Sweden in Focus

Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.

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In this week’s episode Sweden’s Minister for EU Affairs Jessica Rosencrantz speaks with The Local’s publisher James Savage. 

James caught up with the minister on Thursday the 15th of January, a day after Danish and Greenlandic officials attended a meeting at the White House over the future of the Arctic island that US President Donald Trump said the United States wants to acquire. 

In the days following this interview Trump announced that the US was planning to impose additional tariffs on eight European countries that sent military personnel to Greenland on Denmark’s request. 

Sweden is one of the countries affected and the Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson reacted by saying that Europe would not let itself be blackmailed. 

Jessica Rosencrantz also speaks in the interview about what the EU can do to bolster its own defensive capability. 

And do Sweden’s plans to tighten citizenship requirements make it harder to compete for highly skilled workers with other EU countries.

Tune in to this week's episode for the full interview with Jessica Rosencrantz. 

READ ALSO:

• INTERVIEW: ‘Sweden stands fully behind Denmark and Greenland’

Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.

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Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

• For signed-in members: Upgrade to Membership+
• For new members: Get Membership+ 

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In this week's episode we talk about brand new figures from the Migration Agency showing a steep drop in work permit and citizenship approvals in 2025 and we look at what some readers are telling us about why they’re choosing to leave Sweden.

We also dig into the many ways the Swedish language lets us talk about wintry weather.

For Membership+ subscribers we sink our teeth into the Swedish foods with geographical names that have earned official EU protected status from Scanian spettekaka to the polka pigs of Gränna.

Finally we discuss how to choose a school for your child now that the application period is underway.

Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Richard Orange and Becky Waterton. The episode also features an excerpt from a conversation with Sweden's migration minister Johan Forssell. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Number of people granted Swedish citizenship drops 40 percent
• How Sweden's government ignored warnings when revoking work permit law
• Will deported workers really be able to return to Sweden after just 19 days?
• 'I’m not valued': The reasons foreign residents are leaving Sweden

• 'Pig cold': How to talk about the winter weather in Swedish

• Calf dance and boiled bread: The Swedish foods with EU protection

• How to enrol your child in a Swedish school

Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.

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Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.

Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

• For signed-in members: Upgrade to Membership+
• For new members: Get Membership+ 

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This week’s episode of Sweden in Focus Extra features an interview with Niels Paarup-Petersen, the Centre Party's immigration spokesperson.

Paarup-Petersen is a Danish-born, Malmö-based politician who became a Swedish citizen in 2010 in order to be able to vote in the country he moved to with his Swedish partner.

The Local's Nordic editor Richard Orange caught up with him recently to get his analysis of what’s likely to happen with Sweden’s many immigration reforms in 2026 and whether immigration will be a big issue for voters in this year’s general election.

READ ALSO:

• 'Let's not kick people out of Sweden who are already contributing'

Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

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• For new members: Get Membership+ 

Read more about Membership+ in our help centre.

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In this week's episode we talk about growing protests over the deportation from Sweden of foreign workers and whether people taking to the streets is likely to have any impact on government policy.

We also look at how Sweden is reacting to the capture of Venezuela’s president in a US military operation as well as US President Donald Trump’s renewed calls for his country to take control of Greenland.

For Membership+ subscribers we highlight new laws that will impact our lives in Sweden in 2026, and we examine the state of play for the political parties at the start of election year.

Finally we explain why Swedes traditionally wait until 20 days after Christmas before throwing out their Christmas trees.

Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Richard Orange and Becky Waterton. The episode also features an excerpts from interviews with the Centre Party's immigration policy spokesperson Niels Paarup-Petersen and Stockholm University politics professor Jan Teorell. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• 'Sweden is my children's country': Health professionals ordered to leave after years of work
• Deportations spark pushback against Swedish migration reforms
• 'Let's not kick people out of Sweden who are already contributing'
• Sweden's government to submit new work permit law to parliament 'in a couple of weeks'

• 'We are free': Venezuelans in Sweden split on US attack

• LISTED: All the new laws coming into force in Sweden at the start of 2026

• Why Swedish Christmas lasts until January 13th
• How to dispose of your Christmas tree in Sweden

Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.

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Instead of a news roundup Sweden in Focus this week consists of a conversation with a journalist who has contributed several articles to The Local recently charting the immigrant experience. 

Faisal Khan ended up in Sweden after life in Afghanistan became "unbearable" for him and his family. It was a country he knew little about but soon came to appreciate. Despite a rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric he's hopeful Sweden can "correct course" and focus on finding solutions to real societal problems without seeking scapegoats. 

"I love everything about Sweden. I love its bad weather. I love its bad jokes, even though I don't understand most of them. My body doesn't accept the cold weather but I'm still optimistic," he says. 

Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.

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Join us for an end-of-year quiz as we look back at the stories that shaped Sweden in 2025. 

Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by The Local's Becky Waterton, Richard Orange and James Savage. 

The year kicked off with revelations that Sweden's national security advisor had mislaid highly sensitive documents and ended with the country's right-wing leaders meeting in the Prime Minister's home to hatch plans for election year.

But how much do our contestants remember? And can you outperform them?

Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.

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In this week's episode we talk about Christmas and how to celebrate like a Swede.

We also discuss why prominent Moderate Party politicians are arguing amongst themselves about the merits of government policies that are forcing immigrants with jobs to leave the country.

For Membership+ subscribers we look at the economic forecast for Sweden in 2026, which will also be a useful barometer to gauge the government’s chances of securing reelection. 

Finally we explain why a court has called off this year’s controversial wolf hunt and why a prominent commentator is linking anti-wolf sentiment to right-wing extremism. 

Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Richard Orange and Becky Waterton. The episode also features an excerpt from an interview with Moderate Party youth leader Douglas Thor. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• How to decorate your Christmas tree like a Swede
• Skål! A guide to glögg, Sweden's favourite Christmas drink
• When do you start saying Merry Christmas in Sweden?

• Leader of Swedish Moderate youth wing criticises work permit reforms
• What will happen in Swedish politics during election year 2026?

• How Sweden’s 2026 budget could affect your finances
• How strong will the Swedish krona be in 2026?
• What a strong Swedish krona means for foreigners in Sweden

• Planned wolf cull blocked by Swedish court

Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

• For signed-in members: Upgrade to Membership+
• For new members: Get Membership+ 

Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.

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Voters in Sweden will decide next year whether to keep the current coalition government bolstered by the far-right Sweden Democrats or switch to a more left-leaning alternative.

The Local’s Nordic editor Richard Orange caught up recently with Jonas Hinnfors, a political science professor at Lund University, to get his predictions for the year ahead.  

Can the right-wing parties claw back the percentage points they need to surpass a potential Social Democrat-led coalition in the polls? 

What are the topics likely to dominate the debate in 2026? Will immigration take centre stage again? 

Which leaders risk getting the boot, and will all current parties meet the four-percent parliamentary threshold?

Tune in to this week's episode for the full interview.

READ ALSO:

• GUIDE: Everything you need to know about Sweden's political parties
• Swedish pro-government parties 'agreed on a plan' for second term in power

Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.

Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

• For signed-in members: Upgrade to Membership+
• For new members: Get Membership+ 

Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.

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In this week's episode we talk about why immigrants in Sweden are often lumped into categories and what needs to be done to forge real connections, and we look at what Indian readers are telling us about their relationship with Sweden.

Also, after the United States released a national security strategy that sent shockwaves through Europe, we examine what commentators are saying about the potential ramifications here in Sweden.

For Membership+ subscribers we discuss what it takes to get a gymnasium, or upper secondary level, qualification in Swedish.

And with Princess Sofia in the news over meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, we talk through her rise to prominence from Paradise Hotel contest to Duchess of Värmland.

Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Richard Orange and James Savage. The episode also features an interview with our contributor Faisal Khan. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• LONG READ: In Sweden, there are only good, bad, ugly and evil immigrants
• UN slams Sweden's 'discriminatory' push to tighten citizenship rules
• 'The cold changes people's brains': Do Indians in Sweden prefer life back home?

• How to decide which Swedish language certificate is best for you

• ARCHIVE: How a reality TV star got a Swedish fairytale

Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

• For signed-in members: Upgrade to Membership+
• For new members: Get Membership+ 

Read more about Membership+ in our help centre.

Already have Membership+ but not receiving all the episodes? Go to the podcast tab on your account page to activate your subscription. 

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In this week’s episode of Sweden in Focus Extra, we hear from the Umeå-based Canadian writer. Mandy Pipher about what it's been like moving to Umeå in northern Sweden. 

Mandy wrote recently in an article for The Local about the ignorance and prejudices people from Norrland often face about a region that makes up more than half of Sweden’s surface area. 

We wanted to catch up with her to find out more about why she moved to Umeå and what kind of reactions she has had when telling people about her move to northern Sweden. 

She also talks about the complicated history underpinning many southerners' preconceived notions about a part of the country she describes as 'magical' in many respects. 

Tune in to this week's episode for the full interview with Mandy Pipher. 

READ ALSO:

• Why northern Swedes feel ignored and underappreciated
• Five reasons why Sweden is not the Canada of Europe

Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.

Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

• For signed-in members: Upgrade to Membership+
• For new members: Get Membership+ 

Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.