The government anchored its line in the Riksdag’s EU committee on Tuesday ahead of this week’s informal EU summit in Brussels. The main issue at the summit is strengthened competitiveness, but other issues dominated the debate between members of the Riksdag. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced that Sweden, together with Austria, is the only EU country not to participate in Tuesday’s ceremony where the so-called La Hulpe declaration on the future of social issues in Europe 2024-2029.
– We did not want to risk repeating the mistake that was made in 2017 with a social summit that Sweden then had to limit the consequences of, Kristersson said with reference to the social EU summit in 2017 which took place at the initiative of the then Social Democratic-led government and resulted in the EU’s social pillars.
Critics of the social pillar believe that the European minimum wage and other EU proposals concerning the labor market had their roots in it. Most Swedish parties are against such EU legislation, which is considered to threaten the Swedish labor market model where trade unions and employers negotiate terms without political interference.
The Social Democrats’ Matilda Ernkrans believed that issues related to the social pillar such as education, childcare and workers’ rights contributed to Sweden’s competitiveness.
– That the government should sit with its arms crossed when the EU discusses the importance of social progress seems childish to me, said Ernkrans, warning that there is a risk of weakening Sweden’s negotiating position in the EU if you put your heels in the ground at an early stage.
– I think it is a rather dangerous game which in turn can actually threaten the Swedish model, said Ernkrans
She also accused the prime minister of lying about the social pillar and the role of the Social Democrats in it.
– I hope that the Prime Minister […] no longer redo the historical description of what the social pillar was and is and how social democracy has acted there. I also said here today, if the Prime Minister was listening, that we agree that there should be no joint legislation. It is not a new stance from the Social Democrats, said Ernkrans.
Ulf Kristersson said that such a declaration is “playing with fire”.
– It is to suggest that Sweden wants to go down a path that we do not want to go down. If you have learned your EU lesson then you know that if you start to open up to things then it takes on a life of its own, said the prime minister.
Ilona Satmári Waldau (V) agreed with the Social Democrats and said that there is nothing in the declaration that risks affecting the Swedish model and that Swedish unions must have stood behind it.
The Sweden Democrats’ Martin Kinnunen supported the government’s refusal to sign the non-binding declaration.
– Although there may be good intentions with these declarations, you have to think one step further. What consequences does this have for us in Sweden? said Kinnunen.
Russian shadow fleet
In recent days it has been reported how a Russian shadow fleet pumps fuel off Gotland to escape sanctions against Russia for its war of conquest against Ukraine. The Social Democrats, the Left Party and the Green Party demanded that Kristersson raise the issue at the EU summit.
– We think the prime minister should bring this up at the EU summit because this needs support from other EU countries, said Matilda Ernkrans.
More questions at the summit
During the informal summit on Wednesday and Thursday, the member states’ top political leaders will also discuss Ukraine, the relationship with Turkey and the situation in the Middle East. Several MEPs called for the EU to press ahead with sanctions against Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as well as aggressive Israeli settlers.
