Gunnar Strömmer

We welcome the revision of the Directive on combating sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child sexual abuse material and wish to declare the following.

The Government met with more than 50 heads of government agencies to follow up these agencies’ efforts to promote gender equality in the frame of the Swedish Government’s development programme on gender mainstreaming in government agencies, which have been underway for over a decade. The focus of the meeting was to both take stock of the results of these efforts and have a dialogue about the future direction.

On 26 November, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed two bilateral agreements – one on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and one on extradition. This is to strengthen the cooperation to combat organised crime and reduce criminals’ to carry out criminal activities in our respective countries.

Due to technical issues with Sweden’s state aircraft, Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard and Minister for Justice Gunnar Strömmer were unfortunately re-directed back to Stockholm, Arlanda. This was purely a safety measure and neither passengers nor crew were in danger.

Swedish and Finnish ministers will undertake a number of joint visits on the afternoon of 16 September. Media representatives are welcome to take part in the visits. Contact the relevant press contacts for more information, see below. Note that the list is subject to change.

The Government is now presenting an action programme to prevent and combat men’s violence against women, domestic violence, honour-based violence and oppression, and prostitution and human trafficking for the period 2024–2026. The programme contains over 130 initiatives and measures to be undertaken on a broad front at national, regional and local level. The efforts will also be strengthened in four special priority areas for development.

More and more children and young people are becoming involved in criminal networks, and stopping recruitment requires early interventions, knowledge-based methods and collaboration. Minister for Justice Gunnar Strömmer and Minister for Social Services Camilla Waltersson Grönvall therefore hosted Nordic countries, including the autonomous regions, for a discussion about children and young people who are, or risk being, involved in crime. The meeting was held within the framework of the ongoing Swedish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers.

To combat crime and increase security, investments in the judicial system and criminal law measures must be combined with effective and proactive crime prevention efforts. The Government has therefore presented a national strategy that focuses on social crime prevention measures. The aim includes preventing children and young people from becoming involved in criminal networks and other types of crime.

Gang criminality and other forms of serious crime are major societal problems in both Sweden and France. Together, Sweden and France are now intensifying their efforts in the fight against organised crime. A new agreement will present new possibilities for closer cooperation in several areas.

The Swedish Government has adopted Sweden’s first comprehensive national strategy against organised crime. The strategy serves as a direction for the work against organised crime, with the purpose to reduce vulnerabilities exploited by criminals. The national strategy presents priorities and identifies central actors.

In December, Minister for Justice Gunnar Strömmer held a meeting with representatives of a number of government agencies, academia and municipalities to discuss a new comprehensive strategy against violent extremism and terrorism. The Government had previously announced that a new strategy against violent extremism and terrorism would be drafted.

The Government today decided to refer a proposal to the Council on Legislation regarding amendments necessary for Sweden to able to take part in the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO).

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Minister for Energy, Business and Industry Ebba Busch, Minister for Employment and Integration Johan Pehrson and Minister for Justice Gunnar Strömmer, opinion piece, Dagens industri, 8 January 2024.

The Government has adopted a new comprehensive national strategy against violent extremism and terrorism. The Government is also tasking the Swedish Security Service, the Swedish Police, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency and the Swedish Centre for Preventing Violent Extremism (under the auspices of the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention) with taking measures to incorporate the strategy into their activities.

The Inquiry on anonymous witness testimony has presented its interim report to Minister for Justice Gunnar Strömmer. In its report, the Inquiry proposes introducing a system of anonymous witness testimony in criminal cases.

Video surveillance is effective in preventing crime, is a valuable tool in criminal investigations and can be used to stop crimes while they are in progress. In light of the recent wave of violence, the Government has presented a new video surveillance offensive that will allow the Swedish Police Authority to make better use of facial recognition and automatic number plate recognition technologies and direct access to traffic cameras.

The Government has received the report ‘Who owns the property’ (Vem äger fastigheten). In the report, the Inquiry proposes measures aimed at preventing the Swedish property market from being exploited for crime and countering fraudulent conveyance of rental properties.

Yesterday evening, the Government received the alarming news that two Swedes were killed in a terrorist attack in Brussels. The attack appears to have been aimed at Sweden and Swedish interests. Our thoughts are with the deceased and their relatives.

Sweden is facing a deteriorating security situation, with an increased threat of attacks by terrorists and violent extremists. This situation requires additional measures, not least in efforts to prevent radicalisation and violent extremism. The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention will therefore be tasked with enhancing collaboration between government agencies and other relevant actors to prevent radicalisation and the spread of violent extremism. This assignment will be carried out as part of the activities of the Council’s Swedish Centre for Preventing Violent Extremism.

The Swedish Security Service has raised the terrorist threat level from level 3 (‘elevated’) to level 4 (‘high’) on a 5-level scale. In light of the deteriorating security situation, the Government is working intensively and constantly to take the necessary measures.