Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06STOCKHOLM1632
2006-10-06 14:41:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Stockholm
Cable title:  

SWEDEN'S NEW GOVERNMENT IS NAMED, MAKES POLICY

Tags:  PREL PGOV PINR SW 
pdf how-to read a cable
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DE RUEHSM #1632/01 2791441
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O 061441Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1214
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 0379
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 STOCKHOLM 001632 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR SW
SUBJECT: SWEDEN'S NEW GOVERNMENT IS NAMED, MAKES POLICY
STATEMENT

REF: STOCKHOLM 1501 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Charge d'affaires a.i. Casey Christensen, reason 1.4 (b)
and (d).

Summary
-------
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 STOCKHOLM 001632

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR SW
SUBJECT: SWEDEN'S NEW GOVERNMENT IS NAMED, MAKES POLICY
STATEMENT

REF: STOCKHOLM 1501 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Charge d'affaires a.i. Casey Christensen, reason 1.4 (b)
and (d).

Summary
--------------

1. (c) Fredrick Reinfeldt, who was formally elected Prime
Minister by the Swedish parliament on October 5, named his
cabinet and gave the new government's statement of policy on
October 6. Ministers from Reinfeldt's Moderate Party will
lead about half the ministries, including many of the key
ones: Foreign Affairs, Finance, Justice, and Defense. The
new Foreign Minister is Carl Bildt, who was Sweden's Prime
Minister from 1991-94. In the statement of government
policy, Reinfeldt largely stuck to the campaign themes of
job-related reforms and improving the business climate, while
ensuring his government would "safeguard the Swedish model."
On foreign policy, there were no major shifts. Reinfeldt
called for a strengthening of the transatlantic link, while
reiterating the existing policy that "Sweden does not
participate in military alliances." He stated definitively
that "special measures will be taken to promote democracy in
dictatorships such as Cuba and Belarus." Several of the new
ministers are well and favorably known to the Embassy, and
several have spoken out in favor of strong Euro-atlantic
ties. End Summary.

The New Line-up
--------------

2. (c) The government will consist of the 21 following full
and junior ministers, 11 men and 10 women (bio's on key
ministers will follow). Junior Ministers serve under the
ministers listed above them:

Prime Minister: Fredrick Reinfeldt, 41 Moderate.

(Junior) EU Minister: Cecilia Malmstrom, 38, Liberal.
PhD in Political Science. Member of European Parliament.
Annoyed the French by proposing the EU Parliament no longer
do part of its sessions in Strasbourg.

Industry Minister: Maud Olofsson, 51, Center. She will also
serve as vice-Prime Minister. Leader of the Center Party.
Interested in developing better business conditions for small
and medium enterprises. The Center party are traditionally
committed to environmental issues.

(Junior) Infrastructure Minister: Asa Torstensson,

Center.

Finance Minister: Anders Borg, 38, Moderate. Former speech
writer for Bildt; architect of Reinfeldt's New Moderates.
Liaison between Reinfeldt and Bildt. Reportedly architect of
the Alliance for Sweden and the New Moderates.

(Junior) Financial Market Issues Minister: Mats Odell,
about 60, Christian Democrat. Served in Bildt's government
1991-94.

Foreign Minister: Carl Bildt, 57, Moderate. Prime Minister
1991-94. Co-chaired Dayton Peace Talks; former EU Special
Representative to Former Yugoslavia and former UNSGY Special
Envoy for Balkan issues. On the board of Rand Corporation
and the International Advisory Board of the Council of
Foreign Relations, and a member of numerous public policy
groups.

(Junior) Foreign Trade Minister: Maria Borelius, 46,
Moderate. Her portfolio has been moved back to the MFA from
the Ministry of Industry.

(Junior) Development Aid Minister: Gunilla Carlsson,
Moderate. Carlsson is the deputy head of the Moderate Party.

Justice Minister: Beatrice Ask, 50, Moderate. School
Minister during Bildt government, 1991-94. An IV program
alumni.

(Junior) Migration Minister: Tobia Billstrom, Moderate.

Defense Minister: Mikael Odenberg, 52, Moderate. Was a
member of the Defense Committee of the Riksdag.

Social Affairs Minister: Goran Hagglund, 47, Christian
Democrat (CD). CD party head. Focused on family issues.

(Junior) Minister for Public Health: Maria Larsson, CD.


STOCKHOLM 00001632 002 OF 003



(Junior) Minister for Social Insurance: Cristina
Husmark Persson, Moderate.

Environment Minister: Andreas Carlgren, 48, Center.
Formerly head of the Immigration authority.

Education Minister: Lars Leijonborg, 57, Liberal. Liberal
Party leader. Chairs the government's Globalization Council.

(Junior) School Minister Jan Bjorklund, Liberal. Has
been an advocate for Sweden joining NATO.

Agriculture Minister: Eskil Erlandsson, 49, Center.

Culture Minister: Cecilia Stego Chilo, 47, Moderate. Head
of pro-market think tank Timbro.

Integration and Gender Equality Minister: Nyamko Sabuni, 37,
Liberal. Originally from Liberia. Advocates that immigrants
should speak Swedish; activist against female circumcision.

Minister for Labor Market Issues: Sven Otto Littorin,
Moderate. Former Moderate Party Secretary. MBA from Fairfax
University in the U.S.


3. (c) The new government includes ministers from the four
parties of the Alliance for Sweden in numbers that
approximate their showings in the elections. The Moderates
take the Prime Minister position plus 10 of the cabinet
ministries, including the heavy-weight ministries of Finance,
Foreign Affairs, Justice, and Defense. The Center and
Liberal parties each get four ministries, and the Christian
Democrats three. The assigned ministries lined up fairly
well in accordance with key constituencies of the parties
(such as the Center party, which used to be the Agriculture
party, getting the Agriculture Ministry, and the Christian
Democrats, who focus on family-friendly policies, getting
Social Affairs). Initial reaction via instant polls in the
media has been very favorable. Many of the ministers are
well known, and figures such as Carl Bildt add gravitas to
the cabinet.


4. (c) Bildt's appointment as Foreign Minister comes as
something of a surprise. Bildt and Reinfeldt had a tense
relationship after Reinfeldt, who was then head of the youth
wing of the Moderate Party, publicly criticized Bildt
following the Moderate's loss in the Parliamentary elections
of 1994. Bildt sent Reinfeldt out into the cold for a while.
Finance Minister Anders Borg is reputed to be a link between
the two. There is speculation that Bildt took the position
because he wants to renew his credentials for a run at
Solana's EU position in two years. In any event, Bildt is
expected to carry great weight in foreign policy issues, an
area where Reinfeldt acknowledges he does not have much
experience. Reinfeldt has declared he will focus on
implementing his campaign pledges, now expressed as
government policy. These largely ignored foreign policy,
except in general terms. The appointment of Bildt was
perhaps the only option to have a new foreign minister who
would not be overshadowed in comparison with the preceding
one, the well-regarded and internationally esteemed Jan
Eliasson.

Alliance Policy is Government Policy
--------------
5, (c) As the first majority government Sweden has had in 25
years, Reinfeldt's Alliance for Sweden coalition (consisting
of the Moderate, Center, Liberal, and Christian Democrat
parties) has a relatively free hand to adopt and implement
the policies they campaigned on. The Alliance set forth in a
series of campaign papers carefully negotiated and
exhaustively spelled out policy compromises. These have now
been collated to become the Government Policy, as spelled out
by Reinfeldt in his speech of October 6 (the full statement
is available in English at
http://www.sweden.gov.se/content/1/c6/07/02/3 3/71d8a385.pdf).
The speech reads as though it is an amalgam of policy papers
written by committees, which it is, but makes quite clear the
direction the policy will go: a focus on measures designed
to develop the job market and encourage Swedes to work rather
than receiving various forms of state support. Reinfeldt
also assured Swedes that the "Swedish model" would be
preserved.

Continuity and New Emphases in Foreign Policy
--------------

6. (c) Reinfeldt reiterated the existing policy that "Sweden
does not participate in military alliances." At the same

STOCKHOLM 00001632 003 OF 003


time, he said Sweden should have "increased potential to take
part in different international peace missions," making
specific mention of those under the aegis of the UN, EU, and
NATO. Reinfeldt called for "a strengthening of the
transatlantic link," but did not name the U.S. in the speech.
With a clarity that we have not seen from Sweden earlier, he
said "special measures will be taken to promote democracy in
dictatorships such as Cuba and Belarus." Reinfeldt
emphasized the strategic importance of Ukraine for Europe,
and called for a long-term EU strategy for dealing with
Russia.

Comment
--------------

7. (c) The new government ministers are, on balance, more
atlanticist than their predecessors. At the same time,
Reinfeldt's focus is primarily on domestic issues. While he
has earlier called for a debate on Sweden's joining NATO,
that is clearly not on the short-term agenda. Within the
constraints of Alliance-agreed positions (which are
considerable, particularly in the light of Center-party
policy on issues such as NATO membership that often tracks
with positions of the Social Democrats),Carl Bildt will
likely have more ability to set the foreign policy agenda
than any recent Swedish foreign minister.
CHRISTENSEN