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Demokratiskolan
The Foreign affairs card from MethodKit for Society and Politics
Card 123 of 128 · MethodKit for Society & Politics
  • AreaSweden in the world
  • Centre of gravityCentral government
  • Points of influence3 on the journey
  • Decisive electionThe general election
Sweden in the world

Foreign affairs

How to interact & have a presence in the world

Foreign policy decides which countries Sweden works with, which conflicts we get involved in and how Swedes and Swedish companies are received in the world. The power lies almost entirely with the Government (the cabinet), with the Riksdag (Sweden's parliament) as scrutiniser. But the threads down to your everyday life are more numerous than most people think: your municipality (kommun) may have twin towns on three continents.

Where does the power lie?1

  • Municipality · twin towns & local exchanges · approx 5 %
  • Region · brussels offices & networks · approx 5 %
  • State · the government leads, the riksdag scrutinises · approx 70 %
  • EU · common foreign & security policy · approx 20 %

The Government leads foreign policy and the general election is the way to hold it to account. The EU weighs ever more heavily through the common foreign and security policy, where Sweden is one voice out of twenty-seven.

How it works: the breakdown

The municipalityThe twin town
The regionThe door to Brussels
Central governmentThe Government's arena · centre of gravity
Who decides?
The municipal council (kommunfullmäktige) and the municipal executive board decide on twin towns and international projects.
The regional executive board and the region's international unit, often with its own office in Brussels.
The Government and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (UD) lead. The Riksdag debates and decides on money, and in the Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs (utrikesnämnden) the Government consults with the Riksdag.
What do they decide?
Twin-town partnerships, youth exchanges and EU projects. No formal foreign policy, but practical ties to the outside world.
Monitors EU matters that concern the region, applies for EU funds and builds networks with other regions in Europe.
Relations with other countries, embassies and consulates, positions in the UN, sanctions and the promotion of Swedish interests.
Where are decisions made?
In the municipal executive board's international work, often without much attention.
In the regional executive board and in the priorities of the Brussels offices.
In the Government Offices and at the embassies. The line is presented each year in the foreign policy statement in the Riksdag.
Who pays?
The municipal tax covers a small budget, often matched with EU funds.
The regional tax, often together with money from the EU's funds.
The central government budget funds the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and around a hundred missions abroad.
Fastest way in?
Municipal election Propose exchanges through associations and schools, or through a citizen's proposal (medborgarförslag) in many municipalities.
Regional election The regional election steers how actively the region pushes its interests in the EU.
General election The general election decides which government shapes the policy. The members of the foreign affairs committee can be contacted.
EUThrough the EU's common foreign and security policy Sweden coordinates sanctions and statements with the other member states. Shaped in the European Parliament election.

Read the table by column to understand one level, or by row to compare the levels. The green level is the area's centre of gravity.

How it works: follow the decision

The case Sweden's line on a world event takes shape
  1. State

    The Ministry for Foreign Affairs prepares a Swedish response

    Something happens in the world that calls for a stance: a conflict, an election, a disaster. The embassy on the ground reports home and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs' officials prepare the basis for a Government decision.

  2. EU

    The line is checked against the EU

    Within the common foreign and security policy the EU countries try to speak with one voice. Sanctions require everyone to agree, so Sweden's yes or no matters.

    Point of influence

    In the European Parliament election you choose the parliament that scrutinises the EU's foreign policy and approves international agreements.

  3. State

    The Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs and the Riksdag are brought in

    On important questions the Government consults the Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs (utrikesnämnden), where the Speaker and members of the Riksdag sit and the head of state is chair. The Riksdag can debate the line and ultimately bring down a government it has no confidence in.

    Point of influence

    The general election is your main tool. Between elections you can contact the members of the foreign affairs committee.

  4. State

    The stance is delivered

    The Minister for Foreign Affairs makes a statement, the ambassador votes in the UN or signs. What is now Sweden's position began as memos and consultations a few weeks earlier.

  5. Municipality

    The ties are maintained locally

    Twin towns, exchanges and visiting delegations make foreign policy out of everyday life. When high politics turns difficult, it is often the local ties that endure.

    Point of influence

    Get involved in a friendship association or propose an exchange through your school or local associations.

  6. Your everyday life

    The world in your hallway

    Travel advice shapes your holiday, sanctions affect prices, and the exchange student in the class got here through an agreement that someone negotiated.

The journey looks the same in reverse: what has been built came the same way, through the same decisions. Whoever knows where the decisions are made also knows where they can be changed.

Questions to discuss

  1. How much should Sweden adapt its foreign policy to the EU's common line?

  2. Which world events have affected your everyday life the most, and who made the decisions around them?

  3. What should weigh heaviest in foreign policy: security, trade, human rights or something else?

  4. Does your municipality have twin towns, and do you know what the cooperation actually involves?

  5. Foreign policy is rarely decided in election campaigns. How could voters get more of a say?

Glossary

UD
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the part of the Government Offices that handles Sweden's relations with other countries.
Utrikesnämnden
The body where the Government consults with the Riksdag on foreign affairs, with the head of state as chair.
Utrikesdeklarationen
The Government's annual statement to the Riksdag on the direction of foreign policy, followed by debate.
Gusp
The EU's common foreign and security policy, where decisions usually require all countries to agree.
Vänort
A foreign municipality that your municipality has a long-term exchange with.

Go further

Footnotes

1) This is an estimate of how decision-making power over the issue is split between the municipality, the region, central government and the EU, based on how responsibility is divided in legislation. A teaching guide, not an exact measurement.