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BREAKING

Swedish PM’s meeting with Erdogan paused for EU talks

Monday night's crunch Nato talks between Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were paused after just two hours, so that Erdogan could meet the President of the EU Council.

Swedish PM's meeting with Erdogan paused for EU talks
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (top-C), Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (R) react during a meeting, on the eve of a NATO summit, in Vilnius on July 10, 2023. (Photo by Yves Herman/ AFP

The meeting with the Charles Michel, President of the EU Council, came after Erdogan surprised negotiators for Sweden and Nato by  pegging its acceptance of Sweden’s Nato membership to Turkey’s long-stalled ambitions to join the EU.

Earlier Erdogan rattled preparations for Nato’s Vilnius meeting by declaring that he would only back Sweden’s candidacy for the Western alliance if European Union members — most of whom are also Nato allies — agree to revive Turkey’s negotiations to join the EU.

The Turkish leader held talks with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Swedish Premier Ulf Kristersson in Vilnius in a push to get Ankara to lift its year-long block on Stockholm.

Diplomats said that meeting was then put on hold while Erdogan sat down with European Council head Michel.   

It was unclear what Michel, who heads the body representing the EU’s 27 leaders, could offer to Erdogan to help break the deadlock.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, an EU and Nato heavyweight, has insisted there is no link between Stockholm’s quest to join the Western military alliance and Ankara’s long-stalled application to enter the EU.

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WHAT CHANGES IN SWEDEN

New laws, events and a ministerial pay rise: What changes in Sweden in July

New Swedish laws often come into force at six month intervals in January or July, so there are more changes than usual this month.

New laws, events and a ministerial pay rise: What changes in Sweden in July

NEW LAWS:

Increased powers to locate people evading prosecution

This new law, due to come into force on July 1st, will make it possible for authorities to secretly monitor electronic communication and data if it is deemed necessary in order to find a wanted individual, as well as making it easier for authorities to find foreigners who they deem to be a risk to Swedish security.

It can only be used to aid the enforcement of sentences for people who have been sentenced to prison, forensic psychiatric care or closed youth care.

Better support for students with special needs

Schools who teach students with special educational needs are currently eligible for a so-called tilläggsbelopp or supplementary amount, an extra subsidy on top of the basic funds paid by the municipality to the school, which varies depending on the need of the pupil.

Currently, the application process is often complicated and many students in need of support have to fight to be granted it. 

This new law aims to make the application process more streamlined and equal, cutting down on admin for schools, pupils and municipalities.

It’s due to come into force on July 1st, but it won’t be applied in schools until the autumn term.

Abolishing requirement for business owners to keep original accounting records

Another law due to come into force on July 1st will abolish the requirement for businesses to keep the originals of any paper accounting documents. From next month, businesses will no longer need to do this if documents have been digitalised.

It will also remove the rule stipulating that a company must hire the same auditing form to carry out both accounting and auditing tasks, instead allowing companies to hire auditors while using separate technical solutions for their own accounting.

Temporary increase in the ROT deduction

Sweden’s so-called ROT deduction offers tax reductions for the labour cost of repairs, conversion or extension work. It is closely linked to the RUT deduction, which offers similar discounts for domestic work, like cleaning, garden work, childminding or laundry services.

Currently, the ROT deduction capped at 50,000 kronor, with a combined cap of 75,000 kronor for both RUT and ROT combined.

From July 1st until December 31st, this cap will be temporarily raised and instead of a combined cap of 75,000 kronor for RUT and ROT together, individual caps will be introduced. This means that taxpayers will be able to deduct a maximum of 75,000 kronor for RUT and a further 75,000 kronor for ROT work for 2024 as a whole.

Changes to school law to provide better access to paper textbooks

Another law due to come into force on July 1st will change the school law to require that students have free access to textbooks, as well as any other learning materials and tools they need for their studies.

This is part of a larger government goal to reduce the use of screens in schools, invest in school librarians and give schools more funding to buy physical books.

OTHER NEWS:

Pay rise for Swedish ministers

Swedish government ministers are getting paid more from the start of July. Their monthly salaries have been raised 3.7 percent, according to a decision by parliament’s Ministerial Remunerations Board.

The pay review, which happens every year, means that Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson gets a 7,000 kronor pay rise, with his monthly salary going up to 198,000 kronor. The other ministers’ salaries have been raised by 5,500 kronor to 156,000 kronor.

Schoolchildren (and most adults) on holiday throughout Sweden 

With schools across Sweden finishing the school year in the last two weeks of June, almost all children in Sweden are on holiday throughout July. Most adults in Sweden also take at least three weeks off in the summer, starting either in the first or second week of July.

So if you’re not taking time off, be warned: it can be difficult to get any responses from people you work with, either inside your own company, or in other companies in July. 

EVENTS THIS MONTH:

Sthlm Fields

Sthlm Fields festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year. The event will see top artists, both national and international, play at Gärdet in Stockholm. The performers will include Toto, Doja Cat and Molly Sandén. Bars, food stalls and merchandise stands will be located within the grounds, too.

There are no spaces for camping on the festival grounds, so you’ll have to find somewhere to stay in Stockholm during the festival.

Daily tickets start from 795 kronor and the full access ticket starts at 2,595 kronor.

Where: Central Stockholm

When: June 28th-July 7th

Dansbandsveckan

If you want to really experience Swedish culture, consider visiting Dansbandsveckan. This festival of the hugely popular Dansband genre attracts nearly 100,000 visitors over seven evenings, with six dance floors and 82 dance bands.

The festival will include dance classes, a musical summer evening, a fairground, axe throwing, a car exhibition and much more.

Evening tickets are priced at 350 kronor and a weekly ticket costs 2,300 kronor.

Where: Malung, Dalarna County

When: July 14th- 20th

Classic Car Week

The long-running Classic Car Week event will take place in Rättvik. The week will include music, events for children, a vintage market, a demolition derby, classic car parade and much more.

Tickets for the event cost 900 kronor if booked before April 30th, or 1,000 kronor after May 1st.

Where: Rättvik, Dalarna County

When: July 26th-August 1st

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