Moderates want criminals to need visa to travel within the EU

Sweden’s conservative Moderate Party on Thursday presented its 75-point EU election manifesto, of which one of the key points is a proposal to cancel free movement for serious criminals, preventing 2,000 alleged gang leaders from moving to other EU countries.

The party also wants convicted criminals to need a visa to travel within the EU.

Free movement within the EU is one of the key principles the union is built on, but it is already possible for EU countries to restrict free movement for people they believe might commit terror acts.

“What we’re now doing is lowering the bar to hit the leadership segments of gang criminals,” Swedish news agency TT quoted the Moderates’ top EU candidate, Tomas Tobé, as saying.

Read more about the Swedes running for the European Parliament in The Local’s guide.

Swedish vocabulary: free movement – fri rörlighet

Lenny Kravitz on his youth in Motala: A lot of potatoes

US star Lenny Kravitz is not only known in Sweden for his long track record of creating rock, funk, R&B and so on mega hits, as well as accidentally ripping his trousers in a very unfortunate place during a legendary concert at Stockholm’s Gröna Lund in 2015.

Soon, he might also be known for his opinions on the city of Motala, which have gone viral in Sweden.

He told Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet in an interview that he dated a girl from Motala in his youth, and spent a lot of time in the city.

“It was many years ago. I met her while recording Mama Said and we dated for a few years. It was very good,” he said.

Asked what he remembers of Motala, he said: “A lot of potatoes, growing in the fields. And everyone had flowers outside their windows.”

A lot of Swedes found it amusing that Motala had not left a bigger impression on the star than “a lot of potatoes”, when frankly it’s even more amusing that it had left an impression at all. Nothing against the lovely Motala, but it’s not exactly known as the city of rock’n’roll.

Was Kravitz wrong about Motala? Not necessarily.

The city of some 30,000 people is situated in Östergötland, a fertile part of Sweden with a big agricultural industry, including potato. In fact, travel just 20 minutes south and its neighbouring town of Mjölby has a giant potato statue on display at one of its roundabouts.

Swedish vocabulary: a potato – en potatis

Eurovision police officers suspected of snack theft

While we’re on the topic of potatoes, a to The Local at this stage unknown number of police officers are being investigated for allegedly stealing four bags of the thin snacking variety of potatoes, known as crisps in British English and chips in American English (and to Swedes).

The police officers were responsible for checking deliveries to the Eurovision Village in Folkets park in Malmö during Eurovision Song Contest earlier this month, when they allegedly seized four bags of crisps/chips, reports local newspaper Sydsvenskan.

Far i hatten, the restaurant that was supposed to receive the snacks, reported the incident to police on the urging of other police officers. 

“One of our suppliers came to us and said ‘just so you know, four bags are missing. Police confiscated them for no reason’, Far i hatten co-owner Ellen Almqvist told Sydsvenskan, saying that the officers had initially wanted to confiscate an entire box containing more bags.

Swedish vocabulary: a theft – en stöld

Indian parents fear Swedish citizenship application will leave children stateless

Several Indian parents or parents-to-be in Sweden have told The Local that they are putting their long-term plans on hold out of uncertainty about their children’s legal status if they apply for citizenship.

India does not allow dual citizenship, so anyone wishing to become a Swedish citizen must also renounce their Indian nationality and surrender their Indian passport. And according to India’s Citizenship Act from 1955, if a parent gives up citizenship, their children automatically lose it too.

That would not be an issue if the children were to receive Swedish citizenship instead. However, long delays as well as tougher migration rules make many Indians worry that their children will be left stateless for an extended period in-between losing their old nationality and gaining a new one.

Swedish vocabulary: a parent – en förälder