Last updated in March 2010
Political Relations
Germany occupies an important place in Swedish foreign policy, particularly on account of its europolitical 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 unproblematic. Federal Chancellor Merkel’s visit to Sweden in August 2008 attracted considerable attention in the Swedish media. Prior to this, the Swedish Prime Minister Reinfeldt had met with the Federal Chancellor in Berlin in January 2007. In August 2008, Federal Foreign Minister Steinmeier visited Stockholm at the invitation of Sweden’s Foreign Minister Bildt. The Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth von der Leyen and Federal Defence Minister Jung visited Sweden in 2009. On 10 December 2009, Federal Foreign Minister Westerwelle was in Stockholm to attend the award ceremony at which Herta Müller received the Nobel Prize in Literature.
In the run-up to and during Sweden’s EU Presidency in the second half of 2009, numerous German delegations visited Sweden, including federal government ministers, members of the lower and upper houses of the German Parliament, members of Germany’s regional governments and regional parliaments and representatives of Germany’s federal and regional administrations.
Economic Relations
Germany is by far the biggest supplier of Swedish imports. In 2009, Germany was overtaken by Norway as the biggest buyer of Swedish exports. In 2009, 10.2 per cent of the country’s total exports went to Germany. Germany is also by far the most important supplier of Swedish imports, accounting for nearly one fifth (2009: 17.6 per cent) of the country’s total imports.
There are some 870 German businesses active in Sweden (subsidiaries, participations, branches and offices), with a total workforce of approximately 50,200 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, Hennes & Mauritz), but Swedish business also has a presence in the energy sector (Vattenfall).
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. German has to compete with other languages such as Spanish for the position of second foreign language.
In addition to the long-established German School in Stockholm, a binational school leading to the German university-entrance qualification (Abitur), twelve other Swedish schools have agreed to join the “Schools – Partners for the Future” initiative.
The Goethe Institute, which is based in Stockholm with a regional office in Gothenburg, is one of the main mediators of German cultural policy in Sweden. In its language work, it focuses in particular on the further training of teachers.
A positive role as mediators of German culture in Sweden is also played by the German expatriate communities and the numerous German-Swedish associations, especially those in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö.
Over the past years, German film productions have become increasingly popular on Swedish TV and in Swedish cinemas. Many of them deal with historical subjects, e.g. “Der Untergang” (The Downfall) and “Sophie Scholl”.
Besides the German classics, Swedish theatres stage more contemporary works like Fassbinder’s “Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant” (The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant). German ensembles also give regular guest performances in Sweden and there is a lively exchange of theatrical talent in both directions.
In the realm of literature, too, the main demand is for German classics. However, Sweden’s major daily newspapers now also regularly feature reviews of contemporary works of German literature. The award of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature to Herta Müller met with an almost exclusively positive response by the Swedish public and has led to greater demand for her books.
With some 100,000 visitors, the Gothenburg Book Fair again succeeded in defending its international status in 2009. Germany, Austria and Switzerland regularly join forces to present “German-language literature” at the Book Fair – and this will be the focus of the 2011 event.
Articles on life in Germany, in particular Berlin, are regularly featured in the Swedish press. Particularly in the culture sections, there are almost daily features relating to Germany. With 2009 marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 60th anniversary of the promulgation of Germany’s constitution, the Basic Law, increased interest in these events has been and still is evident.
To foster cultural relations between the two countries, Sweden has conducted the Road to Sweden project in the parts of Germany that once belonged to Sweden (particularly Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania). Further information is available at:
