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DE RUEHSM #1632/01 2791441
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FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1214
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
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RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 0379
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 STOCKHOLM 001632 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR SW
SUBJECT: SWEDEN'S NEW GOVERNMENT IS NAMED, MAKES POLICY 
STATEMENT 
 
REF: STOCKHOLM 1501 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: Charge d'affaires a.i. Casey Christensen, reason 1.4 (b) 
 and (d). 
 
Summary 
------- 
¶1.  (c) Fredrick Reinfeldt, who was formally elected Prime 
Minister by the Swedish parliament on October 5, named his 
cabinet and gave the new government's statement of policy on 
October 6.  Ministers from Reinfeldt's Moderate Party will 
lead about half the ministries, including many of the key 
ones:  Foreign Affairs, Finance, Justice, and Defense.  The 
new Foreign Minister is Carl Bildt, who was Sweden's Prime 
Minister from 1991-94.  In the statement of government 
policy, Reinfeldt largely stuck to the campaign themes of 
job-related reforms and improving the business climate, while 
ensuring his government would "safeguard the Swedish model." 
On foreign policy, there were no major shifts.  Reinfeldt 
called for a strengthening of the transatlantic link, while 
reiterating the existing policy that "Sweden does not 
participate in military alliances."  He stated definitively 
that "special measures will be taken to promote democracy in 
dictatorships such as Cuba and Belarus."  Several of the new 
ministers are well and favorably known to the Embassy, and 
several have spoken out in favor of strong Euro-atlantic 
ties.  End Summary. 
 
The New Line-up 
--------------- 
¶2.  (c) The government will consist of the 21 following full 
and junior ministers, 11 men and 10 women (bio's on key 
ministers will follow).  Junior Ministers serve under the 
ministers listed above them: 
 
Prime Minister:  Fredrick Reinfeldt, 41 Moderate. 
 
     (Junior) EU Minister:  Cecilia Malmstrom, 38, Liberal. 
PhD in Political Science.  Member of European Parliament. 
Annoyed the French by proposing the EU Parliament no longer 
do part of its sessions in Strasbourg. 
 
Industry Minister:  Maud Olofsson, 51, Center.  She will also 
serve as vice-Prime Minister.  Leader of the Center Party. 
Interested in developing better business conditions for small 
and medium enterprises.  The Center party are traditionally 
committed to environmental issues. 
 
     (Junior) Infrastructure Minister:  Asa Torstensson, 
Center. 
 
Finance Minister:  Anders Borg, 38, Moderate.  Former speech 
writer for Bildt; architect of Reinfeldt's New Moderates. 
Liaison between Reinfeldt and Bildt.  Reportedly architect of 
the Alliance for Sweden and the New Moderates. 
 
     (Junior) Financial Market Issues Minister:  Mats Odell, 
about 60, Christian Democrat.  Served in Bildt's government 
1991-94. 
 
Foreign Minister:  Carl Bildt, 57, Moderate.  Prime Minister 
1991-94.  Co-chaired Dayton Peace Talks; former EU Special 
Representative to Former Yugoslavia and former UNSGY Special 
Envoy for Balkan issues.  On the board of Rand Corporation 
and the International Advisory Board of the Council of 
Foreign Relations, and a member of numerous public policy 
groups. 
 
     (Junior) Foreign Trade Minister:  Maria Borelius, 46, 
Moderate.  Her portfolio has been moved back to the MFA from 
the Ministry of Industry. 
 
     (Junior) Development Aid Minister:  Gunilla Carlsson, 
Moderate.  Carlsson is the deputy head of the Moderate Party. 
 
Justice Minister:  Beatrice Ask, 50, Moderate.  School 
Minister during Bildt government, 1991-94.  An IV program 
alumni. 
 
     (Junior) Migration Minister:  Tobia Billstrom, Moderate. 
 
Defense Minister:  Mikael Odenberg, 52, Moderate.  Was a 
member of the Defense Committee of the Riksdag. 
 
Social Affairs Minister:  Goran Hagglund, 47, Christian 
Democrat (CD).  CD party head.  Focused on family issues. 
 
     (Junior) Minister for Public Health:  Maria Larsson, CD. 
 
 
STOCKHOLM 00001632  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
     (Junior) Minister for Social Insurance:  Cristina 
Husmark Persson, Moderate. 
 
Environment Minister:  Andreas Carlgren, 48, Center. 
Formerly head of the Immigration authority. 
 
Education Minister:  Lars Leijonborg, 57, Liberal.  Liberal 
Party leader.  Chairs the government's Globalization Council. 
 
     (Junior) School Minister Jan Bjorklund, Liberal.  Has 
been an advocate for Sweden joining NATO. 
 
Agriculture Minister:  Eskil Erlandsson, 49, Center. 
 
Culture Minister:  Cecilia Stego Chilo, 47, Moderate.  Head 
of pro-market think tank Timbro. 
 
Integration and Gender Equality Minister:  Nyamko Sabuni, 37, 
Liberal.  Originally from Liberia.  Advocates that immigrants 
should speak Swedish; activist against female circumcision. 
 
Minister for Labor Market Issues:  Sven Otto Littorin, 
Moderate.  Former Moderate Party Secretary.  MBA from Fairfax 
University in the U.S. 
 
¶3.  (c) The new government includes ministers from the four 
parties of the Alliance for Sweden in numbers that 
approximate their showings in the elections.  The Moderates 
take the Prime Minister position plus 10 of the cabinet 
ministries, including the heavy-weight ministries of Finance, 
Foreign Affairs, Justice, and Defense.  The Center and 
Liberal parties each get four ministries, and the Christian 
Democrats three.  The assigned ministries lined up fairly 
well in accordance with key constituencies of the parties 
(such as the Center party, which used to be the Agriculture 
party, getting the Agriculture Ministry, and the Christian 
Democrats, who focus on family-friendly policies, getting 
Social Affairs).  Initial reaction via instant polls in the 
media has been very favorable.  Many of the ministers are 
well known, and figures such as Carl Bildt add gravitas to 
the cabinet. 
 
¶4.  (c) Bildt's appointment as Foreign Minister comes as 
something of a surprise.  Bildt and Reinfeldt had a tense 
relationship after Reinfeldt, who was then head of the youth 
wing of the Moderate Party, publicly criticized Bildt 
following the Moderate's loss in the Parliamentary elections 
of 1994.  Bildt sent Reinfeldt out into the cold for a while. 
 Finance Minister Anders Borg is reputed to be a link between 
the two.  There is speculation that Bildt took the position 
because he wants to renew his credentials for a run at 
Solana's EU position in two years.  In any event, Bildt is 
expected to carry great weight in foreign policy issues, an 
area where Reinfeldt acknowledges he does not have much 
experience.  Reinfeldt has declared he will focus on 
implementing his campaign pledges, now expressed as 
government policy. These largely ignored foreign policy, 
except in general terms.  The appointment of Bildt was 
perhaps the only option to have a new foreign minister who 
would not be overshadowed in comparison with the preceding 
one, the well-regarded and internationally esteemed Jan 
Eliasson. 
 
Alliance Policy is Government Policy 
------------------------------------ 
5,  (c) As the first majority government Sweden has had in 25 
years, Reinfeldt's Alliance for Sweden coalition (consisting 
of the Moderate, Center, Liberal, and Christian Democrat 
parties) has a relatively free hand to adopt and implement 
the policies they campaigned on.  The Alliance set forth in a 
series of campaign papers carefully negotiated and 
exhaustively spelled out policy compromises.  These have now 
been collated to become the Government Policy, as spelled out 
by Reinfeldt in his speech of October 6 (the full statement 
is available in English at 
http://www.sweden.gov.se/content/1/c6/07/02/3 3/71d8a385.pdf). 
 The speech reads as though it is an amalgam of policy papers 
written by committees, which it is, but makes quite clear the 
direction the policy will go:  a focus on measures designed 
to develop the job market and encourage Swedes to work rather 
than receiving various forms of state support.  Reinfeldt 
also assured Swedes that the "Swedish model" would be 
preserved. 
 
Continuity and New Emphases in Foreign Policy 
--------------------------------------------- 
¶6.  (c) Reinfeldt reiterated the existing policy that "Sweden 
does not participate in military alliances."  At the same 
 
STOCKHOLM 00001632  003 OF 003 
 
 
time, he said Sweden should have "increased potential to take 
part in different international peace missions," making 
specific mention of those under the aegis of the UN, EU, and 
NATO.  Reinfeldt called for "a strengthening of the 
transatlantic link," but did not name the U.S. in the speech. 
 With a clarity that we have not seen from Sweden earlier, he 
said "special measures will be taken to promote democracy in 
dictatorships such as Cuba and Belarus."  Reinfeldt 
emphasized the strategic importance of Ukraine for Europe, 
and called for a long-term EU strategy for dealing with 
Russia. 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶7.  (c) The new government ministers are, on balance, more 
atlanticist than their predecessors.  At the same time, 
Reinfeldt's focus is primarily on domestic issues.  While he 
has earlier called for a debate on Sweden's joining NATO, 
that is clearly not on the short-term agenda.  Within the 
constraints of Alliance-agreed positions (which are 
considerable, particularly in the light of Center-party 
policy on issues such as NATO membership that often tracks 
with positions of the Social Democrats), Carl Bildt will 
likely have more ability to set the foreign policy agenda 
than any recent Swedish foreign minister. 
CHRISTENSEN