The Swedish Government’s overall EU priorities 2018

After many years of economic crisis and growing populist forces, the EU was meeting 2018 with renewed self-confidence. The economy had turned upwards and now there was economic growth in all Member States.

A necessary and useful forward-looking debate was under way on the development of the Union and there was growing understanding of the importance of a more social Europe in which citizens were at the centre of the Union's work.

The Swedish Government was working for greater openness, transparency and participation in EU-related issues, and during 2017 civil society and other social actors had been invited to dialogues about various issues in 'EU thematic consultation forums', where they had been able to present views and comments about new legislative proposals. This work would be developed in 2018.

Sweden: Government: Sweden in the EU http://www.government.se/sweden-in-the-eu/

European Council on Foreign Relations: Commentary, 28.03.18: There Is Life for the EU After Brexit http://www.europeansources.info/record/there-is-life-for-the-eu-after-brexit/

Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies: SIEPS Occasional Papers, No.2, 2017: Brexit – Implications for the EU and Sweden (et al) http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-implications-for-the-eu-and-sweden/

---