Sweden in Focus

In this week's episode we talk about the bridge between Denmark and Sweden and how it means a lot more to one of our panelists than the sore feet she got after running across it.  We also discuss what foreigners do to fit in in Sweden and why some people push back against assimilation. Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and Richard Orange.  Here ar...

In this week's episode we talk about how to make the most of Sweden’s Midsummer celebrations, and we look at big changes to Sweden’s work permit system — including a new rule that could help you stay in the country if you lose your job. For Membership+ subscribers we explore why Swedes are dropping traditional surnames, racism in Swedish nightclubs, and why party leaders have been reprimanded afte...

This week we talk about a new alcohol law that came into force this month and what it means for consumers. And why has a government inquiry proposed banning international adoptions and apologising to adoptees. Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and Richard Orange.  Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode: Alcohol What Sweden's new...

In this week's episode we ask why Swedish politicians are becoming more critical of Israel over the war in Gaza. We also discuss the government's plans to develop new kinds of pre-approved houses to make it easier for people to buy their own homes. Host Paul O'Mahony  is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton  and Richard Orange.  Here are links to some of the topics d...

This week we have the latest on the citizenship freeze amid signs of a thaw and we ask: Why has there been so little interest in this story from the Swedish media? We also look at a hotly debated new law criminalising the purchase of sex online. Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange.  Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the e...

In this week's episode we talk about why Stockholm is at loggerheads with the US Embassy over anti-diversity demands and we examine a scathing new report on how Sweden’s immigration policies are harming foreign researchers. For Membership+ subscribers we look at the ongoing saga of Sweden’s failed attempt to appoint a national security advisor after the latest pick for the job stepped down within...

In this week's episode we talk about Sweden’s chances of winning the Eurovision Song Contest for a record-breaking eighth time with KAJ's song Bara Bada Bastu. On a related note, we immerse ourselves in sauna culture and the Swedish language as it’s spoken in Finland. We discuss new comments from Sweden’s migration minister, Johan Forssell , on the three-month deadline for job seekers on work perm...

In 2013  Jamil Walli , a journalist, filmmaker and painter, moved to Sweden from Damascus as an exchange student.  Two years later, tens of thousands of his compatriots fled Syria to seek shelter in the country he has since come to call home.  As a journalist, he documented the stories of those fleeing persecution as part of a project for The Local where he interviewed asylum s...

In this week’s episode we talk about the surprise resignation of the Liberal Party leader Johan Pehrson. Ten years on from the arrival of record numbers of refugees we also look at how Sweden reacted to the 2015 crisis how how its approach to asylum immigration has changed since then. Host  Paul O’Mahony  is joined this week by regular panelists  Becky Waterton  and  Richa...

In this week's episode we talk about the possibility of there being a Swedish pope and the state of Catholicism in Sweden today. We also dive into the history of Sweden’s Valborg celebrations and why bonfires will be lit across Sweden on the last day of the month. For Membership+ subscribers we jump forward a day to the first of May and what to expect on the public holiday that is Labour Day....

In this week's episode we talk about why Sweden celebrates on the eve of holidays rather than the day itself, and we look at what you need to know about Sweden’s new spring budget. For Membership+ subscribers we give you background on the proposed new leader of the Centre Party and what her nomination means for Sweden’s complicated political arithmetic. And finally we’ll examine efforts underway b...

In this week's episode we talk about about a rush to buy coffee amid rocketing prices and we hear from an expert on Sweden's coffee culture, Henrik Scander . We also examine the political fallout after an official inquiry recommended stricter regulation of Sweden’s much-debated free schools. For Membership+ subscribers we look at efforts to stop motorists running over frogs and we discuss differen...

In this week's episode we talk about the government’s push to eject more immigrants for bad behaviour, and we have an interview with migration minister Johan Forssell on attracting and retaining highly skilled workers. We also hear from Américo Fernández , an SEB economist and personal finance expert, on how foreigners in Sweden can navigate difficult times in the Swedish economy. Host Paul O'Maho...

In this week's episode we have an interview with an American tech worker who has launched an initiative urging the government to reconsider its plans to tighten citizenship requirements.  Our panelists also discuss why Swedish politicians in Brussels have fought tooth and nail to retain the right for 15-year-old Swedes to drive extremely slowly in car-like contraptions on Swedish roads....

In this week's episode our panelists discuss two stories affecting work permit holders after parliament voted through a new law targeting former asylum seekers for expulsion from Sweden and Northvolt filed for bankruptcy. We also ask if Sweden should be doing more to involve immigrants in the construction of a cultural canon that could be used for citizenship tests. For Membership+ subscribers we...

In this week's episode we discuss: Northvolt’s bankruptcy, the criminal investigation into Sweden’s former national security adviser Henrik Landerholm, the latest on the defence situation for Sweden in relation to Russia and the United States, and why some commentators think Sweden’s needs its own nuclear deterrent. For Membership+ subscribers we look at what readers are telling us about what it’s...

In this week’s episode we discuss the latest Swedish reaction to dramatic changes in the European security landscape. What does Sweden’s defence industry look like, and does the country have enough troops to send peacekeepers to Ukraine?  We also have commentary from Swedish members of the European Parliament about the harsh rhetoric on immigration we’ve seen in Sweden in recent years. For Me...

In this week's episode we look at what makes Sweden such a trusting society. We also discuss Muharrem Demirok's decision to step down as Centre Party leader and what it means for the future of a party that's currently siding with the left but has previously allied itself with the right. And why has a supreme court ruling on European data protection drawn howls of protest from Swedish publishers? H...

In this week's episode we talk about how Sweden is reacting to the United States’ dramatic foreign policy pivot on Europe. What are Swedish politicians saying after US Vice President JD Vance kickstarted a week of new lows in US-Europe relations?   We also look at the planned closure of an international upper-level high school in Stockholm and speak to Abdirahim Mohammed , the student wh...

In this week's episode: Reader reactions to Örebro mass murder, and why a gun law debate sparked fury among Sweden Democrats. For Membership+ subscribers: What would make the government rethink a plan to apply citizenship law changes retroactively to current applicants? And why the King revealed the wrong name for a new Swedish princess. Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists...

We're releasing the podcast earlier than usual this week to bring you up to date information on this week's horrific shooting in Örebro that left eleven people dead.  We also look at why Sweden’s government wants to make the new citizenship rules retroactive and how applicants are reacting. In the longer version for Membership+ subscribers we give you the lowdown on sportlov, the annual Swedi...

We start this week with news that broke just before we started recording the episode. The victims of two separate murders in the greater Stockholm region on Wednesday were revealed to be, in the first killing in Husby, an uncle of organised crime chief Rawa Majid and, in Södertälje, Salwan Momika, who was behind a quran-burning spree in 2023. Coming at the end of a record month for explosive attac...

This week we’re going to test our panelists’ Swedish language knowledge by throwing a few questions at them from the vocabulary section of Högskoleprovet, the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test that students can take as an entrance exam for Swedish universities. The questions in this episode are taken from a test that university applicants took in autumn 2015.  Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this...

This week we talk about Donald Trump's return to the White House and how it’s going to impact Sweden, especially in the areas of trade and security. And could the Tesla strike become a flashpoint with Elon Musk now a part of the US administration?  One Swede who was in the United States recently is the deputy prime minster Ebba Busch. We discuss her recent visit to Las Vegas where she gave a...

Sweden's government promised a paradigm shift on immigration and this was a week in which they moved ahead with some cornerstone policies.  As we spoke about in last week's podcast , enhanced security checks are expected to slow down decisions on citizenship by a migration authority already struggling to manage a backlog of more than 80,000 applications.  The head of a government inquiry...