The Swedish National Cabinet

Howdy Delegates,

I would first like to start off by saying welcome to YMGE! I know we are going to have an exciting conference and I look forward to meeting every one of you.

My name is Rene Olivarez and I am currently a sophomore at Yale University. I am planning on majoring in chemistry and may add some history into the mix. I am originally from South Texas; coming to Budapest is definitely a well-received change of pace. On campus I am involved with the Yale International Relations Association as a chair for a variety of other conferences like YMUN and SCSY. Along with that I am also on MUNTY which is Yale’s competitive Model UN team. I am also a member of the Tory Party in the Yale Political Union, and a member of the Yale Archery Team. 

I really enjoy hearing and moderating debate. Public speaking is a favorite activity of mine and I can't wait to hear you all. I also am a huge fan of enthusiasm and intrest in a topic. I especially like the theatrics of it all! I can't wait to get involved with this topic and make sure that committee is a great experience for all. 

Once again I look forward to meeting all of you and seeing where committee takes us. If you have any questions do not hesitate to email me at rene.olivarez@yale.edu Enjoy the topic!

See you in November,

Rene Olivarez

The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden is the national cabinet and acts as the executive authority of Sweden. This government body found its origins with the addition of the 1974 Instrument of Government to the Swedish constitution. The 1974 Instrument of Government took away the executive authority from the Swedish monarch and simply made the position a “ceremonial head of state.” As of January 1, 1975 the constitution was set with this addition and it has remained a part of the Swedish government since. The current body consists of a Prime Minister, who is appointed by the Riksdag (highest legislative body in Sweden) and a cabinet of ministers. This legislative body is responsible for all the final decisions that are made by the Riksdag.

Before the 1974 Instrument of Government there was the King in Councils or Royal Majesty. This acted as the supreme legislative body that ruled the country and had the king as the final decision maker. This was set in the 1809 Instrument of Government, where the king would make decisions in the presence of his council of ministers. This form of government was done away with to both give power to the people within Sweden and to remove the authority from the monarch.

In the cabinet the individual ministers do not bear any responsibility for the performance of any of the agencies that are under them; however, the ministers are not allowed to interfere with any of the agencies that are under them. The minister will not be responsible for the work that the agencies do, but they are not allowed to work with the agency. When the government enters any treaties, there must be a 10:1 agreement by the ministers. At the end of sessions, the government publishes the new laws and ordinances in the Swedish Code of Salutes. The current government is the Löfven cabinet, that is under direction of Stefan Löfven after the 2014 general election.

With conflicts came an increase in the amount of refugees that were seeking asylum across the Mediterranean. However, this led to a problem that affected the EU: How do you distinguish between political migrants (refugees) and economic immigrants? In 1951 the EU met in order to solve the problem because international law treats the two groups of people as different groups. The 1951 EU convention met and required that all European countries define a political migrant (refugee) as, “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.” Asylum is then decided by each country on a “case-to-case” basis on whether or not the people coming into the country are either political migrants (refugees) or economic migrants. Those who are not considered political migrants (refugees) but rather economic immigrants are deported back to their country of origin. This has led many people to not file for asylum, but rather just live in European countries as undocumented immigrants. This is seen as a problem, as many European countries have little way of knowing who is entering their country.

Sweden has been viewed as a champion of immigration by a variety of other countries in the world. For their population, they take in a very high number of refugees compared to any other country in the world. At its peak of immigration, they accepted over 160,000 refugees to their population of under 10 million. To put this into perspective, it would be like the United States taking in over 7 million immigrants. The reason that Sweden takes in so many immigrants is due to their very lenient immigration policy. The policies main goal is to: “ensure a long-term sustainable migration policy that safeguards the right of asylum and, within the framework of managed immigration, facilitates mobility across borders, promotes needs-based labor migration, harnesses and takes into account the effects of migration on development, and deepens European and international cooperation.” The country sees that continued immigration will lead to better international relations and help with economic development.

As of recent this has become a problem to many of the Swedish citizens, who feel that there is not enough room in their country to support the influx of refugees. In large cities like Stockholm, Malmo and Gothenburg, there is a problem integrating the refugees to Swedish lifestyle. This has led to many Swedish people leaving large cities, leaving them made up of almost entirely refugees. Areas like this are now heavily poverty stricken and the Swedish government does not have enough resources to maintain all the refugee. Poverty-stricken areas like this are especially susceptible to have increased violence due to the high population density of these areas. The police believe that there is no connection between the influx of refugees and increased crime rate in these areas. According to Swedish citizens living in these areas, “The police are in denial about the situation.” All this can go back to the lack of integration into Swedish society by the Swedish government. This lack of integration has only led to more problems, as the conflicting lifestyles will clash with one another.

This photo from CNN shows volunteers trying to help out with the current situation, by providing food to the incoming refugees. Efforts like this still prove to not be enough as it still leaves a majority of the incoming refugees without any resources. The citizens fear that if the Swedish government does not take action soon, then the problem will grow more and more out of proportion than it already has. As of recent some refugees have formed into gangs and have begun to harass people. This type of more organized crime has led many Swedish citizens to feel unsafe in their neighborhoods. Incidents like bomb threats and murders have been occurring in greater amounts in heavily populated areas. The issue of organized crime is very complex and continues to be a problem for the people living in Sweden.

As of June 2016, Sweden officially announced that it is going to set a much stricter immigration policy. This policy was voted on 240 to 45 in favor of allowing fewer refugees. The reason this was proposed was in order to, “prevent the country from becoming overstretched by the surge of migration to Europe that began last year.” This new policy specifically requires refugees to apply to bring family members over in the first 3 months of entering the country. Failure to do this, will require the refugees to prove that they can financially support themselves. Also people under the age of 25 seeking asylum must prove a form of high school education and the ability to support themselves. This legislation quickly went under attack by many human rights activists, who feel that it is wrong for the Swedish government to do this.

-1951 EU decided how to define refugees

-This decision led to many immigrants to file as refugees, but rather live undocumented in European countries

-Sweden took in 160,000 immigrants to their population of 9.5 million in 2015

-This is an extremely high number for their population size

-Their immigration policy reflects the idea that allowing refugees allows for long term economic growth

-Swedish citizens feel that major cities do not have enough living space

-There is increased poverty and crime in these cities

-Some immigrants have begun forming gangs in order to get resources

-In 2016 Sweden voted on a much stricter immigration policy

Recently Swedish headlines have been filled with the news of situations caused by the recent influx of refugees. These situations have varied from overpopulation in areas, to children losing their lives over violence that has occurred in these areas. Issues that this have led the Swedish people to reconsider their self-proclaimed status of ‘humanitarian superpower’ in order to preserve the best interest of their country. A common theme that spans between all these issues is the rise of refugee gangs. These gangs vary in both age and in how much disruption that they cause to the areas they are living. Currently Stockholm is being hit the most, with various gangs from different countries that wage war over territory in the city. Amir Rostami, who is a professor at Stockholm University explained the situation like this, ‘Today, the gang environment is — well, I don’t want to exactly call it the Wild West, but something in that direction,’

Unaccompanied minors:

The increased intake of refugees has also led to the increase of unaccompanied minors in Sweden. Many of these children immigrate alone, because their parents are denied entry due to their age. A majority of these children are fleeing due to social, political and economic reasons. In 2014 Sweden took in 7,000 unaccompanied minors from Iraq. At the time this was seen as a very high amount of children to take in at once. Over the next year Sweden took in approximately 400 unaccompanied children each month. This number hit a max when in 2015, 35,000 unaccompanied children entered the country of which less than 3,000 were girls. A majority of these children are coming from Afghanistan and Somalia, with others coming from Ethiopia, Syria and Morocco.

These children usually have entered areas that are heavily impoverished and lack resources for these children. The estimated cost to maintain each child for a day is 130 euros. This would cover the cost of food, schooling and a place to live. The Swedish government does not have the resources to maintain all of these children. There are simply not even enough homes able to take care of all the refugee children. This has led to major delays in in guardianship leaving a large amount of children without a home. In school, these children have trouble adjusting to the curriculum that is assigned to the Swedish students. The problem with this lies in the fact, that these children have different learning needs. Along with that, the language barrier still acts as a very large hurdle for these children. All these issues have led many children to just roam the streets in pickpocket gangs. These gangs especially cause trouble for the police, because they do not know how to handle them.

Another major issue is lying at the immigration offices in Sweden. Many adult men come into Sweden and lie about their age in order to ensure access to the country. This has led to problems because unaccompanied men are a much higher threat to Sweden than children. There was a case where a 22 year old woman who was hosting refugees was killed by a 22 year old man posing as a 15 year old boy. In another case a 12 year old boy was sexually assaulted by a man who was registered as a minor. These two cases are just examples of much larger issues that take place from refugees lying about their age. Many of the men who lie about their age are often also affiliated with other crime organizations. For example, drug dealers, pimps, gang masters and jihadists are all groups that look for these young men. There has been an increase in cases of prostitution and child trafficking that are linked to these unregistered young men. In the most extreme cases, there was recruiting for the Islamic State in Sweden. This was quickly taken care of by government officials.

-There is a high number of unaccompanied children in Sweden

-It is very expensive to take care of these children

-These children have trouble adjusting to Swedish culture and are persuaded to do criminal activities

-Many immigrants pose as children to enter the country

Refugee Gangs:

In 2015, Sweden saw a dramatic increase in the amount of refugees that were entering the country. This led to a direct increase in the amount of refugee gangs that began forming. These gangs usually consist of a group of refugees all from the same country of origin, which disrupt the public in Swedish cities. Recently a refugee gang took over the Nordstan mall in Gothenburg. The refugee gangs there, harassed and attacked both civilians and police. This caused many citizens to avoid the mall to prevent themselves from being harassed. Police have taken special action in order to protect the people that are visiting the mall. This is all being done to prevent sales from going any lower, as the mall has taken major hits. This is overwhelming because at times the gang members outnumber the police. Even when police are able to apprehend the perpetrators, many of them lack identification, making prosecuting job basically impossible. This type of violence is only one example of how the gangs are affecting Swedish daily life.

These gangs have also been known to commit a high number of sexual assaults. In recent years Sweden has become the sexual assault capital of the Western World, having an increased number of incidents. This is believed to accompany the large amount of unregistered immigrants. This is due to clashes in cultural norms between the two countries. This has led to there being a high number of sexual assault incidents, especially among women and children. In 2016 at Bravalla, which is Sweden’s largest music festival, there was a report of 40 assault incidents. The police believe this was caused by the high volume of people in the area. Areas near refugee camps have also reported higher incidents of sexual assault. In the city of Malamö, there is a police force of 15 that was specifically made to stop sexual assaults. The Swedish citizens felt that this was not enough, so it led some to form a chapter of the Soldiers of Odin (SOO). The SOO is a radicalized anti-immigrant group that has sprung up all over Europe in response to the immigrant crisis.

-Refugees recently took over a mall and it affected the economy

-Sexual assaults in Sweden increased

-Areas near refugee camps mainly affected

-Police have a hard time handling the situation

-Swedish citizens formed SOO to take matters into their own hands

Change in Attitude:

In 2015, Swedish citizens were in the streets calling out for the world to follow their example of helping refugees. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven even gave a speech saying you must help, when “the need is great.” In 2016 the country began to use border controls in reaction to the high increase of immigration. This is a clear example of how Sweden changed their attitude towards immigration, after realizing they couldn’t handle it. This is all a response to issues like unaccompanied children and refugee gangs. This has helped spark up the Swedish Democrats, who are known for their anti-immigrant rhetoric.

This change in attitude has also brought a much more nationalistic side of Sweden that was once considered a social taboo. Other political parties, not just the Swedish Democrats, have been against increased immigration. Some parties even saying that allowing more immigrants takes the future away from Swedish children. Swedes have also been upset with the increase in accommodations for refugees entering the country. They feel that their needs are being viewed as a side note by the government. This is what caused groups like the previously mentioned SOO to form. All these actions and more have led for all political parties to agree on a firm change on their immigration policy.

-Sweden changed its attitude toward refugees in one year

-Anti-immigrant movements are gaining popularity

-Sweden voted to change its immigration policy

As with any country, Sweden’s government has a variety of political parties. The major parties that are represented currently in the Riksdag are as follows:

1. Swedish Social Democratic Party

2. Moderate Party

3. Sweden Democrats

4. Green Party

5. Centre Party

6. Left Party

7. Liberals

8. Christian Democrats

9. Feminist Imitative

The Prime Minister of Sweden is currently the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. This party is known for a social corporatist economy that involves a partnership between aspects of the economy, overseen by the government. This party is also egalitarian heavy, and is known to openly oppose racism and discrimination.

The Moderate Party draws in influences from both conservative and liberal beliefs. This party heavily emphasizes hard work and privatization. They are the main party that opposes the Swedish Social Democratic Party.

The Sweden Democrats are heavily conservative and have very nationalistic views. They are known as “radical nationalist” and hold some strong opinions. This party blames Sweden’s immigration policy for all the problems that they are experiencing today.

The Green Party is a very “world-view” focused group. They feel that a balance with nature, animals and the environment are key to a successful government. They mainly focus on equality for all.

The Centre Party is a center to center-right party. They strive to have an even more liberal immigration policy, also characterized by compulsory education and integration.

The Left Party holds a policy that promotes equality. They strive to increase equality among all people living in the country. They also want to set up “special employment assistance” for refugees entering the country. They also strive to break down the language barrier with the refugees by teaching in schools.

The Liberals have a social liberalism view for their country. On foreign policy they align themselves with the United States and usually follow in their footsteps.

The Christian Democrats have a conservative view. They want less regulations and more free will for all people and companies.

The Feminist Initiative is a pressure group turned political party. Their main views all align with equality for women and feminist ideals.

When looking into further research it is important to focus on the issue at hand: Immigration policy in Sweden. I would focus on mainly how this shift in ideology based on immigration will affect Sweden in the upcoming months. Also focus on how your political party would react to the new policy and what action that they would take in response to this new legislation. I think it would also be important to put all aspects of immigration into focus with further research. For example, look at the economics that come with immigration and how that will affect the different bloc positions.

To begin research I would begin with asking yourself the question: What is the bigger issue at hand? In the case of unaccompanied minors it would be important to see current school statistics and how the new influx of children affects this. Also look at issues with orphaned children and how the demand for foster parents has increased. Look deep into the issue and don’t just see it as a single issue. Rather look at all these issues as dominos just waiting to cause a chain reaction.

In looking into the refugee gangs, I would look at where the immigration camps are located. These cities usually have the highest instances of gang activity. Also look at how it has affected the police force of Sweden. What demand has there been for officers? Have there been any cases of citizens taking action? I would also recommend looking into the SOO and other organizations similar to this one. I feel that this offers an interesting perspective and can really get some good debate going. Try not to focus on what the gangs are doing, but rather what action is being done to prevent them.

Lastly I would like for everyone to simply search the history of this issue in general. Look at how the issue started and how the immigration patterns have changed. For example, look at why a majority of the immigrants come from Afghanistan and Somalia. Look at what issues are affecting those countries and why it is causing so much civil unrest. See the history of conflicts in these areas to better understand the immigration issue. Also look into the journey that these refugees take when coming to Sweden.