Hauptinhalt
Sweden
Last updated in March 2012
Political Relations
Germany occupies an important place in Swedish foreign policy, particularly on account of its Euro-political and economic clout. The two countries cooperate through a dense network of contacts at all levels and in a multitude of different areas. Bilateral relations are largely untroubled.
In 2011, there were visits to Germany by Sweden’s Prime Minister Reinfeldt and Foreign Minister Bildt. German Bundestag President Prof. Dr. Lammert visited Sweden in October 2011 and Federal Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Minister Aigner was in Stockholm in February 2011 for talks with her Swedish counterpart. Prime Minister Reinfeldt was in Germany again in early 2012, meeting with Federal Chancellor Merkel.
Economic Relations
Germany is by far the biggest supplier of Swedish imports. Germany is also the biggest buyer of Swedish exports, just ahead of Norway.
There are some 870 German businesses active in Sweden (subsidiaries, participations, branches and offices), with a total workforce of approximately 50,000 and an estimated annual turnover of approximately EUR 30 billion. German companies tend to be concentrated in the Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö/Helsingburg regions. Sweden, for its part, has 700 companies operating in Germany, with a total workforce of approximately 140,000 and an annual turnover of EUR 45 billion. The main business concentrations are in and around Düsseldorf, Frankfurt/Main, Hamburg and Berlin. Many of the Swedish companies operating in Germany are in the retail sector (IKEA, H&M), but Swedish business also has a presence in the energy sector (Vattenfall). For many Swedish companies, the German market is more important than the domestic market.
Cultural Relations
Up until the Second World War, Sweden looked to the German-speaking world culturally and linguistically, but after 1945 it quickly shifted its focus to the Anglo-Saxon world, with English replacing German as the first foreign language. Today, German has to compete with other languages for the position of second foreign language. Besides the Goethe Institute and the German School in Stockholm, the 15 other partner schools recruited under the “Schools: Partners for the Future” initiative are of particular importance in promoting the German language in Sweden.
A positive contribution to promoting German culture in Sweden is also made by the German expatriate communities and a number of German-Swedish associations, especially in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö.
German film productions, many of them dealing with historical subjects, are highly successful on Swedish TV and in Swedish cinemas. Besides the German classics, Swedish theatres stage more contemporary works from Germany. German ensembles and artists also give regular guest performances in Sweden and there is a lively exchange of theatrical talent in both directions. In the realm of literature, the main demand is for German classics, though Sweden’s major daily newspapers now also regularly feature reviews of contemporary works of German literature.
Articles on life in Germany, in particular Berlin, are regularly featured in the Swedish press. Particularly in the culture sections, there are frequent features dealing with Germany.