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PODCAST

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 presenterJames Savagechats about the most important news and must-know information with The Local Sweden’sEmma Löfgren,Richard OrangeandMandy Pipher. They are frequently joined by other expert commentators. Become a member at

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All Episodes

36:20

Is Sweden flunking at AI?

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/07/11

AI looks set to cause huge disruption to the world of work and to almost all aspects of our lives. Yet while Sweden is home to some leading AI companies, Swedish politicians are not rising to the major challenges that the technology poses, says author and AI expert Johan Falk to James Savage.Read more: Politics in Sweden: Why are Swedish politicians so silent on AI?Johan Falk's English Substack Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See

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39:40

Our big poll on Sweden

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/07/04

The Local's weekly podcast with news from Sweden. This week, James Savage, Emma Löfgren and Mandy Pipher discuss a new poll of The Local's readers on the highs and lows of living in Sweden. We also talk about what the government hopes to achieve by slashing taxes on fuel and public transport, and on an interview we did with migration minister Johan Forssell.Read more on the subjects we talk about in this episode:Swedish migration minister: 'One day you're a Nazi, the next a left-wing activist'POLL:

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15:24

Almedalen bonus: 'Sweden needs more ambition'

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/06/27

Sweden's Nordic editor Richard Orange was in Visby this week at the Almedalen political festival. One of the many people he spoke to was Niels Paarup-Petersen, who isthe migration, education and digitalisation spokesperson for the Centre Party. On a walk through the city's medieval streets they discussed the chances of the government surviving after the election. And what would a new government do about transitional rules for citizenship? Also, are Sweden's political parties too wedded to

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43:12

Almedalen special: Is Sweden's government toast?

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/06/26

This week host James Savage and regular panelist Richard Orange record the podcast from Almedalen, the annual politics fest in Visby on the Baltic island of Gotland.They are joined for a lively politics conversation by Henrik Torehammar, a political commentator for the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper.Almedalen is sometime criticised as an event for Sweden's elites, but how elitist can any event really be in what Torehammar calls a "bicycle monarchy" famed for its flat hierarchies?Prime Minister Ulf

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32:07

Legal fight begins on Swedish citizenship rejections

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/06/24

Earlier this year the Fair Transition campaign group tried to convince Swedish decision makers to introduce transitional rules for the citizenship reforms which came into force on June 6th.Two months have now passed since the Swedish parliament voted against transitional rules by the smallest of margins after the far-right Sweden Democrats sent in two MPs who were supposed to be withheld from the vote.So what now for the campaigners fighting on behalf of the 100,000 citizenship applicants waiting in

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28:04

What kind of bad conduct could get you kicked out of...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/06/18

This week we talk about the Swedish culture of long summer holidays and how to make the most of them.Also: parliament has passed a law that will make it possible to revoke residence permits for “poor conduct”. Now that it has passed, will you live to regret that speeding fine?Why is the government pressing ahead with plans for mandatory ‘language preschools’ for children who don’t speak good Swedish, despite an official investigator saying that the idea was legally and practically difficult, and

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4:51

Sweden's teen deportations – 'I was terrified I...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/06/16

Sweden's teen deportations have affected young people who live in Sweden and whose parents have the right to be in Sweden, but who themselves no longer meet the requirements for a residence permit.After sustained public outcry, media reporting and opposition pressure, Sweden's government announced relief measures on June 1st.These included the option for young adults who came to Sweden as dependents of their parents to no longer have to leave the country in order to apply for their own permits.Once

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42:07

Sweden's Prime Minister rocked by corruption claims

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/06/12

This week we talk about a security scandal surrounding Prime minister Ulf Kristersson.And with the men's football World Cup kicking off this week, we assess Sweden's chances.We also discuss new restrictions on permanent residency and turbulence on the left side of Swedish politics.And we have an interview with Liz Stopka from the American Swedish Institute about the history of Swedish emigration to the United States.Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Mandy Pipher and Emma

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4:36

'Disappointing and sad': Treasured Swedish museums...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/06/09

Two popular museums in Stockholm are at risk of closure because the government agency that owns the properties is now requiring the museums, which are also run by a government agency, to pay market rents that they can’t afford.It’s currently unclear if Medelhavsmuseet and Östasiatiska museet will be able to stay open.Known in English as The Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities, and the East Asian Antiquities Museum, the two city centre museums are much-loved destinations for

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30:48

Why this year's Swedish National Day will be bittersweet

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/06/04

This week we look at the government’s solution to teen deportations, and we discuss the new citizenship law coming into force on Saturday, which also happens to be National Day.We also talk about how unnerving it can be for foreigners when a young child switches to Swedish before you even properly understand it.And for Membership+ subscribers, we talk about the Swedish community in the US and how they keep their Swedishness alive.Host Richard Orange is joined this week by panelists Mandy Pipher and

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4:44

'Sweden's next migration minister will have a big...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/06/01

A month ago the parties on the left were poised to win a vote on transitional rules for citizenship in the Riskdag after two independents MPs sided with the opposition. But the Sweden Democrats swung the vote in the government’s favour by getting two of their parliamentarians to breach a longstanding pairing agreement that compensates for planned absences.This week we hear from the Green Party’s immigration policy spokesperson Anna Hirvonen, who has sent an emergency motion to the speaker of the

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43:38

What happens if Sweden Democrats get top jobs in next...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/05/29

This week we are delving into the sort of jobs the Sweden Democrats could get if they join the government after the election.With new rules for work permits coming in next week, we look at an unexpectedly short list of exempted professions.Is Sweden’s new status as a ‘smoke-free country’ really just be due to tobacco taxes and good public health campaigns?Why is the government proposing to halve the cost of a monthly card for regional public transport from July 1st until the end of the year?And we

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26:18

'Devastated' – Swedish citizenship hopefuls fear for...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/05/26

With just two weeks left until Sweden introduces a new citizenship law, how are applicants who are stuck in the queue feeling about their chances of becoming Swedish?And what do they have to say about the government’s decision not to introduce transitional rules, meaning that they’ll be judged according to tougher new criteria, including longer residency, as well as language and knowledge requirements?Around 100,000 applicants are currently waiting to become naturalised Swedes and The Local Sweden’s

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33:14

How relaxed alcohol laws could spice up Sweden's...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/05/22

This week we ask whether moves to stop teen deportations could help those young people who have already left, as well as discussing all the latest on the citizenship voting scandal.We also look at whether proposals to liberalize Systembolaget could actually lead to real change.And why has Sweden’s new order for warships gone to France, not Sweden’s own Saab?For membership+ subscribers we look at whether a new economic partnership between India and Sweden could help Indians wanting to move here.Host

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3:32

'A mistake to commit to a government with Sweden...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/05/19

The repercussions of the Sweden Democrats' decision to defy Swedish parliamentary convention to get new citizenship rules passed without transitional rules are continuing to be felt.But what are the long-term consequences of the Sweden Democrats' willingness to break the rules governing Swedish politics? And could there be a price for Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's moderate party?Moderate veteran Mikael Odenberg, a former defence minister and former group leader for the party in parliament, thinks

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40:45

Why 1,800 lawyers warn rule of law is under threat in...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/05/14

This week we discuss the talk about whether the rule of law is threatened in Sweden, as many lawyers are now arguing.We also ask why things got heated in the Riksdag this week.Why are some museums saying they’re being forced out of Stockholm?And we finish up with a tricky quiz on Swedish society.Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Emma Löfgren and Mandy Pipher.Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:Politics & lawMore than 1,800 lawyers warn rule of law being

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3:26

'All applications in Sweden's citizenship queue will...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/05/12

Sweden is introducing a stricter new citizenship law from June 6th. But there will be no transitional provisions for the 100,000 people waiting in the citizenship queue.That’s unless opposition politicians manage to force lawmakers to vote again on transitional rules after the previous vote was marred by cheating accusations at the end of last month, as The Local was first to report.Last week our reporter Mandy Pipher caught up with Åsa Holmes, the head of the Swedish Migration Agency’s citizenship

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19:20

Week of chaos in Swedish politics after citizenship...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/05/08

This week we discuss the aftershock from last week’s parliamentary vote on stricter citizenship rules.We’ve got an interview with Åsa Holmes from the Migration Agency on how the new rules will be applied — and what it means for people already in the system.We also look at the new civics test for citizenship.For Membership+ subscribers, we look at the TISUS exam — which now counts towards the language requirement for citizenship.And finally we look a why – if you notice a Swedish person staring at

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5:48

'Swedes are realising we need people from other...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/05/06

Public opinion in Sweden is increasingly at odds with the government's restrictive immigration policies, a new survey has found.The study, commissioned by non-profit organisation Globeknot and carried out by Novus, found that 81 per cent of respondents thought that foreigners who follow the law and support themselves should be allowed to stay in Sweden.The Local's Richard Orange caught up with Globeknot's Andreas Bergh, who is also Associate Professor of Economics at Lund University, to find out

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42:08

How Sweden’s dramatic citizenship law deadline day...

Sweden in Focus ·

2026/04/30

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+This week we spend most of the episode looking at Wednesday’s controversial vote in parliament to pass stricter citizenship laws.We

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