Cecilia Malmström, Minister of European Affairs (Sweden)

The year is coming to its end and so is the Swedish Presidency. It has been a fantastic year with so much fun, hard work and a lot of results. It has really been a privilege to be able to move the European agenda forward for six months. Apart for some rest over Christmas, this week has been dominated by the entering into force of the service directive and the demonstrations and arrests in Iran.

The service directive is good for Europe, it will facilitate for service providers, create new jobs and improve for consumers. (more…)

Cecilia Malmström, Minister of European Affairs (Sweden)

As the Icelandic flag hangs along with the Swedish and European ones, the Icelandic minister of foreign affairs today formally handed over the Icelandic application for membership in the European union. It was done in a ceremony in Stockholm and Carl Bildt accepted it on behalf of the Presidency. It is surely a historic day. (more…)

Cecilia Malmström, Minister of European Affairs (Sweden)

It’s 1 July, the first day of the Swedish presidency of the European Union. I’m looking forward to some challenging and exciting six months, that will require a lot of hard work and creative leadership.

It’s no secret that Sweden will be leading Europe in a difficult time. The European Union is facing a number of challenges, and the presidency will work under very specific conditions. But we are not afraid of taking up the challenge. The presidency’s ambition is to achieve results on a range of issues where citizens expect the Union to deliver. While working to create better conditions for growth and jobs, we will also need to unite the world in the struggle against climate change. (more…)