Security issues drive political changes in Nordics and EU

Security is a common theme across the changes that have taken place in governments and in the Commission. The Swedish government reshuffle on 10 September was triggered by the surprising announcement from Tobias Billström that he was stepping down as Minister for Foreign Affairs.

He has been given much credit for Sweden finally managing to join Nato. There is speculation that Billström ultimately did not accept that security policy was increasingly being directly managed by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

Since Jessika Roswall also became Sweden’s candidate for the European Commission and hence disappeared from the government, Kristersson made a wider reshuffle. Two new government ministers were appointed and four others changed ministries. 

The new ministers with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in the middle. Photo: Magnus Liljegren/Regeringskansliet.

The Liberals’ party leader Johan Pehrson was appointed Minister for Education while Mats Persson from the same party took over his previous role as Minister for Employment and Integration.

Maria Malmer Stenegard is the new Minister for Foreign Affairs. She was previously the Minister for Migration.

Denmark also saw a government reshuffle on 29 August. It resulted in an expansion from 23 to 25 government ministers – a new record.

Denmark is the first of the Nordic countries to establish a separate ministry for civil security – the Ministry for State Security and Emergency Management, headed by Torsten Schack Pedersen.

Norway’s Ministry of Justice changed its name to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security back in 2012. Since 2021, it has been led by Emilie Enger Mehl. The 22 July 2011 terror attacks were among the reasons why more emphasis was put on civil security.

In Sweden, Carl-Otto Bohlin became the Minister for Civil Defence in 2022, a title not seen since 1951. During World War II, Tage Erlander was one of those who held that position. It was reinstated when the centre-right coalition last came to power in Sweden.

Security is also a priority for the new European Commission, which Ursula von der Leyen presented on 17 September.

Finland’s Henna Virkkunen will be the European Commission’s next executive vice-president for Tech Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy. She will also be a member of the Commission’s top leadership in her role as one of six Executive Vice Presidents.

Virkkunen was re-elected this summer for a third term as an MEP. Before that, she served as Minister of Education, Minister of Local Government and Minister of Transport.

This is Ursula von der Leyen's proposed new EU Commission. The commissioners in the outer circle have an overarching responsibility and are known as Executive Vice Presidents. Source: EU.org.

The European Commission will have a dedicated Commissioner for Defense; Andrius Kubilius from Lithuania. He will report directly to Virkkunen, who has the overarching responsibility for security issues. 

“We have had to strengthen our defence industries since Russia started its war. It has shown us how important high technology is in the defence industry,” said von der Leyen as she presented the new Commission.

Sweden’s Jessica Roswall will be responsible for the environment, water resilience and a competitive circular economy, while Denmark’s Dan Jørgensen will be responsible for energy and housing.

Ursula von der Leyen had asked the 27 EU member countries to nominate both a man and a woman for the commissioner roles. That did not happen.

“When I received the first nominations, we were at a point when we had a share of 22 per cent women and 78 per cent men," said von der Leyen.

“This was totally unacceptable, so I worked intensively with the member states and we were able to improve the share to 40 per cent women and 60 per cent men.”

That is a slightly lower share than in the outgoing Commission. But von der Leyen has appointed four women and only two men to what is known as Executive Vice Presidents.

The European Trade Union Congress is negative to the fact that there is no longer a commissioner for social rights, which has existed since the 1970s. The new Commission has instead a portfolio called People, Skills and Preparedness. The Commissioner is Roxana Mînzatu from Romania.