📃 An intensive week for Sweden’s NATO process

This week there are several heavy meetings for Sweden's NATO process. Most important is that the talks with Türkiye resume.

This week’s NATO timetable

On March 7th, a delegation of Hungarian parliamentarians will meet with speaker Andreas Norlén and a group of MPs to discuss the Hungarian ratification process.

Also on March 7th, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson invites all NATO-friendly party leaders to a meeting with NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

On March 8th, Minister of Defense Pål Jonson will receive colleagues for an informal meeting at Arlanda Airport.

On March 9th, negotiators from Türkiye, Sweden, and Finland will meet again in Brussels to discuss how the countries are living up to the points in the agreement that the countries signed at the NATO Summit in Madrid last summer.

Also on March 9th, the Swedish government will decide on a bill that prohibits participation in terrorist organizations, which is important for Türkiye‘s approval of Sweden’s NATO membership.

Fact: Sweden’s NATO process

Since Sweden and Finland were invited to NATO in the summer of 2022, 28 NATO countries have ratified the applications; only Türkiye and Hungary remain.

Türkiye has not given any information about when or whether it will ratify Sweden as a NATO member. A number of protests in Sweden have led Türkiye to open up to the possibility of just approving Finland.

Hungary has just started the ratification process in its Parliament. A vote can take place around 20 March, is the latest announcement.

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by Maria Davidsson/TT | edited by Riedia

☀️ Long wait for electricity from solar cells

More and more households are setting up solar panels and want to sell their excess electricity. But many risk a long wait for the extension of the local electricity grid.

The more households want to acquire solar panels, the more common it becomes that grid companies need to review and strengthen the grid before new households can connect. This is because only a certain amount of electricity can be sent through a wire before it starts to get too hot.

In several of the electricity grid companies, every 20 households already have to wait for the reinforcement of the electricity grid before the new solar panels can be connected to the grid so that the excess electricity can be sold.

This could be a growing problem for new solar panel owners in Sweden.

In 2021, the Electricity Market Inspectorate received fewer than 20 complaints about long connection times from households with new solar panels.

However, in 2022, 53 such complaints were received, and this year the number had already reached 26 by mid-February.

Interest in photovoltaics has increased dramatically and people are not entirely satisfied with how the grid companies have handled this. However, patience is going to be needed before the problem with the connections is solved.

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by Cecilia Klintö/TT | edited by Riedia

💰 Cautious optimism started the stock market week

After the rally that ended last week, the Stockholm stock market continues to rise, but more cautiously. The OMXS index rose by around 0.5 percent at the opening.

The OMXS30 index saw the most heavyweights on the plus, with Autoliv, Nibe, and H&M being the biggest winners. Eastnine gained 11.5% after the sale of Melon was thwarted, while Oscar Properties dropped 8.5% after Öresund sold its entire holding.

Awaiting signals from the Pacific

The quiet performance comes after gains in both Europe and Wall Street on Friday, as well as in Asia last night.

Ahead of Fed Chief Jerome Powell’s speech in Congress, the market is awaiting new signals from the US, and hoping that the bank will increase interest rates by 0.25% at the next meeting.

Investors are also waiting for news from the ongoing annual National People's Congress in Beijing, where China announced a reduced growth target of “about 5 percent.”

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by TT | edited by Riedia

A heavy snowstorm is expected to hit the southern parts of Sweden, with the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) issuing orange warnings for snowfall and harsh winds in parts of Götaland and Svealand.

“I can imagine that it remains all week at least. Cold air sweeps down across the country so we will be below zero over most of the days this week,” says Erik Höjgård-Olsen, a meteorologist at SMHI:

“Many people may have started to think about spring , and then comes this setback.”

Snowstorm alongside heavy wind

The snowfall is expected to affect all of Götaland and parts of southernmost and eastern Svealand, including Öland and Gotland.

SMHI predicts that 15-25 centimeters of snow may fall in northern Götaland and eastern Svealand, with 10-15 centimeters of snow possible in the rest of Götaland and 5-10 centimeters expected in the southern parts of Svealand. But in Stockholm and Södermanland counties, it could be 10-20 centimeters. In northern Skåne, 10-20 centimeters of snow are expected.

The snowstorm is predicted to be accompanied by strong winds and may cause disruptions to traffic, with a risk of limited accessibility on roads and power outages.

SMHI also issued yellow warnings for the rest of Götaland and parts of southernmost and eastern Svealand. The snow is expected to remain for at least a week as cold air is forecast to sweep down across the country.

Canceled trains

Train services in Skåne will be canceled on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to a report by Sveriges Radio.

Trafikverket has canceled train services between Simrishamn and Ystad, as well as between Eslöv, Teckomatorp, and Helsingborg from midnight on Monday until noon on Wednesday.

Train traffic between Varberg, Borås, and Herrljunga is also suspended during that period, along with trains between Uddevalla and Strömstad.

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by Alice Nordevik/TT | edited by Riedia

🦟 Campaigns for TBE vaccines have begun in anticipation of the tick season, although it is uncertain if it will be a difficult year for ticks. Region Värmland has already recommended vaccination for those who plan to spend time in the woods and countryside. It is unlikely that ticks are active yet, as they usually begin foraging in April when temperatures reach an average of five degrees. Lyme disease is also prevalent among ticks, with up to 10,000 people infected in Sweden annually.

❄️ Snowfall and slip cause major traffic problems on national road 40 between Gothenburg and Borås . Trucks that have stopped on the road near Landvetter Airport cause long queues, according to the Swedish Transport Agency. The queues continued long even after 7 p.m.

🥫 Food prices are now becoming a major concern. In February, an increase of 2.1 percent for groceries was a record. But for food alone, looking at the price development average over a year, it has been around 17.8 percent. For instance, baby food increased the most in price, 10.8 percent only in February. Children's food cans have also increased in price, plus 9.3 percent. Even such things as animal food, vegetables, snacks, and sweets have risen considerably. According to experts, food prices must not rise anymore, as it makes society poorer. Every percent that food prices rise means increased costs for consumers of SEK 3 billion.

⛑️ The preliminary weekly statistics from the Employment Service show that in March, 782 people were given notice of dismissal in Sweden, indicating a calmer situation compared to the high numbers reported a month ago. The number of unemployed persons has slightly increased to 342,519, leading to an unemployment rate of 6.6 percent. In February, over 15,000 people were dismissed, which is higher than in January and February last year.

🇰🇷 South Korea will raise funds to compensate civilians who were forced to work for Japanese companies during World War II, in efforts of strengthening relations with Japan. Between 1910 and 1945, Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula and the wounds resulting from the occupation have not yet healed. Approximately 780 000 Koreans were forced to work under slave-like conditions. Even though families have demanded compensation from Japanese companies that exploited them, Japan has opposed it.

🇬🇧 British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to present a new bill aimed at stopping illegal immigration across the English Channel. The bill requires all migrants who cross the channel in small boats to be immediately detained and deported to their home country or a safe third country, without being granted a residence permit. Sunak claims the new law fits within the rules of the European Court of Human Rights and that the UK does not need to leave the ECHR to curb the flow of refugees.

🇯🇵 Japan fears that too few children are born in the country. At the end of February, a record-low figure was reported, in which 800 000 children were born while 1.58 million people died. Now, Japan's Prime Minister's advisors are concerned that society may collapse if it fails to overcome the major birth deficits .

📷 An exhibition titled “Frida Kahlo - Her photos” will open at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern in Stockholm from May 4 to October 1, displaying 241 photos from the private collection of the famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The exhibition will showcase photographs from different eras in the life of the artist and is being shown in the Nordic region for the first time.

🎤 Swedish artist Jieel is set to perform at Gröna Lund amusement park in Stockholm this summer on June 12th. Jieel has been recognized as the newcomer of the year at both Grammisgalan and P3 Gold, and was also nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of this year's hip hop.

🦹 A 24-year-old man has been arrested for murder and attempted murder in Jordbro, south of Stockholm. The incident occurred on January 4, this year, where a man in his 25s was shot dead at the commuter train station and another man was shot. The suspect was arrested on Thursday after being arrested in his absence and arrested this weekend as a reasonable suspect. Police are investigating whether the murder and attempted murder in Jordbro can be linked to other acts of violence in the Stockholm area.

🇸🇪 Swedish sports events like Vasaloppet and Stockholm Marathon generate about SEK 150 million annually for the Swedish Sports Confederation, but the pandemic has caused a 30% decrease in participants. Foreign investors have attempted to buy parts of these events, which could threaten the grassroots sports movement. This trend is happening outside Sweden, with large organizations or foundations buying popular sports events in Europe.

🏎️ Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix, starting the Formula 1 season with a victory. Verstappen took the pole position and maintained his lead throughout the race, followed by his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez in second and Fernando Alonso in third. Ferrari had a disappointing day with Charles Leclerc unable to finish the race due to engine problems and Carlos Sainz finishing in fourth place.

🥉 Swedish athlete Henrik Larsson won bronze and set a new Swedish record at the European Championship in Istanbul with a time of 6.53 in the 60 meters race. He finished just 1/1000th ahead of Polish athlete Dominik Kopeć. This was Larsson's first senior championship medal and Sweden's third bronze medal in the championships.

Despite the heavy snow that occurs intermittently, spring is indeed sprouting in Sweden. One of the most heartwarming spring signs is the flowers.

One of the earliest blooming flowers in Swedish spring is Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis), or Snödroppen in Swedish.

Although it is a Swedish spring sign, the Snowdrop is not a native species in Sweden, but thrives in the Swedish climate and has gone wild in several places after being introduced from the Euro-Asian continent. Its generic name Galanthus, from the Greek gala (milk) and anthos (flower), was given by Swedish Botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1735.

You can see Snowdrops start to blossom in gardens and outdoors in February or March , depending on if you are in the southern or northern part of Sweden. Snowdrops are very recognizable - their dropping flowers are so similar to a melting drop of snow, glittering purely white lights. The plant also can be identified by its narrow, gray-green leaves that lie flat against each other at the point where they emerge from the bulb.

You will know that spring is coming, if you can go for a walk outside after this week’s heavy snowfall, looking for these beautiful white flowers that represent the melting snowy past and the upcoming hopes in the future.

by Paul Chen/Riedia, with Lovisa’s help