Ministry of Education and Research

“Despite the fact that racism and Nazism should have been relegated to the scrapheap of history long, long ago, they are flourishing today. All members of society must be involved in stopping racism in all its forms and expressions", said Prime Minister Stefan Löfven in the Statement of Government Policy.

The 3 September Anna Ekström had a digital meeting with Elisabeth Citrom, Holocaust survivor. Mrs Citrom’s eyewitness testimony from the Holocaust is currently being documented for the Swedish version of Dimensions in Testimony.

Research and innovation are crucial to Sweden’s competitiveness and to rebooting the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. In the autumn budget, the Government is therefore proposing increased funding to Vinnova, RISE and Business Sweden for measures that help reboot Sweden. The proposal is based on an agreement between the Government, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party.

The University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) is being strengthened to meet educational needs and fight unemployment due to the COVID-19 crisis. SLU will receive additional funding that will enable it to offer more places on educational programmes in shortage occupations and for lifelong learning.

This compilation contains a selection of acts and ordinances – both new and amended – that enter into force in mid-2020.

At a press briefing on June 11, Minister for Education Anna Ekström explained the Swedish decision to not close down the entire school system.

How many people work at the Government Offices? What was the central government budget like last year? How many acts and ordinances were issued last year? The answer to these and other questions can be found in the Swedish Government Offices Yearbook 2019.

The human rights situation in Sweden was reviewed by the UN Human Rights Council at the end of January as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Sweden received 300 recommendations from other UN Member States. The Government has now communicated its position on the recommendations in a report to be submitted to the UN.

The world is facing a new, and severe, challenge. The spread of the new coronavirus and COVID-19 is challenging our countries. We are all working to fight the pandemic and its effects. Due to this, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven has announced that the Malmö International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism 2020 has been postponed.

The Swedish Government has adopted an updated strategy to combat antibiotic resistance. The overarching goal continues to be preserving the possibility of effective treatment of bacterial infections in humans and animals. The strategy will apply until the end of 2023.