Dissatisfied with the EU? New list aims to renegotiate Sweden’s EU membership

7 months ago 25

Swedish European People’s Party MEP Sara Skyttedal and former Social Democrat lawmaker Jan Emanuel presented on Tuesday (9 April) a list for June’s European elections that seeks to unite all those dissatisfied with the EU with the aim of re-negotiating Sweden’s EU membership.

Skyttedal left the Christian Democrats in February when the party dropped her as its top candidate for the EU elections after it emerged that she had applied for a job with the far-right Sweden Democrats (ECR).

Last week, she founded a new party, Folklistan (“The People’s list” in Swedish), which she prefers to describe as “an electoral coalition” of people who have different political backgrounds in Swedish politics but are all “tired of being whipped by tough party whips”.

The People’s List is inspired by the ‘June List’, a short-lived Eurosceptic Swedish party that was founded in 2004 and won three seats in the European Parliament the same year.

After weeks of wrangling with her former Christian Democrat colleagues, Skyttedal presented her list for the European elections with names from all sides of the Swedish political spectrum.

The head of the list, Jan Emanuel, is a former Social Democrat national lawmaker and winner of the reality series “Expedition Robinson” while Skyttedal herself is second on the list.

The list also features a Social Democrat, a Moderate (EPP), a Christian Democrat (EPP), and a former Green party board member. More names could be added as the People’s List has opted for an open list, which means anyone can still get on the slate and run for the European Parliament.

A program open to ‘Swexit’

Asked how the People’s List will be able to go to the elections under a same banner with such vastly different views, Emmanuel replied: “Back with power to Sweden and Swedish interests first”.

The party has drawn up a list of ten issues to be prioritised but does not intend to have a “party whip”.

Among other things, the new party wants Sweden to renegotiate its EU membership.

“We agree on two things. Sweden’s established parties and inhibiting party cultures create worse politicians. And the second is that we believe that Sweden can get more out of its EU membership,” Skyttedal said on Monday (8 April) in a Youtube interview with right-wing journalist Henrik Jönsson.

“Sweden should be able to choose to opt out of parts of the co-operation. If this is not possible, we must also be prepared to leave the co-operation,” she said.

Emmanuel, however, stressed that “we certainly don’t want to leave”. “But if this is a project that Sweden loses out on, what is the point of being involved? Apart from paying for other countries?”

The People’s List also wants to “scrap asylum law” as it stands, according to Emanuel.

“You shouldn’t be able to point and say, this is the country I want to go to. We must ensure that we create a system where women and children come first,” he told a press conference on Tuesday (9 April).

The list’s political agenda appeared to have been hastily drawn up and contains a number of typos and incomprehensible phrases.

Some politicians were first referred to as “traitors”, which was later changed to “representatives”, two relatively close words in Swedish (respectively förrädare and företrädare).

Not to everyone’s liking

The leadership of the Swedish Social Democrats demanded that Emanuel leave the party, which he did on Tuesday morning.

In the EPP, Skyttedal’s flirting with a possible a Swexit did not ring alarm bells although the party does not necessarily see her new party joining its ranks in the next legislature.

“If she gets reelected, she will no longer be part of EPP group and there will have to be a vote to admit her as a member because she is running with a party not affiliated with EPP,” an EPP spokesperson told Euractiv.

*Max Griera contributed reporting for this article

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]