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US envoy to Sweden held up over political row

Sweden hasn't had a US ambassador since July, and the replacement could be held up for another year due to a political controversy in the US that one expert compared to a House of Cards episode.

Published: 13 November 2015 14:28 CET
Updated: 13 November 2015 17:02 CET
US envoy to Sweden held up over political row
Former ambassador Mark Brzezinski. Photo: Nora Lorek/TT
Sweden's US embassy has been without an ambassador since Mark Brzezinski left in the summer, following his four-year stint in Stockholm. 
 
His replacement Azita Raji was nominated in October last year, but is yet to be designated, much less confirmed by the US Senate. 
 
So what's taking so long?
 
It's not a problem with Raji, an Iranian born politically appointed ambassador who was a financial supporter of the President Obama's. Rather, it's the result of political wrangling in the US Senate. 
 
Republican Senator Tom Cotton has frozen three ambassadorial nominees – including for Sweden and Norway – pending an investigation into the Secret Service, which in an unrelated issue leaked unflattering information about another Republican lawmaker. 
 
“This is about a constitutional clash between the executive and the Legislature,” Cotton said recently, reported US news site Politico. “In divided government, one critical check that the Senate has is the power of confirmation.”
 
Politico reports that there are eight ambassadorial nominees waiting to be confirmed and over 100 “languishing in committee”. 
 
But as far as Sweden is concerned, it means there has not been a permanent head of the embassy since July. And Raji can't start unless she's confirmed by the Senate.
 
And what is worse, if the nomination period expires, it is possible that Sweden would be without a US ambassador until after the 2017 elections in the US.
 
Mark Cameron, the spokesman at Sweden's US embassy, declined to comment on the effect of having no ambassador, but said operations were being carried out under the watch of Chargé d'Affaires Bob Gilchrist. 
 
“We are carrying on, moving forward, and strengthening bilateral relations between Sweden and the US, while working to protect and promote the interests of the US,” he said.
 
Cameron refused, however, to say anything else about the fact that the position has been left glaringly vacant after it had been kept so warm by a series of active and successful ambassadors. 
 

The US Capitol Hill. Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
 
Erik Brattberg, a Swedish foreign policy expert based in Washington, says the US Ambassador to Sweden is a “very important” position.
 
“The ambassador allows the embassy to interact with the Swedish government at the right level – and it's important for them to have a direct link to the White House and the State Department. It's not only symbolic, it's important for both Sweden and the US,” he told The Local.  
 
“Without an ambassador, it makes it more difficult for Sweden to interact with the US as there is no go-between.”
 
“On the practical side, it's more difficult for the US embassy in Sweden to take the lead on issues, as they don't have a head with the authority in Washington to push things and move the ball forward on new initiatives.”
 
He added that any new ambassador would have big shoes to fill, too. 
 
“Mark Brzezinski will be missed, anyone would have a hard time matching what he accomplished. And don't forget, there's only a year left of the Obama administration, meaning anyone coming to Sweden wouldn't stay for very long anyway. There would be a lot of limits on what they could accomplish.”
 
“What I'm hearing is that most of the nominees won't be confirmed in time before the new administration, meaning Sweden wouldn't have a US ambassador for up to a year.”
 
“The relationship between Sweden and the US is strong and has been strengthening in the past few years. It will continue to be strong even without an ambassador, but with an ambassador they could do even more together.”
 

Republican senator Tom Cotton. Photo: AP Photo/Danny Johnston
 
Elizabeth Walentin, an expert on US politics working as a PR consultant in Stockholm, says that the hold up in the Senate doesn't look good when it comes to the relations between Sweden and the US. 
 
“What we're seeing here is political gamesmanship in the Senate taking priority over public diplomacy,” she told The Local.
 
“Sweden is an important trading partner for the US, we have a refugee crisis, we have a climate  issue. This isn't just a cushy post – there are vital issues to be discussed between the two countries.”
 
“You have to ask, what kind of signal does this send to the Swedes?”
 
Walentin was quick to add that having no ambassador was likely a much more significant problem in other countries that have been held up in the Senate's wrangling, such as Trinidad or Mexico. 
 
“It must be especially frustrating for these other countries. The nominees being presented are not controversial, they are serious people who could do a good job. What we see are senators trying to make life difficult for Obama, who is already in his lame duck period.”
 
“It's a waste of time and resources. You've got to wonder what anyone gets out of this. These tactics are reminiscent of Frank Underwood in 'House of Cards'.”
 
“This kind of gamesmanship would be more understandable  if Obama was newly elected. They're trying to make him look weak and ineffective, but it makes no sense.”
 
“And it would be a shame for Sweden if the appointed ambassador doesn't come. She is an inspirational woman, she came from Iran and moved to the US as an adult. It's the kind of immigrant success story that would be great to show off here.”
 
But as it stands now, the fate of Raji and the occupancy of the Stockholm ambassadorial residence remain in the hands of the US Senate, where Senators don't look like giving way any time soon.
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CLIMATE

FACT CHECK: Has the EU really banned Swedes from lighting bonfires?

Claims that a new EU law had outlawed lighting fires in private gardens have hit the headlines recently, with outraged Swedes accusing Brussels of banning Sweden's traditional spring fires. But how true are they?

Published: 19 April 2024 10:39 CEST
FACT CHECK: Has the EU really banned Swedes from lighting bonfires?

What’s happened?

On April 6th, TV4 Nyheter published a story claiming that burning twigs and leaves in private gardens has been illegal since the beginning of the year, due to new EU rules.

“A common habit for gardeners during their spring cleaning is now banned. An EU law which came into force at the beginning of the year demands that all food and garden waste are sorted separately,” the article states, quoting Milla Sundström, an administrator from the waste and chemicals unit of the Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket) as saying this “indirectly” bans spring fires.

Sundström added that the ban is enforced by local councils, so rules may differ.

Wait… why is it so important for Swedes to burn twigs in their gardens?

It’s a common way of getting rid of the leaves and branches that have accumulated over the last year, with the ashes often used as fertiliser in the garden. It’s usually only allowed for a couple of weeks a year in spring and again in the autumn, and during Valborg at the end of April, when it’s traditional to light a spring bonfire.

Quite a lot of people in Sweden live in pretty remote areas, so it’s much easier for them to get rid of bulky garden waste by burning it rather than having to drive it off to the nearest recycling centre.

So has burning garden waste been banned by the EU?

Technically, no.

The EU law says that member states should “encourage the recycling, including composting and digestion, of bio-waste”, as well as encourage home composting and promoting the use of materials produced by bio-waste, but it doesn’t say anything about banning fires.

“This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Center Party MEP Emma Wiesner wrote on X, before blaming the government for interpreting the law incorrectly.

“Banning tidying up in your own garden has clearly NOT been the EU’s intention. The inability of the government and authorities to implement the simplest of directives is embarrassing and adds to the contempt for politicians,” she added.

So who has banned fires on private property?

In a regulation from December 22nd, 2022 signed by Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari, the government writes that exemptions “from the prohibition on the incineration of separately collected waste” may be granted in the case of public events. 

This refers to a separate law governing waste, which states that “waste that has been collected separately to be prepared for reuse or recycling should not be incinerated”.

This regulation came into effect on January 1st, 2024.

Wait… what does that even mean?

Admittedly, the regulation isn’t particularly clear. Having said that, the new rules on bonfires appear to stem from Naturvårdsverket interpreting this regulation as an outright ban.

“The new regulations mean that garden waste must be composted on-site, left at a recycling centre, or collected by the council,” it writes in a post on its website dated April 11th. “In practice, this means that it is no longer permitted to burn branches, leaves and other garden waste”.

Naturvårdsverket claims that this is “part of the introduction of the EU’s waste directive, which means that bio-waste should primarily be recycled”.

It does, however, add that local councils are able to grant exceptions, “for example if it’s a long way to the closest recycling centre”.

So whose fault is it?

Energy and business minister Ebba Busch, who is head of the climate and business ministry, seemed to indicate in a post on X that the confusion was due to the badly-worded rules introduced by the government at the beginning of the year, which were designed to coincide with the EU’s waste directive.

“I want to be clear and say that the government has not introduced a new ban against burning garden waste,” she wrote, alongside a picture of her standing in front of a fire in her own garden.

“There are new rules, but not any huge changes compared to how it’s worked in the past. We can see that these can be interpreted in different ways. For that reason, the rules will be clarified,” she added.

Can I burn twigs in my garden then?

Maybe.

Despite politicians sharing posts telling you to “Keep calm and keep lighting fires,” you should check with your municipality before you do so.

Some, like Halmstad, have interpreted the new regulations as meaning that you can still light a fire in your own garden, while others require you to apply for an exemption (which usually includes paying a fee), whether you’re applying for a May bonfire or just want to burn some leaves in your own garden.

Others, like Värmdö municipality, allow you to burn things like twigs and small branches in your garden, while stating that grass and leaves should be composted.

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