Sweden in Focus

The Local
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  • NEWS COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Sweden in Focus

Sweden in Focus is The Local’s weekly podcast where we discuss the big news and talking points in Sweden as well as explore and explain the issues that impact life in the country. We also answer your essential questions and look ahead at what’s coming up. In each episode presenter Paul O’Mahony chats about the most important news and must-know information with The Local Sweden’s James Savage, Emma Löfgren, Richard Orange and Becky Waterton. They are frequently joined by other expert commentators. Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Why is Sweden such a trusting society?

    In this week's episode we look at what makes Sweden such a trusting society. We also discuss Muharrem Demirok's decision to step down as Centre Party leader and what it means for the future of a party that's currently siding with the left but has previously allied itself with the right. And why has a supreme court ruling on European data protection drawn howls of protest from Swedish publishers? Host Richard Orange is joined this week by regular panelists Emma Löfgren and James Savage.  Sweden Explained'Sweden has changed fundamentally but the level of trust is the same'Which companies do Swedes trust the most?PoliticsSwedish Centre Party leader Muharrem Demirok to step downCould a new Centre Party leader determine Sweden's next PM?Get Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcasts 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.  Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    30 min

  2. 22 FEB

    How is Sweden reacting to Trump's seismic shift on European security?

    In this week's episode we talk about how Sweden is reacting to the United States’ dramatic foreign policy pivot on Europe. What are Swedish politicians saying after US Vice President JD Vance kickstarted a week of new lows in US-Europe relations?   We also look at the planned closure of an international upper-level high school in Stockholm and speak to Abdirahim Mohammed, the student who launched a petition calling for action to save the school. Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode: Politics'Ice in the stomach': Swedish politicians react to Trump's new world orderWill Europe match words with actions after being sidelined by Trump?Swedish word of the day: is i magenSchoolsIES to close Stockholm flagship school leaving 159 students strandedWhat's it like to work as a foreign teacher at Swedish free school chain IES?Get Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcastsSign 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.    Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    24 min

  3. 15 FEB

    Why post-Örebro gun control split the Sweden Democrats

    In this week's episode: Reader reactions to Örebro mass murder, and why a gun law debate sparked fury among Sweden Democrats. For Membership+ subscribers: What would make the government rethink a plan to apply citizenship law changes retroactively to current applicants? And why the King revealed the wrong name for a new Swedish princess. Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Emma Löfgren and James Savage.  Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode: CrimeOPINION: It's down to Sweden's lawmakers to help immigrants feel less vulnerableFULL LIST: What we know of the ten victims of the Örebro campus attackDid the prime minister find his inner statesman?Sweden to allow schoolbag searches after mass shootingPoliticsTop Sweden Democrat steps down after party pushes ahead with AR-15 banSweden to limit access to semi-automatic weapons after mass shootingGet Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcastsSign 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    28 min

  4. 6 FEB

    What we know about Sweden's worst ever mass shooting 

    We're releasing the podcast earlier than usual this week to bring you up to date information on this week's horrific shooting in Örebro that left eleven people dead.  We also look at why Sweden’s government wants to make the new citizenship rules retroactive and how applicants are reacting. In the longer version for Membership+ subscribers we give you the lowdown on sportlov, the annual Swedish school break that sees families leave the cities en masse for the northern slopes and, finally, we dig into why the government is planning to give foreign experts bigger tax cuts. Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and Richard Orange.  Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode: Crime'Multiple nationalities' among victims in Swedish mass shooting: policeWhat we know so far about the Örebro campus attackPoliticsSwedish government to make new citizenship rules retroactiveUPDATED: Readers' questions answered on Sweden's citizenship reformsGet Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcastsSign 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.  Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    25 min

  5. 1 FEB

    How to speak Scanian like a southern Swede

    We start this week with news that broke just before we started recording the episode. The victims of two separate murders in the greater Stockholm region on Wednesday were revealed to be, in the first killing in Husby, an uncle of organised crime chief Rawa Majid and, in Södertälje, Salwan Momika, who was behind a quran-burning spree in 2023. Coming at the end of a record month for explosive attacks, how serious is the current crime wave and what's being done to stop it? We also look at why Sweden’s national security adviser finally resigned and what it means for the government, why a Swedish police tactical unit boarded a ship in the Baltic. And, taking a breaking from the news, we learn how to speak Swedish like a Scanian. Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange.  Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode: CrimeQuran-burner Salwan Momika shot dead in StockholmSocial Democrats: Turn all of southern Stockholm into one big stop-and-search zoneSwedish police warn parents to keep eyes on kids after wave of violencePoliticsPolitics in Sweden: Why carelessness isn't the only issue with the PM's 'bästis' Military'I think it's the Russians': Swedish defence expert on cable sabotage Language17 dialect words you'll need to know to survive in southern Sweden Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    22 min
  6. Is your Swedish good enough for university? – Quiz 1

    28 JAN

    Is your Swedish good enough for university? – Quiz 1

    This week we’re going to test our panelists’ Swedish language knowledge by throwing a few questions at them from the vocabulary section of Högskoleprovet, the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test that students can take as an entrance exam for Swedish universities. The questions in this episode are taken from a test that university applicants took in autumn 2015.  Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by Becky Waterton and James Savage. READ ALSO: SWEDISH TEST: Can you pass the vocab part of Sweden's version of the SAT? What you need to know about applying to university in Sweden The seven stages of learning Swedish every foreigner goes through Get Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcastsSign up for 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+ 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.  Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    18 min

  7. 25 JAN

    What makes Sweden one of the world's most innovative countries?

    This week we talk about Donald Trump's return to the White House and how it’s going to impact Sweden, especially in the areas of trade and security. And could the Tesla strike become a flashpoint with Elon Musk now a part of the US administration?  One Swede who was in the United States recently is the deputy prime minster Ebba Busch. We discuss her recent visit to Las Vegas where she gave a rousing speech about Swedish innovation that sparked animated debate back home. We’ll also examine why the Prime Minister is coming under increasing pressure to sack his national security adviser, who also happens to be his close childhood friend.  For Membership+ subscribers we dig into comments we’ve received from readers about proposals to extend the waiting time for citizenship and we bring you the latest on the government’s plans to increase the salary requirement for work permit holders after the employment minister said he’d be open to backtracking. Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and James Savage.  Sweden & the United StatesWhat does Donald Trump's return to the White House mean for Sweden?InnovationFrom 2023: Sweden ranked second most innovative country in the worldPoliticsSweden's national security adviser's slip-ups examined by prosecutorsGet Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcastsSign 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.  Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    30 min

  8. 18 JAN

    Will Sweden's new citizenship rules put foreign workers off?

    Sweden's government promised a paradigm shift on immigration and this was a week in which they moved ahead with some cornerstone policies.  As we spoke about in last week's podcast, enhanced security checks are expected to slow down decisions on citizenship by a migration authority already struggling to manage a backlog of more that 80,000 applications.  The head of a government inquiry this week recommended a grace period for existing applicants as Sweden moves to extend residency requirements from five to eight years for citizenship. In this week's episode politicians remind us that they're not obliged to follow the inquiry's recommendations.  For Membership+ subscribers we discuss why dual citizenship on the agenda this week after a parliamentary committee recommended changing the constitution to enable the revocation of Swedish citizenship for serious crimes including espionage, terrorism and treason. But a disagreement between the government and the Social Democrats on which crimes should be covered suggests this is an issue we'll be hearing much more about in the run-up to the 2026 election.  Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Emma Löfgren and James Savage.  Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode: New Swedish citizenship rulesSwedish government inquiry proposes increasing citizenship wait to eight yearsKEY POINTS: Sweden's plans for tougher citizenship rulesReaders' questions answered on Sweden's citizenship reformsHow do foreigners feel about extending Sweden's citizenship wait to eight years?Swedish migration minister won't rule out making new citizenship rules retroactive  Get Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcastsSign 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. Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    35 min
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About

Sweden in Focus is The Local’s weekly podcast where we discuss the big news and talking points in Sweden as well as explore and explain the issues that impact life in the country. We also answer your essential questions and look ahead at what’s coming up. In each episode presenter Paul O’Mahony chats about the most important news and must-know information with The Local Sweden’s James Savage, Emma Löfgren, Richard Orange and Becky Waterton. They are frequently joined by other expert commentators. Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    The Local
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    168
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Local Europe AB
  • Show Website
    Sweden in Focus

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