölin Forslund from Läkemedelsverket told news agency TT.

Sweden launched a mass vaccination programme in a bid to control the flu pandemic on October 12th. Cases of swine flu reached record levels last week with 198 new cases in comparison to 93 the previous week.

Labels: EU, Sweden, Swine Flu

Sweden tells Israel it can’t address ‘organ theft’ article and gives them a lesson in Democracy

On Monday, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Europe for what is expected to be a tough round of bilateral talks with European leaders, Mr. Reinfeldt called for a ”toning down” of the debate surrounding an article by Aftonbladet, Sweden’s largest circulation tabloid newspaper.

Last week, the newspaper created an uproar among many in Israel, most notably the country’s foreign minister Avigor Lieberman, when it published an article suggesting the Israeli military had been involved in stealing the organs of Palestinians men in the early 1990s. Mr. Lieberman and others accused Sweden of antisemitism and compared the article to the medieval “blood libel” that accused Jews of bathing in the blood of Christian children. They demanded the Swedish government denounce the story, which hinged entirely on unnamed sources. But Reinfeldt, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, said that the Swedish constitution prohibits his government from interfering in the country’s media or passing judgment on media reports. “I don’t think that democratic nations should demand one another to break their constitutional laws,” he told Swedish public television.

”When I follow the debate in Israel I feel a need to explain what type of society Sweden is, and that we do not have a uniform view of Jews or Muslims or of individual countries. We have a free and open debate - people think differently and that is permitted. Jews, Christians, atheists and Muslims live side by side in this country in mutual respect. That is something we value.”

Labels: EU, Israel, Sweden

EUROPEAN PIRATE PARTY MOVEMENT- Swedish Pirate Party MEP Christian Engström: ‘Europe stronger than US’ - by Waldemar Ingdahl

"The Swedish pirate party program claims three things: to strive to reform laws regarding copyright and patents, strengthening the right to internet and daily privacy and increasing the transparency of government administration. The pirate party gained one seat in the 736-strong European parliament after winning 7.1% of the Swedish vote in June 2009, coming fifth after the social democrats, greens, liberals and the moderate party. It would acquire another if the Lisbon treaty is ratified; the EU aims to see that in force by 2010. 26 EU countries have ratified the treaty, except for Ireland, who are due to hold a referendum due on 2 October. On 25 June, Christian Engström joined the green bloc, a move to avoid being marginalized in the EP. But the pirate party, now the third largest party in Sweden, is a representative of a set of ideas of its own; is it setting sail towards further success or facing its first gust of ideological high seas?"

Engström was an open source software developer and entrepreneur in the first wave of Swedish internet expansion in the nineties. He was a volunteer activist for the foundation for a free information infrastructure (FFII). Between 2004 and 2005 he lobbied in the European parliament in a dispute over the software patents directive. The struggle was a great success for Engström as the parliament rejected the directive in its second reading. The success of the free software movement, in combination with a continuing increase in the conflict between internet pirates and the record industry, gave the impulse for a new set of ideas. The ground was particularly favorable in Sweden.

According to the Pirate Party, intellectual property laws written pre-internet are just out of date. Today the entire Internet is based on copying stuff. Each time you load a web page, your computer is, in fact, copying a set of files from another computer. You could argue that digital copying is so seamless that nearly everyone could become a "pirate" by virtue of the technology. At least, that's what pirate parties across Europe are saying – and they’re in many countries. You can find them in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Ukraine, Russia, Austria and Switzerland. There's also the Czech Pirate Party and the Estonian Pirate Party. Both were founded last month. And now there’s one in Switzerland. The pirate parties are calling for shorter copyright terms, the elimination of patents and broader online privacy rights. So far, the European Pirate Parties don’t have much political power, but last month, a German member of Parliament left the Social Democrats and joined the Pirate Party. And the Swedish Pirate Party did well enough in the recent European Union parliamentary elections to secure one of the country’s seats.

Please click on this link if you are interested to start a Pirate Party in your own country.

Labels: Elections, EU, Germany, Pirate Party, Politics, Sweden

Iran says Europe no longer qualified to conduct nuclear talks- by Lucia Kubosova

Iran says Europe is no longer qualified to hold nuclear talks due to its meddling with the post-election protests in the country, with Sweden, as the new EU presidency, calling up officials from the 27-member bloc to discuss the next diplomatic move. The EU has played a significant part in international efforts to make Tehran comply with the world's rules on nuclear power. Three EU states - Germany, France, and the UK - have been leading the negotiations along with the US, Russia and China. Speaking to journalists at the official opening of the presidency, Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeld made clear that Europe wants to support the democratic forces in Iran but also avoid isolating the country from the rest of the world. "That's the balance we need to strike," he said.

EU-Digest: Mr. Fredrik Reinfeld is certainly capable in coming up with a stronger comment than this "wishy-washy" statement he made on Iran?

Labels: Democracy, EU, Iran, Nuclear proliferation, Sanctions, Sweden

Sarkozy cancels Sweden visit over Turkey- by Elitsa Vucheva

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has canceled a visit to Sweden scheduled for next Tuesday (2 June) in order to avoid a clash on the question of Turkey's EU membership just days before the European elections and a month before Stockholm takes over the EU's rotating presidency. Officially, Mr Sarkozy's office said the trip was cancelled "for agenda reasons." Sweden favours further EU enlargement, including to Turkey. On Monday this week, Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt told Le Figaro newspaper that the EU had "a strategic interest" in Turkey's EU integration and warned against "closing the door" to Ankara. "If we judge Cyprus to be in Europe, although it is as in island along Syria's shores, it is hard not to consider that Turkey is in Europe," Mr Bildt said, referring to Mr Sarkozy's repeated statements that Turkey is not a European country and does not belong to Europe.

In a reference to aid plans for the car industry - very much promoted by Mr Sarkozy - the Swedish top diplomat said that for him, "spending taxpayers' money to subsidise existing structures is a very good way of wasting money."

Labels: EU, France, Sweden, Turkey

Ericsson and WWF Sweden Want ICT to Be 'Carbon-Posititve'

Telecom giant Ericsson and World Wildlife Fund Sweden want to encourage the information and communication technology (ICT) sector to become “climate-positive” and help other sectors reduce their emissions. Climate-positive means a company’s products help avoid more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than the amount produced by the company internally. Research suggests the ICT industry generates about 2 percent of global GHGs, but its products have the potential to reduce emissions in other sectors by more than 15 percent.

The partnership's three general areas of focus include the development of methodology for calculating the carbon dioxide savings from avoiding emissions; integrating low-carbon telecom technologies into municipal climate strategies; and creating a support platform for other partnerships that foster the transition to a low carbon economy.

Labels: EU, Sony Ericsson, Sweden, WWF

The Swedish Gripen

For the complete report from the Defense News click on this link

Interview: Sten Tolgfors - Minister of Defense Sweden

Sten Tolgfors is overseeing the biggest restructuring of Sweden's armed forces in modern times. Regarded as a reformer - with strong problem-solving, analytical and negotiating skills fine-tuned during his earlier stint as minister for foreign trade - Tolgfors was appointed defense minister in September 2007, after the resignation of his Swedish Moderate Party colleague Mikael Odenberg. Tolgfors' spell in the Foreign Trade Ministry became apparent soon after he arrived at the Defense Ministry, when programs designed to internationalize Sweden's armed forces were accelerated and a greater degree of economic accountability was placed on defense budgeting and spending.

Sweden's Defense profile: ■ 2009 defense budget: $5 billion (1.48 percent of gross domestic product), including $1.6 billion for procurement. ■ Major defense programs: Gripen EF fighter aircraft, Archer artillery, Visby-class corvettes and NH90 helicopters. ■ Armed forces personnel: 47,000, including 21,000 in the Army, 5,000 in the Navy, 8,000 in the Air Foce, 7,500 in command and control, and 5,500 in logistics. ■ Deployed troops: 1,000 serving on missions in Afghanistan, Chad, Congo, Kosovo, the Middle East and Sudan.

Labels: EU, European Defense Force, Gripen, Sweden

Sony Ericsson Cuts Swedish Staff by 400 - by Mikael Ricknäs

Mobile phone manufacturer Sony Ericsson will reduce its workforce by about 400 people in Lund, Sweden, cutting 160 employees and 250 consultants, the company announced on Friday. The site in Lund had a workforce of about 4,000, including 1,000 consultants, before the cuts, according to a spokesman. One hundred consultants were already shown the door in April, a statement said. The cutbacks are part of a plan to lower its global workforce by approximately 2,000 people -- out of a total 10,000 -- by the middle of next year. The plan was announced on April 17, when the company announced its results for the first quarter of 2009.

Labels: Economy, EU, Sony Ericsson, Sweden, Unemployment

Saab Makes Case for Gripen as F-X2 Choice - by Antonie Boessaenkool

In a press briefing at the Latin America Aerospace and Defense conference, executives of Swedish company Saab appealed to Brazil's desire to gain technology through its fighter jet competition, and said Saab would make offset investments in Brazil equal to the size of the contract, which Brazil plans to award this year. The euro 1.88billion ($2.2b) competition for 36 fighters pits the Gripen against Boeing's F-18 and Dassault's Rafale.

Bob Kemp, Gripen International's sales and marketing director says: "More than 99 percent of fighters worldwide come from the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and I can tell you those guys don't go around handing out their technology. That's why they still have over 99 percent of the market. If you want to do something different and control your own destiny, there is only one choice, and that is Sweden's Gripen." Saab has completed 78 test flights with the Next-Generation Gripen it is proposing for Brazil's contest, Kemp said. The company received nine requests for proposals or for information involving the Gripen from countries worldwide.

Labels: EU, Gripen, Netherlands, Sweden

Sweden Backs Turkey for EU Membership - by Bao Congying

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said Tuesday that Sweden supports Turkey's bid to join the European Union (EU). Reinfeldt made the remarks at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan following their talks in the Turkish capital.

"Turkey belongs to Europe. Turkey is a crucial country for Europe. With its regional role and young population, Turkey carries strategic importance for the EU," Reinfeldt said.

"Topics such as press freedom, freedom of expression, religious minorities, cultural rights, and the socioeconomic situation in southeastern Anatolia may be brought up in the EU process. The establishment of a TV channel in Kurdish in Turkey was an important step," Reinfeldt said.

Labels: EU, EU enlargement, Fredrik Reinfeldt, Sweden, Turkey

Sweden allows same-sex marriage

The Swedish Parliament voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to recognise same-sex marriage, becoming the fifth country in Europe to do so. Sweden was one of the first countries to give gay couples legal "partnership" rights, in the mid-1990s, and allowed them to adopt children from 2002. The new law lets homosexuals wed in either a civil or religious ceremony, though individual churches can opt out. The law was passed by 226 votes to 22 and will come into force on 1 May.

Labels: EU, Gay Community, Sweden

Denmark, Sweden lead US in new global IT ranking report

Denmark and Sweden outscore the United States in their ability to develop information and communications technology, according to a survey published today (Thursday) by the World Economic Forum's "networked readiness index". The United States, which topped the list in 2006 before slipping down the rankings, climbed one place to third in the latest edition of the survey. The report covered 134 countries, with Chad, East Timor, Zimbabwe, Burundi and Bangladesh at the bottom. The study largely blamed poor political and regulatory environments in the United States for offsetting some of the benefits of having the world's most competitive economy. The index, which measures the range of factors that affect a country's ability to harness information technologies for economic competitiveness and development, also cited America's low rate of mobile phone usage, a lack of government leadership in information technology and the low quality of mathematics and science education.

Singapore, the top Asian country, and Switzerland ranked 4 and 5. Nordic nations Finland, Iceland and Norway followed, with Netherlands and Canada completing the top 10. China jumped 11 spots to No. 46, leading the group of big emerging economies. India was 54th, five places ahead of Brazil, while Russia was down at No. 74.

Labels: Denmark, EU, IT Industry, Sweden

Don’t just survive the economic crisis, profit from it - like IKEA did.

Swedish furniture store IKEA probably provides one of the best examples of dealing with crises. The company started out as a mail-order firm, but built its first brick and mortar store when competition became tough in the mail-order furniture business. Then a fire came along, and they had to build bigger and more profitable stores. Next, IKEA had a supplier boycott so they responded by designing and manufacturing their own furniture. Finally, they had to deal with their inability to staff their stores with a trained sales force. In answer to this crisis, they developed the self-service portion of their stores with huge success. Obviously, IKEA has used each of its crises as valuable opportunities to reshape itself in an improved model. There are many areas of your business that you can review now in order to ensure that you are set for the future. Obviously, the first is to ask yourself if you have the right staff in each of your critical positions. Sometimes it helps to seek advice here as most entrepreneurs have a hard time seeing real flaws and limitations in their staff, especially if they have been with them a long time.

Labels: Economic Crises, EU, IKEA, Sweden

Sweden may not be a model - by Leif Pagrotsky

"The idea of a Bad Bank appears to get more and more popular day by day as a solution to all kinds of problems in countries suffering from banks paralyzed by toxic assets. Often the Swedish experience of bad banks in the early 1990’s is used as an example of how great this idea is. Some times the lessons derived from our experience are based on misunderstandings of what we actually did, and how our system worked. The initiative to set up a bad bank in Sweden was taken not by politicians, but by the management of Nordbanken. In contrast to today’s situation, the assets were not bonds, but usually entire companies. But like today’s toxic assets, there was no market and a rapid disinvestment would have triggered dramatically low prices that would have sent values of all assets in the economy tumbling, with more bank failures as a result. Furthermore, this was not a way to help private banks get rid of their troubled assets, although it is obvious that it had enormous positive side-effects on all banks. My view is that this solution was only possible because the Government was already in possession of all the assets."

Labels: Economy, EU, Sweden

Unmanned nEUROn stealth combat aircraft

For the complete report from defpro.com click on this link

nEUROn Europe's unmanned combat aircraft taking shape

On February 9, 2006, French defense procurement agency DGA, the program executive agency, named Dassault Aviation as prime contractor in charge of developing nEUROn, a European combat aircraft vehicle demonstrator. This signaled the active launch of the project.The AVE-C drone carried out a demonstration flight on June 30, 2008. Since this drone features a general design similar to nEUROn, this test helped confirm the likelihood of the new UCAV performing a successful automatic takeoff and landing right from its first flight.The maiden flight of nEUROn is scheduled for the end of 2011. Test flights will be carried out over a period of about 18 months, in France (Istres), then Sweden and Italy. 85% of the total budget has now been awarded to Industry by DGA, which acts on behalf of the six Partner States (France, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Greece and Switzerland).In other words, not only is nEUROn beginning to take shape, but so is a real pan-European military aviation industry.

Labels: Air France, Aircraft Industry, EU, European Military, Greece, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland. nEUROn, Unmand Aircraft

Sweden ratifies EU Lisbon Treaty

Sweden has become the 24th of the EU's 27 member states to ratify the controversial Lisbon Treaty. Sweden's parliament backed the new reform treaty after a late-night debate, with 243 votes in favour, 39 against and 67 deputies absent or abstaining.

Labels: EU, Lisbon Treaty, Sweden

European Soccer - Netherlands beats Sweden 3-1 in friendly

Robin Van Persie scored two goals Wednesday to give the injury-depleted Netherlands a comfortable 3-1 win over Sweden in an international friendly.

Wesley Sneijder took a short corner and then exchanged passes with Ryan Babel on the left flank before crossing for Van Persie, who put the Netherlands in front with a header in the 33rd minute. Van Persie scored his second in the 48th, beating Sweden goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson from 15 meters (yards) after he was played in by substitute Rafael van der Vaart. Kim Kallstrom pulled one back for Sweden in the 50th, scoring from the edge of the box, but Dirk Kuyt headed in Tim de Cler's cross in injury time to wrap up the win.

Labels: EU, Netherlands, Soccer, Sweden

Sweden - Lost in Translation? The Nobel Prize’s Secretary Snubs U.S. Lit - by Charles McGrath

If you’re John Updike, Philip Roth, Don DeLillo or Joyce Carol Oates, you don’t have to worry about whether the phone bill has been paid. You won’t be getting the call from Stockholm next week.On Tuesday, Horace Engdahl, the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, the organization that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature, gave an interview to The Associated Press and, while not dropping hints about this year’s winner, seemed to rule out, pretty much, the chances of any American writer. “Europe is still the center of the literary world,” he said, not the United States, and he suggested that American writers were “too sensitive to trends in their own mass culture.” He added: “The U.S. is too isolated, too insular. They don’t translate enough and don’t really participate in the big dialogue of literature. That ignorance is restraining.”

The Swedes read, you have to give them that — they buy more books per capita than the citizens of just about any other country — and they probably care more than anyone else does about their prize. In the United States, a Nobel usually doesn’t produce even the modest uptick in sales that a Pulitzer or a National Book Award does. That fact may underlie Mr. Engdahl’s comments, and especially his observation that we don’t translate enough foreign literature. It’s true.

Labels: EU, Literature, Noble prize, Sweden

Labels: EU, Sweden

Sweden: Stockholm is the Only European Knowledge Economy Region in Global Top Ten

"Stockholm region is one of the global frontrunners in the knowledge economy, especially within sectors such as ICT, life sciences and finance. WKCI 2008 is yet another proof of that", said Sten Nordin, mayor of Stockholm and chairman of the board at Stockholm Business Region. The top rating is based upon gains across a range of indicators, in particular business R&D spending, biotechnology employment and higher educational spending.

Labels: EU, Sweden, Technology

Poland, Sweden propose new EU outreach for eastern Europe

Poland and Sweden sought support Monday from other European Union nations for a new outreach program to build closer ties with Ukraine and the EU's other former Soviet neighbors to the east. The plan would go beyond the EU's current "neighborhood policy," which groups eastern European countries such as Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus with nations in North Africa and the Middle East. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said it was important to make a distinction because the easterners are European nations who could one day apply to join the EU. Poland and Sweden presented the plan at a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

Labels: EU, Poland, Sweden

Ice Hockey: Finland, Sweden open Ice Hockey Worlds with victories

Finland shook the rust off and the Swedes survived a scare as the favorites managed to prevail at the World Ice Hockey Championships on Saturday. Mikko Koivu scored a shorthanded and a power play goal as reigning silver medallist Finland beat Germany 5-1 in their opening game at the Metro Centre arena.Sweden survived the biggest scare of the day. Patric Hornqvist scored two goals as the Tre Kronor had to rally in the third period to beat underdog Belarus 6-5 at the Colisee in Quebec City. Rickard Wallin scored the winner with just under 10 minutes to go in the third period for Sweden who outshot Belarus 46-24 in the game. Dmitry Meleshko scored to give Belarus a 5-4 lead early in the third period.

Labels: Belarus, EU, Finland, Germany, Ice Hockey, Sweden

Sweden/Germany/Hungary: Scholars run down more clues to a Holocaust mystery - by Arthur Max and Randy Herschaft

Sweden - Budapest, November 1944: Another German train has loaded its cargo of Jews bound for Auschwitz. A young Swedish diplomat pushes past the SS guard and scrambles onto the roof of a cattle car.Ignoring shots fired over his head, he reaches through the open door to outstretched hands, passing out dozens of bogus "passports" that extended Sweden's protection to the bearers. He orders everyone with a document off the train and into his caravan of vehicles. The guards look on, dumbfounded. Raoul Wallenberg was a minor official of a neutral country, with an unimposing appearance and gentle manner. Recruited and financed by the U.S., he was sent into Hungary to save Jews. He bullied, bluffed and bribed powerful Nazis to prevent the deportation of 20,000 Hungarian Jews to concentration camps, and averted the massacre of 70,000 more people in Budapest's ghetto by threatening to have the Nazi commander hanged as a war criminal.

Wallenberg's rescue mission inevitably placed him in a vortex of intrigue and espionage involving the Hungarian resistance, the Jewish underground, communists working for the Soviets, and British, U.S. and Swedish intelligence operations. He also had regular contact with Adolf Eichmann and other Nazis running the deportation of Jews.After the Red Army arrived in January, Wallenberg went to see the Russian military commander to discuss postwar reconstruction and restitution of Jewish property. Two days later he returned under Russian escort to collect some personal effects, then was never seen in public again. And what did his country — or his influential cousins — do about it? In the mid-1950s, the Swedes pursued the case more aggressively, prompting a memorandum from Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko in 1957 that Wallenberg had died of heart failure in detention 10 years earlier — at age 34. As more testimony came in that Wallenberg was still alive, Stockholm periodically raised the issue with Moscow — but without results, said Magnusson, interviewed in the Netherlands where he is now ambassador.

Labels: EU, Holocaust, Hungary, Raoul Wallenberg, Sweden

Swedish researchers find world's oldest living tree

The world's oldest living tree on record is a nearly 10,000 year-old spruce that has been discovered in central Sweden, Umeaa University said on Thursday.Researchers had discovered a spruce with genetic material dating back 9,550 years in the Fulu mountain in Dalarna, according to Leif Kullmann, a professor of Physical Geography at the university in northwestern Sweden. That would mean it had taken root in roughly the year 7,542 BC.

Scientists had previously believed the world's oldest trees were 4,000 to 5,000 year-old pine trees found in North America.

Labels: EU, Sweden

China, Sweden to deepen bilateral cooperation

Premier Wen Jiabao met with visiting Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt on Monday in Beijing. They agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation. Premier Wen said their bilateral trade volume has grown rapidly, especially in recent years.China is Sweden's largest trade partner in Asia. Wen Jiabao said enhancing bilateral cooperation is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and is conducive to promoting the China-EU strategic partnership. Their talks were followed by a signing ceremony for a number of agreements between Sweden and China. The biggest deal was Ericsson's contracts with Chinese mobile operators China Mobile and China Unicom, worth a total of 90 million euro's (1.44 billion US dollars).

Labels: China, EU, Sweden

Swedish town prides itself as environmental role model

The Swedish town of Vaexjoe will be "green" or will not be at all. That's the slogan in this town that has become a world leader in environmental protection and has even loftier goals. While the European Union (EU) aims to raise its share of renewable energy consumption to 20 percent by 2020, Vaexjoe, a town of 80,000 people nestled between lakes and forests in Sweden's south, can boast of already exceeding 50 percent -- and 90 percent when it comes to heating. Carbon dioxide emissions per inhabitant dropped by 30 percent between 1993 and 2006.

Labels: Alternative Energy, Environment, EU, Sweden

Prostitution in Europe - Can you outlaw the oldest profession? - by Dan Bell

In December, British Women's Minister Harriet Harman said paying for sex should be made illegal. The argument is that if you stamp out demand, then you will stamp out the trade. But is it possible to legislate the oldest profession out of existence? One country that has tried is Sweden. In 1999 Sweden outlawed paying for sex. Anyone who is caught is liable for a fine or a six-month prison sentence. The Swedish government says there has been a decrease in street prostitution, kerb crawling and the number of women entering the trade.

Labels: EU, Prostitution, Sweden

Sweden demands EU role for leaders of future presidency countries - by Lucia Kubosova

Swedish Prime Minister Frederik Reinfeldt has said the EU should outline a list of co-chairing tasks for leaders of future presidency countries after the new post of EU president is established. Speaking to journalists after his address to the European Parliament on Tuesday (19 February), the Mr Reinfeldt suggested that if there is no role for EU leaders in the future, it could have a negative impact on their engagement with the bloc's agenda.

Mr Reinfeldt, for his part, insisted that enlargement is "close to the hearts of the Swedish people," arguing it should not be marred by "critical voices" from some quarters. "Without continuing enlargement, we would run the risk of instability on our own continent. Enlargement is the most important strategic instrument for disseminating the values that European cooperation is founded on," he said. "We demolished one wall in Europe. We should not start building a new wall against Turkey or other European countries." Some criticised the fact that different countries publicly hold very different positions on EU membership hopefuls. "You should speak to your colleague Sarkozy about Turkey," said the leader of the Socialists, Martin Schulz. "It can't go on like this, with different prime ministers sending different messages" to candidate countries, said the German MEP.

Labels: EU, Political, Sweden

Sweden - Texus 44 - ESA's first launch in 2008

The sounding rocket Texus 44 was successfully launched today from the Swedish Space Corporation’s launch facility Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden. The launch took place at 11:30 (UT) and the rocket provided 376 seconds of weightlessness time for the 4 experiments on board. The Texus project is a sounding rocket programm with the primary aim to investigate the properties and behaviour of materials, fluids and biological samples in a weightlessness environment. Texus 44 is funded by ESA (European Space Agency) and carried out jointly by DLR, EADS Astrium, Kayser-Threde and Swedish Space Corporation.

Labels: EU, Space Exploration, Sweden

Sweden blocks EU plans to stop court 'shopping' for divorces

Sweden blocked Saturday European Union plans to stop divorcing couples from fighting over which EU court to legally settle their separation in. EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini said it was "mainly Sweden opposing" the move, out of concern that the laws of other nations would not provide the same protection to the most vulnerable partners in a divorce. Divorces between couples from different EU countries make up about 20 percent of all divorces in the bloc. At the moment, the first member of a couple to act can choose which court will handle the case.

Labels: divorce laws, EU, Sweden

Young Swedes Flock to Newly Rich Norway for Work - by Ivar Ekman

Long a poor cousin in Scandinavia, Norway has surpassed Sweden to become one of the richest countries in the world — to the point where it has become a magnet for young Swedes ready to work hard to make quick money, and lots of it. “When I was young, Swedes had whiter teeth, clearer skin, Abba and Bjorn Borg. We had lots of fish, and not much more,” said Thomas Hylland Eriksen, a professor of social anthropology at the University of Oslo, “Today, Swedes have been cut down to size,” he said. “And I would say that many Norwegians enjoy the fact that so many Swedes are here doing menial jobs.” The number of Swedes living and working in Norway almost doubled between 1990 and 2007 and is now about 35,000. Studies have shown that the number of Swedes commuting to work in Norway has also grown quickly.

Most Swedes who come are 18 through 25, and are prepared to work hard. Mikael Svensson, a Swede who recruits countrymen for the staffing company Adecco, said Swedes are very popular among Norwegian employers. Many, like Jenny Eriksson, 22, pack food in warehouses. Others, like Sofia Falk, 21, and Pernilla Bergstrom, 19, work in the restaurant industry. Both admit that they were drawn here by the money — 120 to 250 kronor, or $22 to $46, per hour for the kind of jobs most Swedes do, close to double the pay in Sweden.

Labels: EU, Norway, Sweden

Sweden approves Dubai's OMX offer

Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority has approved Borse Dubai's 32 billion crown (euro 3.6 billion) cash offer for Nordic stock exchange operator OMX AB, Borse Dubai said in a statement on Saturday. This translates into an 'all-cash offer' at euro 28.21 for each share to the shareholders of OMX, Borse Dubai said in the statement. The bid has also been recognised by the financial supervisory authorities in Iceland and Finland.

The move comes a few days after the US authorities cleared the deal involving Nasdaq. Once the offer is completed, Nasdaq will buy all of Borse Dubai's shares in OMX, through a combination of cash and new Nasdaq shares.

Labels: Dubai, Economy, EU, Sweden

Biogas-Powered Train in Sweden -by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau

The city of Linkoeping in Sweden (south of Stockholm) will be linked to the city of Västervik 80 kilometers away (50 miles) by the first train to run entirely on biogas that comes from organic waste. A small one-carriage train that can carry 54 passengers has been converted: its diesel engines have been replaced by two Volvo gas engines. "The train is equipped with eleven canisters containing enough gas to run for 600 kilometers (375 miles) before needing a refill, and can reach a maximum speed of 130 kilometers (80 miles) per hour".

Labels: Environment: climate change, EU, Sweden, Trains

How three Swedish geeks became Hollywood's Number One enemy - by Bobbie Johnson

Operating under the sign of a Jolly Roger, The Pirate Bay website hopes to evoke a buccaneer spirit: swashbuckling swordsmen, or perhaps the pirate radio stations of the 1960s. But as the internet's number one destination for illegal downloads, it has raised the ­hackles of the entertainment industry and elevated its founders to the top of Hollywood's most wanted list. With more than two million visitors every day, The Pirate Bay has become one of the sharpest thorns in the side of the media business. Its controversial success has caused havoc in the music, TV and film industries.

Current top downloads include The Bourne Ultimatum, Die Hard 4.0 and Knocked Up all showing in cinemas, but available to watch on a computer screen for those willing to take the risk.

Labels: Counterfeiting, EU, Hollywood, Sweden

Sexual provocativeness as Swedish Lutheran Church to join Stockholm Gay Pride parade

The Swedish Lutheran Church will march for the first time in the Gay Pride parade in Stockholm under the slogan "Love is stronger than everything", the Church announced on Thursday. "For the first time ever, the parade at the Pride festival will have a delegation from the Swedish Church," it said in a statement.

The parade will go through the streets of the Swedish capital on Saturday. The Church said the delegation would include about 30 people including two deans from the Stockholm and Uppsala cathedrals. It said it also wanted to "break the masses' big silence" regarding gays, bisexuals and transsexuals.

Labels: EU, Lutheran Church, Moral Decay, Sexual provocativeness, Sweden

Sweden’s green role model city - by David Wiles

The Swedish city of Växjö has reduced its emissions of carbon dioxide per inhabitant by nearly a quarter, and is aiming to go lower still. Now it has won a Sustainable Energy Europe Award for its environmental efforts.

Biogas is produced at the municipal sewage works, the university is heated by pellets and the city’s swimming pool has solar panels on its roof. Cycle paths have been extended at the expense of roads, and residents and companies can receive subsidies to buy environmentally friendly cars, and can then park for free.

Labels: Environment: climate change, EU, Sweden

Swedish woman jailed for sex with boy

A Swedish woman has been sentenced to six months in jail for sexually abusing a child. The woman, who is said to be a high profile company director, was traveling abroad six years ago when she met the boy and began a sexual relationship. At that time he was twelve years old and she married with two children.

Labels: Sex, Sweden

Swedish-German cooperation concerning the automotive industry

Sweden and Germany are to set up an expert group to study what must be done to create a joint European and US automotive market. Inter-ownership back and forth across the Atlantic and US problems with the car industry's lack of profitability mean that an interest should exist, writes Minister for Foreign Trade Sten Tolgfors.

Labels: Automotive Industry, EU, Germany, Sweden, US