Sweden proactively at the heart of the European Union?

The blog post Sweden in Europe: EU defence cooperation? started the comparison in English between the Statement of Government Policy, read by the Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt at the opening of the parliament (Riksdag) 15 September 2011, and reality as seen from the outside.

Reinfeldt's second paragraph with EU relevance was the self-portrait 'at the heart' and 'proactive':

Sweden must be at the heart of European cooperation. Sweden must be proactive on issues that are crucial to the development of the EU. In times of economic crisis, the Government will underline the importance of long-term responsibility and sustainable economic policy. Respect for common rules is crucial. This is the only way we can speed up economic recovery in Europe and prevent new crises.

Core Europe

Being at the heart of European cooperation presumably means participation in the various core groups, which exist or are taking shape.

The previous blog post showed us that there was no readily available public information about the next steps for European defence policy and defence cooperation, including permanent structured cooperation, a possible future core.

I have seen no indication of either the first or the second Reinfeldt coalition to join the real core of European integration, the eurozone.

These are crucial issues for the development of the European Union, but can the Swedish actions be described as proactive?

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If you want to read about Sweden in the European Union, in Swedish, you can find links to a few blog posts here: Svensk EU-politik diskuteras.



Ralf Grahn