Latest news with #JohanForssell
Zawya
29-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Egypt, Sweden discuss advancing local electric bus manufacturing, sustainable transport
Egypt - Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, Kamel Al-Wazir, met with Johan Forssell, Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation in the transport and industrial sectors. Swedish Ambassador to Cairo, Håkan Emsgård, also attended the meeting. Al-Wazir underscored the longstanding and robust relations between Egypt and Sweden, expressing a strong desire to deepen collaboration, particularly in enhancing road safety—an effort aligned with Egypt's extensive national infrastructure projects in roads and bridges. Minister Forssell, leading a delegation of Swedish institutions and companies, expressed Sweden's keen interest in investing in Egypt's industrial development. He affirmed Sweden's readiness to support Egypt through technology transfer, expertise sharing, and cooperation across various transport sectors, recognizing Egypt's strategic position as a gateway to Africa. A key focus of the meeting was Egypt's initiative to localize the manufacturing of electric buses as part of its broader environmental and industrial strategy. Al-Wazir noted that Swedish company Volvo already manufactures electric buses in Egypt for export to the UK and several European markets. The ministers also discussed collaboration on Egypt's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. Plans include the joint production of 100 electric buses, the development of electric charging infrastructure for upcoming BRT phases, and the implementation of advanced control and monitoring systems. Al-Wazir welcomed Swedish support in rolling out BRT services in Alexandria and emphasized opportunities for collaboration with other Swedish companies in the fields of renewable energy and pharmaceutical innovation, such as AstraZeneca. During the meeting, Al-Wazir and Forssell, along with Ambassador Emsgård, witnessed the signing of a Letter of Intent between Egypt's Land Transport Regulatory Authority and the International Swedish Industry Council. The agreement outlines cooperation in public transport planning, capacity building, technical evaluations, and knowledge transfer—particularly for BRT projects. Both sides concluded the meeting by agreeing to establish a series of expert-level follow-up sessions to monitor the implementation of joint projects and explore additional opportunities for Swedish companies in Egypt's growing market.
Local Sweden
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Sweden
Swedish government pushes forward with bid to revoke gang criminals' citizenship
Sweden's conservative-led government has appointed a new inquiry to look into how dual citizens involved in gang crime could have their Swedish citizenship revoked. Advertisement The inquiry follows a committee which in January recommended changing the constitution to make it possible to revoke Swedish citizenship for dual citizens who commit crimes which threaten Sweden's security – but takes the committee's conclusions one step further. The committee, made up of members of all eight parties, proposed that the absolute right Swedish citizens have to retain their citizenship should be limited to allow the citizenship of dual citizens to be revoked in three situations: If they are found guilty of crimes which pose a serious threat to Sweden's security, such as espionage, terrorism, sabotage, treason, or rebellion If they are found guilty of crimes covered by the International Criminal Court, such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression If they received their citizenship on false grounds, either through supplying false documents or information or by bribing or threatening government officials The committee however stopped short of recommending stripping citizenship from people found guilty of 'system-threatening crimes' within the framework of gang crime. But the three parties in government – the Moderates, Christian Democrats and Liberals – and their far-right Sweden Democrat allies, have instructed the new inquiry to also look into measures for revoking dual citizens' Swedish nationality over such crimes. 'We're choosing to proceed with this work and are hoping for broader support in parliament,' Migration Minister Johan Forssell told a press conference on May 26th. Anders Ygeman, migration spokesperson for the centre-left Social Democrats, told The Local in January that his party had refused to support the government parties' approach at the time because it was framed so loosely that it "could be used for situations which were impossible to predict beforehand". "If the government wants to widen the scope, they need to be much more precise and you have to be able to predict the consequences," he said. Advertisement However, Forssell argued at the press conference that widening the scope was necessary to crack down on gang criminals taking advantage of a Swedish passport to travel and avoid getting deported while carrying out crimes that seriously threaten the vital interests of the state. He cited police statistics estimating that 1,100 people who are currently active members of criminal networks have dual citizenship. The new inquiry will also look into the general practicalities of how citizenships could be revoked. It is set to present its results by March 20th 2026. Changing one of Sweden's constitutional laws requires the bill to be passed by the Swedish parliament twice, once either side of a general election. As the 2026 election will be held in September and a new government is unlikely to be in place until October or November, in practice this means that any change to the constitution would not come into force until 2027 at the earliest.
Local Sweden
22-05-2025
- Business
- Local Sweden
Work permits and alcohol: What changes in Sweden in June 2025
Changes to work permit salaries, a tax rebate, two days off and summer holidays. Here's what's on the agenda for Sweden in June this year. Advertisement June 1st: Will the work permit salary threshold be raised? On June 1st, the salary threshold for work permits was originally set to be raised to 100 percent of the median salary (it's currently set at 80 percent of the median salary) if the government were to stick to the schedule proposed by its inquiry. That's unlikely to happen. Sweden's Migration Minister Johan Forssell told The Local in May that 'no formal decision' has been made on where the final salary threshold will actually end up. The government in February asked the Migration Agency to present a list of which professions should be exempt from the salary threshold by August 1st, suggesting that the original plan to roll out the new threshold on June 1st will be postponed until at least the autumn. This isn't the first time that we've seen an indication that the government hasn't fully committed to raising the threshold to 100 percent of the median salary. In January, Employment Minister Mats Persson said that his party, the Liberals, would even be willing to lower the threshold. That said, the work permit salary threshold will likely be raised anyway in June, but more on that below. Advertisement June 1st: Alcohol producers allowed to sell take-away drinks direct to customers From June 1st, some small-scale alcohol producers, such as vineyards and microbreweries, will be allowed to sell their products on-site for consumption elsewhere, in what is known in Swedish as gårdsförsäljning, literally "farm sale". It will only apply to producers who make a maximum of 75,000 litres of spirits, 400,000 litres of fermented drinks up to 10 percent ABV or up to 200,000 litres of fermented drinks over 10 percent ABV. The proposal includes all types of alcohol and will not require that drinks' ingredients are produced on-site, with the exception of grapes for wine. There will be limits on the amount of alcohol customers can buy, and producers will only be allowed to sell their products to visitors who have paid for a guided tour, lecture or similar. June 3rd-5th: Tax rebate Anyone who submitted their tax return by the later May 2nd deadline should receive their rebate between June 3rd and June 5th. If you on the other hand end up having to pay extra tax, you'll also find out on this date, with payment due around three months later. If you asked for an extension to your tax declaration, this has to be handed in by June 2nd. Staying on the topic of money, the Riksbank will announce its fourth interest rate update of the year on June 18th. It is widely expected that the key interest rate will remain the same at 2.25 percent. June 6th: National Day Another important date in the Swedish calendar in June is Sweden's National Day on June 6th. It has been a public holiday since 2005, replacing Whit Monday, but was first celebrated in 1916 in honour of the election of King Gustav Vasa on June 6th, 1523. Gustav Vasa's election also marks the end of the Danish-ruled Kalmar Union, so is arguably a marking of Swedish independence, although it occurred so long ago that few Swedes associate National Day with this aspect of Swedish history. This year, June 6th is a Friday, meaning that Swedish workers will be able to enjoy a long weekend. READ ALSO: Sweden's public holidays in 2025 You may also be able to buy a nationaldagsbakelse or National Day pastry in many bakeries on June 6th, a small almond cake topped with strawberries and a Swedish flag. Mid-June: School holidays and graduation Summer holidays start in most of Sweden's schools around the middle of the month. You can also expect Sweden to be a bit louder in June, especially if you live in an urban area near a gymnasium school. Students finishing upper high school (gymnasium) will springa ut starting in early June, a tradition where newly-graduated students run out of school after getting their final exam results to cheers from friends and family, after which they will drive around in a car or on the back of a van with friends and party for the rest of the evening. Advertisement End of June: New median salary figures released Statistics Sweden will release new salary figures at the end of June. In past years, they've been released between June 18th and 22nd. This may not sound like a big deal, but these are the figures which affect the salary threshold for work permit applicants in Sweden. The most recent figures from June last year put the median salary at 35,600 kronor, meaning that work permit holders applying for a new permit or an extension need to earn 80 percent of this – 28,480 kronor – to qualify for a permit. This was a hike of over a thousand kronor compared with the year before. Once the new median salary figure has been released, the work permit salary requirement will (almost certainly) rise. This will only apply to applications submitted from that date – the threshold is determined by the most recent salary figures at the time of application, not at the time a decision is made. If the work permit threshold is raised to 100 percent of the median salary on June 1st (which as we explained above looks unlikely), then that figure will be higher. Advertisement June 20th: Midsummer's Eve Rounding off June, we have Midsummer's Eve, which falls on June 20th this year. The majority of workers – at least those who work normal working hours throughout the week – will have the day off on Midsummer's Eve, despite the fact that it is not officially a röd dag or public holiday. The reason it's celebrated on a Friday rather than on the actual summer solstice, which this year is on June 21st, is due to a 1953 reform to make it fit in better with the working week – and presumably to give workers the Saturday off to recover from the festivities. It is, however, listed as a holiday day equivalent to a Sunday in Sweden's Annual Leave Act, so if you don't usually work on Sundays you should have the day off. If you do have to work on Midsummer's Eve, you may be offered OB-tillägg (pay for working inconvenient hours), overtime pay, or a day off in lieu at a later date. READ ALSO: Why is Midsummer's Eve celebrated in Sweden? Advertisement Summer holidays and other events in June June also marks the start of Sweden's famously long summer holidays. Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg comes highly recommended if you're into rock music. Put June 4th-7th in your calendar. Järvaveckan (Järva Week) has grown to one of Sweden's biggest political events in the last few years, with representatives from every major party attending. Held at the Spånga sports field in northern Stockholm, it is still young and vibrant enough to feel less elite than its older cousin, the Almedalsveckan (Almedalen Week) festival. This year it will take place from June 11th-14th. Speaking of Almedalen Week, it will be held on the island of Gotland between June 23rd and 27th. Interest in the event has been declining in recent years, but some 40,000 people still attend every year, 95 percent of them coming from outside Gotland, where hotel prices shoot up every summer.
Local Sweden
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Sweden
Swedish MP slams citizenship freeze as 'what the government wanted'
The Green Party's immigration spokesperson has attacked the government for the 'traumatic' freeze in Swedish citizenship approvals, claiming that rather than being a side effect of onerous new security checks ordered in January, it was the intended result. Advertisement Annika Hirvonen, the immigration spokesperson for the Green Party, said that she feared that Migration Minister Johan Forssell would not be concerned by the near total stop in awards of citizenship in standard cases, a drop The Local was first to report on last week. "I think that this is what they wanted," she told The Local in an interview. "I think the fundamental problem is that the intention behind these new rules seems to be to delay the processing of citizenships, and not primarily because they fear some people might have security problems." In April, just six individuals were granted Swedish citizenship via naturalisation – the principal route for adult foreign nationals outside the Nordic region – a steep decline from the 3,234 approvals recorded in March. EXPLAINED: Eight key questions to understand Sweden's citizenship freeze The Migration Agency told The Local that it has been unable to approve standard citizenship applications for over a month because they have yet to set up routines for the in-person identification, a key part of the security checks the government ordered. The freeze is affecting applicants from all countries, contradicting a pledge from Migration Minister Johan Forssell to The Local's readers in January that work permit holders and people from countries without security risks would be unaffected. Hirvonen said that it should have been obvious from the start that the new security checks being ordered would have an impact on most applicants. "I'm not sure if he's being misleading on purpose or if he just doesn't really understand how these processes actually work," she said. "If you put into place intentional obstacles on processes that are for everyone, of course it's going to affect everyone." In January, the government ordered the Migration Agency to carry out more thorough security checks of Swedish citizenship applicants and in April the agency said in a forecast that the checks would reduce the number of citizenships it would be able to process this year. The new security requirements came after the leaders of the three government parties in November wrote a joint article together with the leader of the far-right Sweden Democrats, pledging to take action to "prevent more Swedish citizenships being issued" until new, tougher citizenship rules come into force in the summer of 2026. Advertisement Hirvonen in January reported the government to the parliamentary Committee on the Constitution over the new demands, arguing that the government was guilty of "ministerial rule", or ministerstyre by seeking to influence the day-to-day decisions of a government agency on individual cases. Ministerial rule violates the Instrument of Government, part of Sweden's constitution. The sudden drop in approvals in April, she told The Local, gave further support to the argument that what the government had done in practice was order the agency to delay the processing of citizenships. "In my opinion, this really speaks to the fact that there are aspects of this that aren't according to the Swedish constitution," she said. Advertisement As a majority of MPs on the committee represent parties either in or supporting the government, she said it was uncertain whether the committee would censure the government. But she said in her opinion, it certainly should do. "It is extremely problematic that the intention pronounced was to delay citizenship applications so that rules that have to do with totally different things, not security, can be put into place for as many people as possible." The Local has contacted the migration minister's office for a comment.
Local Sweden
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Sweden
Indians in Sweden: Why were only 25 Indians granted Swedish citizenship in April?
The number of Swedish citizenships awarded to Indian applicants – one of Sweden's largest groups of new citizens in recent years – fell by 94 percent in April. Here's why. Advertisement With 1,234 Swedish citizenships awarded to Indian nationals (including children applying together with their parents) so far in 2025, it's the third top nationality granted Swedish citizenship this year, behind only people from Syria and Afghanistan. In total, 330 Swedish citizenships were granted to Indians in January, 463 in February and 441 in March. But then there was a sharp drop to only 25 citizenships in April. Advertisement But in fact, Indians aren't the only ones affected, although the decrease is particularly stark considering how many received Swedish citizenship every month before that. For example the number of citizenships handed to Syrians fell from 684 in March to 132 in April. People from the UK saw an equally sharp drop as Indians, from 108 in March to six in April, as well as people from Bosnia-Herzegovina (from 56 to three). This article shows how many people of each nationality became Swedes in April. We don't know who those 25 Indians who did receive Swedish citizenship in April are, but based on what we know from the Migration Agency's data, they are presumably either people who were granted citizenship after appealing in court, as well as those given citizenship by notification (an easier route available to children, as well as to Nordic citizens, although the latter is less likely to apply in this case). The reason for the decline is that new security checks imposed by the government have left the Swedish Migration Agency unable to approve any citizenship applications by naturalisation for over a month and a half, which affects nearly all nationalities. The sticking point is that the agency hasn't yet fully set up its routines to be able to carry out in-person identification checks required of all applicants as of April 1st (although we've been told that they're almost ready to have them up and running). The new security checks come after the government and the far-right Sweden Democrat ordered the Migration Agency to take 'forceful measures' to 'as far as possible' prevent people who pose a threat to security or use a fake identity from being granted citizenship. However, at the moment it's also affecting people who aren't security concerns. Advertisement In January, Migration Minister Johan Forssell promised The Local's readers that work permit holders and people from countries without security risks would be unaffected by any delays caused by the new security checks, but so far, everyone is affected. Eventually, the idea is that that certain nationalities with biometric passports will be exempt from in-person identity checks and will instead be able to confirm their identity digitally via the Freja app, but the technological solution for that isn't yet in place. So even once the in-person checks are launched, all Swedish citizenship applicants will have to turn up at a Migration Agency office to confirm their identity in person when instructed to do so by the Migration Agency. A full list of the nationalities that will be exempt is not yet available. India in the process of rolling out biometric e-passports to its citizens, but it is currently not on a list of 22 countries who are able to confirm their passport digitally to receive a Swedish residency permit (the number of countries with biometric passports is however greater). READ ALSO:
