EU Presidency
June 30, 2009
Much of Brussels will breathe a sigh of relief when Sweden is officially handed the European Union presidency on Wednesday. The end of the Czech presidency marks the end of six months of unhelpful sideline drama, as EU leaders struggled to stave off the worst effects of the economic crisis and dealt with issues such as climate change and the troubled Lisbon Treaty.
Sweden is taking over the job that most EU member states have voted to scrap. Under the Lisbon Treaty, the six month rotating presidency would be replaced by one president for a two-and-a-half year term. But the treaty still has a number of stumbling blocks, and in the meantime, Sweden has a busy schedule.
Sweden's priorities
With just nine million people, Sweden is home to less than two percent of the population of the entire 27-member European Union. But this small Nordic nation has big plans for its six months at the helm.
Top of the agenda is the economy. Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has raised concerns about rising debt levels across Europe. He told Reuters news agency that he will be pushing for EU leaders to map out deficit-fighting plans.
"(The debt) is not sustainable long-term because it is sending the invoices to future generations," he said.
Sweden says it wants to develop new strategies for economic growth and employment, and says it also wants to establish a European body to supervise stability in the financial system.
Road to Copenhagen
Reinfeldt is keen that European leaders do not forget climate change in their bid to save their respective economies.
Sweden wants the EU to sign a new UN agreement on climate change, which is set to be negotiated in the Danish capital Copenhagen in December. The document will replace the Kyoto Protocol that expires in 2012. In the lead-up to the United Nations conference, Sweden will push for unity among the 27 EU members.
"Right now…the ice sheets in Greenland and the Western Antarctic continue to melt and sea levels continue to rise," Reinfeldt has said.
Countries "can and must manage the climate and their public finances."
No threat from home
EU politicians can sleep easy in the knowledge that Fredrik Reinfeldt's ruling coalition has a comfortable majority in the Swedish parliament, so there is little chance of his government collapsing, as the Czech one did in March. The Swedish opposition has also promised not to quarrel with the ruling party over smaller issues while the government holds the EU presidency.
It's also unlikely that Reinfeldt will make the same kind of political gaffe as former Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek. Topolanek caused a bit of a sensation in the EU when he said US President Barack Obama's economic reforms were the "road to hell."
Reinfeldt has served as prime minister since 2006 and has implemented a number of reforms in Sweden, including reducing unemployment benefits and launching a major privatisation program.
He is also apparently a fan of the former Swedish pop group ABBA.
Author: ca/AFP/dpa/Reuters
Editor: Michael Lawton