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WHAT CHANGES IN SWEDEN

KEY POINTS: What changes in Sweden in September?

We can expect September to be an eventful month for Swedish household finances, as a new interest rate announcement, a tax deadline, and a new government budget are all on the cards.

KEY POINTS: What changes in Sweden in September?
Will Sweden's Riksbank head Erik Thedéen raise the interest rate this month? Photo: Stefan Jerrevång/TT

September 21st: Interest rate announcement

The Riksbank central bank’s next key interest rate announcement will be made at the end of September, alongside its next fiscal policy report.

Major Swedish banks such as Swedbank and Nordea predict that the bank will raise the key interest rate by 0.25 percentage points, to 4.00 percent.

Nordea believes this will be final key interest rate hike, after which the rate will remain stable for the rest of 2023 and start to drop in 2024.

Swedbank predicts there could be a further 0.25 point hike in November, after which rates will stabilise.

September 20th: Government budget submitted to parliament

Sweden’s government parties – the Moderates, Christian Democrats and Liberals – will present their autumn budget on September 20th, written in collaboration with the Sweden Democrats.

In a press conference presenting the government’s economic forecast at the end of August, Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson announced that the government will invest 40 billion kronor’s worth of reforms in its autumn budget, money which will be allocated to regional and local authorities (which are in charge of welfare services), as well as Sweden’s military defence and police.

More information on the autumn budget is scarce, but updates will be available here at The Local as soon as we have them.

September 1st: Changes to rules around coordination numbers

At the beginning of September, Sweden’s Tax Agency will take over responsibility for identity checks on coordination numbers. Coordination numbers are similar to personal numbers, and are used in contact with Swedish authorities by people living in Sweden who aren’t eligible for personal numbers for various reasons.

Coordination numbers are now issued at three different levels depending on the extent to which the applicant proved their identity when they applied, with the highest level being issued to those who were able to confirm their identity to the Tax Agency with an accepted document.

Applicants undergoing identity checks must also let the Tax Agency collect their fingerprints and take a picture of their face, which will be compared with their ID document.

In addition to this, all Swedish authorities will be responsible for informing the Tax Agency about any suspected issues or inaccuracies in the population register’s database of people with coordination numbers.

September 25th: Deadline for companies to apply for energy subsidy

Companies in southern Sweden eligible for the energy price subsidy have until September 25th to apply.

On August 25th, two thirds of eligible companies had not yet applied, with 81,000 eligible companies applying for a total of 11.7 billion kronor.

In a press statement, Tax Agency project leader Marie Elmnäs said that there are a total of 237,000 eligible companies in energy zones 3 and 4, adding that the agency had “expected a higher number of applications”.

Eligible companies can apply to the Tax Agency for the subsidy here.

September 12th: Deadline to pay outstanding tax

If you were unlucky enough to be issued with kvarskatt on your tax return back in June, you have a few days left to repay it.

You risk paying up to 20 percent interest on the outstanding amount if you don’t manage to pay your tax back before the deadline, as well as a potential black mark on your record, which could make it harder for you to borrow money in the future.

If you’re outstanding tax is under 100 kronor you don’t need to pay it back until it reaches 100 kronor or over, and if you received your final tax declaration later than June, your deadline will also be later.

You can find out all the relevant details on the Tax Agency’s tax repayment page.

Crayfish season continues

Unfortunately there are no public holidays in September – the next one isn’t until Christmas – that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to celebrate.

The crayfish season, which started at the beginning of August, will continue until the end of September, so be prepared to keep seeing crayfish-themed decorations in the supermarkets for a few weeks yet.

If you haven’t already done so, why not find some friends (preferably with access to a summer house) to hold your very own kräftskiva (crayfish party)?

As with most Swedish celebrations, expect drinking songs, lots of snaps, crispbread, cheese, and most likely some sort of västerbottenpaj – a quiche featuring Sweden’s favourite cheese, västerbottensost.

Here’s our guide to six essential Swedish drinking songs for crayfish party season.

September 11th: One year since 2022 election

It’s almost a year since Sweden’s last election on September 11th, 2022. To keep up to date with Swedish politics, you can sign up to our weekly Politics in Sweden newsletter here, or read previous editions of the newsletter here.

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For members

EUROVISION

How safe will it be to visit Malmö during Eurovision?

Eurovision week is coming up in Malmö, Sweden, with tensions high due to Israel's participation in the contest. What should visitors be aware of during the week?

How safe will it be to visit Malmö during Eurovision?

What’s the situation like in Sweden in general?

Sweden’s terror threat level was raised from a level three (elevated) to a level four (high) on a five-point scale in August last year.

This is based on an assessment by the Security Service (Säpo) and Swedish police following a spate of Quran burnings last summer, combined with a global disinformation campaign which grabbed headlines the previous year after it alleged that Sweden’s social services routinely “kidnap” Muslim children to secularise them.

Sweden’s terror threat level had previously remained at three (“elevated threat”) since 2010, with the exception of a period in 2015 when it was temporarily raised to four (“high”). Level five, the highest level, has never been used in Sweden.

A level four means that there is a high chance that actors have both the intent and capability to carry out an attack.

At the time of the announcement, Säpo chief Charlotte von Essen stressed that the decision to raise the level was not linked to a specific incident, but should be seen as “a strategic and long-term assessment”. She urged the general public to keep living their lives as normal, but pay attention to information from Swedish authorities.

Police have been working together with government agencies and the event organisers to ensure that Eurovision goes smoothly. A national special incident (nationell särskild händelse) was activated on April 12th stretching until May 24th, in order to allow Swedish police to better allocate resources during Eurovision and other big events occurring afterwards, like Taylor Swift’s concerts in Stockholm later in May.

These are often set up to deal with sudden incidents, like wildfires or the refugee crisis in 2015, but can also be used for planned events, like the visit of then-US President Barack Obama to Sweden in 2013.

The police operation commander for Eurovision, Petra Stenkula, told a press conference in April that the police had “built a robust system with different areas of responsibility to ensure a safe and secure event”.

“The Swedish police are ready for Eurovision,” she added.

“One thing that we can almost certainly assume will happen is that rumours will spread about Eurovision, and possibly that more coordinated disinformation campaigns will take place. Do not believe everything you hear and do not spread information without critical thinking. If there is information on threats, let the police assess information that concerns the safety of the event.”

An example of a rumour that quickly spun out of control was the hunt for a snake in the Eurovision Village in Malmö’s Folkets Park on Thursday evening, after it had been spotted by a security guard. Sparking concerns it had escaped from a nearby reptile centre, it quickly grabbed headlines, but in the end it turned out to be a so-called slow worm, a legless lizard which is not dangerous.

A banner at a May Day parade in Malmö, calling for the boycott of Israel and Eurovision. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Are there any rules I should be aware of?

In November last year, Sweden announced a ban on bags at all major events due to the heightened terror threat, with exceptions for people who have a medical need to bring a bag, on-duty journalists, or those with accompanying children who need a changing bag.

This means that you won’t be able to take a bag into any shows at Malmö Arena itself or into the Eurovision Village at Folkets Park, unless you can prove that you qualify for an exemption. If you are allowed to bring your bag in, security staff will check it before you enter.

Palestinian flags are also banned at the Malmö Arena shows – you can only wave flags of participating countries or the Pride flag. That rule has been in place at Eurovision events in previous years as well, so it’s not a new rule due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Malmö police are also bringing in reinforcements from Denmark and Norway during Eurovision week, promising that there will be “visible” security measures, including police with submachine guns. Swedish police write on their website that this is a precautionary measure and nothing to worry about.

What about demos or protests?

There are a number of demonstrations and protests which have been approved during the Eurovision week, with police saying that “most of them” are related to the war between Israel and Hamas, and the row over whether or not Israel should be allowed to participate. 

Malmö is a city with a large Palestinian population, and several protests have already been held in the city in recent months.

Police will be in attendance at protests coming up this week, both in order to protect demonstrators exercising their right to freedom of speech, but also to ensure that things don’t get out of hand if the demonstration presents a danger to those present, or disrupts traffic. 

A Quran burning protest led by two people, one of whom has carried out such protests in Sweden before, is planned for Friday May 3rd on Gustav Adolfs torg, with another application submitted by the same pair to burn a Quran in Rosengård, an area of the city with a large Muslim population, on Sunday.

They also applied for a permit to walk through Malmö on Saturday wearing Israeli flags and dragging a Quran behind them on a leash, but this was thrown out by police on the grounds that it didn’t classify as the kind of public gathering for which a permit is required.

The programme for Eurovision week kicks off on Saturday May 4th.

There are also two pro-Palestine demonstrations scheduled for May 9th and May 11th, both starting at 3pm at Stortorget and walking to Mölleplatsen via Pildammsvägen, and one pro-Israel demonstration planned for May 9th on the central Davidshalltorg.

Sweden’s Eurovision entry, Marcus and Martinus, taking selfies with a fan in Malmö on April 3rd. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Is there any specific advice for visitors?

Police encourage visitors to report anything suspicious to security guards or police officers, either in person or on +46 77 114 14 00, if it’s not an emergency situation. Sweden’s emergency number is 112.

There’s no specific advice when it comes to terror threats or protests, but general advice for visitors includes keeping phones and wallets safe, being aware of possible pickpockets and not leaving drinks unattended while in bars. Criminals may also target people who are visibly drunk.

General advice for visitors is available in English on the police’s website.

Israel has advised its citizens against travelling to Malmö during Eurovision week, defining it as a “moderate” threat.

“[There are] credible concerns that terrorist factions will take advantage of the demonstrations and the anti-Israel atmosphere to execute attacks on Israelis coming to Sweden for the Eurovision,” the National Security Council writes. “Swedish authorities have bolstered security measures in Malmö, but it is important to note that unlike the Israeli delegation to the contest, individual Israelis are not protected,” it writes.

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