Swedish PM announces new foreign, migration and EU ministers in reshuffle

Sweden's former foreign minister, Tobias Billström, made a surprise announcement last week that he would be stepping down as foreign minister when parliament opened on Tuesday.

He has now been replaced by current migration minister Maria Malmer Stenergard.

Stenergard will already be well known to many readers of The Local.

Given the importance for this government of tightening up migration and asylum, she has spent more time in the spotlight than almost any other minister, enacting a programme of migration reform heavily influenced by the government's far-right Sweden Democrats partners.

A lawyer from Åhus in Skåne, Stenergard has had the task of making measures that once might have seemed extreme seem reasonable.

"Maria is used to working hard and is used to very difficult negotiations, both in Sweden and for Sweden, between Sweden and other countries," Kristerssons said in a press conference after the announcement.

"A country's migration policy is now a central part of its foreign policy," he added. "And she has a large international network, not least at the European level, and is well-respected both in Sweden and in the EU."

Stenergard described herself as "extremely honoured" to be taking on the role of foreign minister. "It's a role which the prime minister often says requires endurance and impatience, and those who have worked with me can confirm that I have a good dose of those," she added.

Johan Forssell, who until now has been the minister for foreign trade and international development, will take over Stenergard's role.

"This is a very important area, it's important for Sweden and voters repeatedly rank it top of their political agenda," Forssell told a press conference. "Our role is to make sure that the next generation in this country has a better life than the previous generation, and in order to do that we need to sort out migration and succeed with integration."

"There are a lot of things that need to be done here. School policy, getting more people into work, and so on," he added. "But one thing which cannot be avoided is that asylum-related immigration needs to be at a very low level, for a very long period into the future."

"It's important that we hold on to the changes that Maria, and others, have made in this area, and never again return to the previous migration policy."

He was chief of staff or stabschef for Sweden's former PM Fredrik Reinfeldt between 2006 and 2010 and then seen as destined for great things. He was the party's Justice spokesperson in the run-up to the 2022 election. So when he was appointed the minister for foreign trade and international development, a relatively junior role, when the new government was appointed in October 2022, it was seen as a snub.

"As everyone knows, this is one of this government's most central areas of domestic policy," Kristersson said. "Johan has twelve years of experience in parliament, and has among other things been chair of the justice committee, which works with those exact issues."

A promotion to migration minister in this government is definitely a step up.

"After two years as foreign trade minister, I'm also bringing with me perspective when it comes to highly-qualified labour migration," Forssell said. "We should be very proud of our world-leading Swedish companies, and it's essential for both them and our country's competitiveness that we are attractive to talent, researchers, investors and people working in professions experiencing a shortage of labour."

"That's something I look forward to developing further," Forssell added.

Both Malmer Stenergard and Forssell represent's Kristersson's party, the Moderates.

Forssell will be replaced by Benjamin Dousa, former head of the Moderate's youth wing MUF.

"Benjamin is, like some of us, a former leader of MUF," said Kristersson. Kristersson himself was chair of the party's youth wing from 1998 to 2000, while Johan Forssell was chair from 2004-2006.

Dousa took a step back from MUF in 2020, announcing at the time he would be retiring from politics indefinitely. From 2020-2023, he worked as CEO for the liberal think-tank Timbro, followed by a stint as CEO of Företagarna, The Swedish Federation of Business Owners.

"Benjamin brings with him important experience of the business sector into the government, and not least in his new role as trade and aid minister," Kristersson added.

"Sweden is a small country, reliant on export, with 150 years' experience of free trade. That, along with hard work, has built the prosperity we often take for granted. Benjamin has seen a lot of this work up close in the business sector."

They are not the only people taking on new roles in the government. Jessika Roswall, former EU minister, also stepped down from her role earlier this year after she was appointed Swedish EU commissioner.

She will be replaced by Jessica Rosencrantz, who has previously been the chair of the parliamentary EU affairs committee and deputy parliamentary group leader of the Moderates.

"Jessica has been a member of parliament since 2010 and was, until an hour or so ago, chair of the parliamentary EU affairs committee," Kristersson said, while welcoming Rosencrantz to the government.

"She also has experience from entirely different political areas, which is necessary as EU minister in order to cover such a broad area of policy."

Johan Pehrson, labour market and integration minister, and Mats Persson, education minister, will also swap roles.