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Borg tops in Sweden power rankings

Finance minister Anders Borg has surpassed prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt as Sweden’s most influential powerbroker, according to a new ranking.

Published: 14 November 2008 14:20 CET
Borg tops in Sweden power rankings

Borg’s top ranking comes from the weekly Swedish news magazine Fokus, which published its annual list of Sweden’s 100 most important powerbrokers on Friday.

The rankings are based on a combination of several criteria, including presence in the media, formal power, informal power, and other factors.

Last year, Borg landed in third place in the Fokus rankings, but shot past Reinfeldt to the top spot in 2008, leaving his boss to claim the number two spot.

“He has taken on a unique role when it comes to shaping the Moderates’ and the entire Alliance’s policies,” said Fokus editor-in-chief Martin Ahlquist, to the TT news agency.

This year’s list is clearly affected by the current financial crisis.

“For example, [national debt office head] Bo Lundgren has shown up on the list and that’s before we take into consideration the fact that he actually nationalized [troubled investment bank] Carnegie,” said Alhquist.

Politics also appear to be the arena from which Swedes are most able to exert their influence, as all but three of the top 20 spots on the list are occupied by politicians.

Curiously enough Sweden’s official head of state, King Carl Gustaf XVI, is not among Sweden’s 100 most powerful people, although his daughter, Crown Princess Victoria, managed to grab 60th place, up from her 95th place ranking the year before.

As in past years, this year’s Fokus list is dominated by men, although the 31 women among Sweden’s most powerful represents a marginal increase from the 30 women who made last year’s list.

Of Sweden’s most powerful women, Centre Party leader Maud Olofsson ranks the highest, landing in fifth place overall.

Olofsson is followed by another powerful female politician, Social Democratic party leaders Mona Sahlin.

Here is a list of the top 20 most powerful Swedes, as ranked by Fokus magazine, with last year’s ranking in parentheses:

1 (3) Anders Borg, finance minister (Moderate Party)

2 (1) Fredrik Reinfeldt, prime minister, party leader (Moderate Party)

3 (7) Jan Björklund, education minister, party leaders (Liberal Party)

4 (4) Carl Bildt, foreign minister (Moderate Party)

5 (6) Maud Olofsson, enterprise minister, party leader (Centre Party)

6 (2) Mona Sahlin, party leader (Social Democrats)

7 (9) Per Schlingmann, party secretary (Moderate Party)

8 (8) Wanja Lundby-Wedin, head of the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO)

9 (39) Stefan Ingves, head of the Riksbank

10 (5) Margot Wallström, EU commissioner (Social Democrats)

11 (11) Göran Hägglund, health minister, party leader (Christian Democrats)

12 (-) H G Wessberg, state secretary to the prime minister (Moderate Party)

13 (19) Leif Johansson, CEO Volvo

14 (15) Cecilia Malmström, EU minister (Liberal Party)

15 (50) Thomas Bodström, Riksdag member (Social Democrats)

16 (33) Mats Odell, financial markets minister (Christian Democrats)

17 (26) Maria Wetterstrand, spokesperson (Green Party)

18 (16) Beatrice Ask, justice minister (Moderate Party)

19 (14) Andreas Carlgren, environment minister (Centre Party)

20 (49) Nyamko Sabuni, integration minister (Liberal Party)

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Three German cities ranked in the top 10 best places to live

Germany has scored three spots in the top 10 of a new survey of the best cities in the world to live in, with Munich picking up third place.

Published: 14 March 2019 12:24 CET
Updated: 14 March 2019 18:09 CET
Three German cities ranked in the top 10 best places to live
Aerial view of Munich. Photo: Depositphotos/Dmitry Rukhlenko

The annual quality of living survey carried out by human resources consulting firm Mercer compares hundreds of cities around the world, ranking them on factors such as crime, education, healthcare, public services, recreation, housing and personal freedom.

SEE ALSO: Germany ranked fourth best company in the world

This year, Munich snagged a joint third position (along with Auckland and Vancouver), while Düsseldorf came sixth, followed by Frankfurt at number seven.

Vienna, in neighbouring Austria, topped the ranking for the 10th year running, closely followed by Zurich in second place.

Of the top 10 cities, European cities took eight of the spots. With Berlin in 13th place, Hamburg at 19 and Nuremberg at 23, Germany’s destinations scored highly in the top 25.

SEE ALSO: 10 facts you probably didn't know about Frankfurt (even if you live there)

Juliane Gruethner, mobility expert at Mercer, told The Local, that Germany was “definitely” a good choice for expats.

“We measure the quality of life in various cities based on the interests of expats,” she said. “From that perspective all the German cities score quite highly when it comes to the economic, social and cultural environment. The medical system in Germany is also very good.”

Gruethner added that the standard of housing in the three top German cities – Munich, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt – was deemed as very good.

She said Munich scored a slightly higher score due to having more “recreation opportunities” when it comes to nightlife and with an outdoor scene close by.

Germany’s international airports also helped push Germany's points up in the survey.

Gruethner added: “There’s pretty good infrastructure for employees in Germany.

“There’s also a lot of international schools.”

Although language is not a factor that it is measured in the ranking, it also plays a role for expats.“People usually speak English especially in the big cities so it’s easy to manoeuver, even if Germany might be perceived as a bit over administrative.”

Strong cultural scene

Munich, in the southern state of Bavaria, has a strong cultural scene and is known for having more of a community feel to it compared to other busy German cities, such as the capital Berlin.

Although prices are high for housing, lots of companies are based there, making it a good place for working.

It also holds the annual beer festival, Oktoberfest, which is loved and visited by tourists throughout the world.

Browse thousands of English-language jobs in Germany

“Düsseldorf diverse and welcoming'

Thomas Geisel, mayor of Düsseldorf in North Rhine-Westphalia, which ranked sixth in the list, described the city as “diverse and welcoming”.

He told Mercer: “Düsseldorf is a strong and innovative international business location, but at the same time, it’s a comfortable, friendly, tolerant and cosmopolitan city with a certain ease about it.”

Geisel said in the future he wants to see the city “continue to grow and expand its economic success in a socially balanced manner”.

He added that the basis for this is sustainable development policy “which includes affordable housing, attractive job perspectives, a better infrastructure and a continuously high quality of living”.

“Over time, the city will become even more international and attract talent from all over the world, and this will all be supported by a broad political consensus,” he added.

Frankfurt, in the state of Hesse, is renowned for being the financial capital of Germany but also plays host to a buzzing social scene, including lots of roof top bars.

The Mercer survey is conducted to inform companies on where best to expand offices or relocate staff.

Ilya Bonic, senior partner and president of Mercer’s career business said: “Companies looking to expand overseas have a host of considerations when identifying where best to locate staff and new offices.

“The key is relevant, reliable data and standardized measurement, which are essential for employers to make critical decisions, from deciding where to establish offices to determining how to distribute, house and remunerate their global workforces.”

Do you live in Munich, Düsseldorf or Frankfurt? Write to us and tell us what you think of them.

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