Shows / Sweden in Focus
Sweden in Focus
Sweden in Focus is The Local’s weekly podcast where we discuss the big news and talking points in Sweden as well as explore and explain the issues that impact life in the country. We also answer your essential questions and look ahead at what’s coming up.
In each episode presenter James Savage chats about the most important news and must-know information with The Local Sweden’s Emma Löfgren, Richard Orange and Mandy Pipher. They are frequently joined by other expert commentators.
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Episodes
- Sweden in Focus
How to celebrate Easter in Sweden, and unions press government on immigration clampdown
This week we talk about why some Swedish trade unions are pushing back against Sweden’s stricter immigration laws. Also, with Easter around the corner we look…
- Sweden in Focus
'Politicians knew teens would be kicked out – the surprise was the reaction'
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- Sweden in Focus
Crunch time for Sweden's new citizenship law
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- Sweden in Focus
Why the Liberals abandoned their opposition to Sweden Democrats in government
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- Sweden in Focus
What does Sweden's deportation climbdown mean for immigrants?
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- Sweden in Focus
Stricter immigration 'will make Sweden less attractive' for game workers
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- Sweden in Focus
How is Sweden reacting to US and Israeli attacks on Iran?
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- Sweden in Focus
'Sweden is setting itself up for a losing battle' on skilled immigration
This week’s episode features an interview about the lack of transitional rules in Sweden’s proposed new citizenship law. The Local’s deputy editor Becky…
- Sweden in Focus
Why a legal watchdog slammed Sweden's citizenship plan
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- Sweden in Focus
Sweden's teen deportations: 'It feels like they wanted him to turn 18 so they could reject him'
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- Sweden in Focus
Deportation order for 8-month-old baby shocks Sweden
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- Sweden in Focus
Parents lash out at Sweden's 'absurd' teen deportations
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- Sweden in Focus
Why high-skilled workers feel betrayed by Sweden
This week we have a heavy focus on immigration after the government revealed the details of a proposed new law tightening up citizenship requirement which…
- Sweden in Focus
The battle to end Sweden's teen deportations
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- Sweden in Focus
What's in the new immigration laws Sweden is rushing to pass?
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- Sweden in Focus
Why revoking Swedish residency is 'obviously' illegal
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- Sweden in Focus
How important is US trade and will Sweden join the euro?
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- Sweden in Focus
'I'm in complete confusion': Indian entrepreneur faces threat of expulsion from Sweden
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- Sweden in Focus
Will Sweden backtrack on worker deportations as media pressure mounts?
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- Sweden in Focus
Swedish minister: 'EU needs to step up on defence'
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- Sweden in Focus
Why did Sweden greenlight so few new citizenships in 2025?
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- Sweden in Focus
'People who have done everything by the book are being kicked out of Sweden'
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- Sweden in Focus
Will street protests stop Sweden deporting foreign workers?
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- Sweden in Focus
‘I love Sweden but the anti-immigrant rhetoric must stop’
Instead of a news roundup Sweden in Focus this week consists of a conversation with a journalist who has contributed several articles to The Local recently…
- Sweden in Focus
Sweden in Focus end of year quiz 2025
Join us for an end-of-year quiz as we look back at the stories that shaped Sweden in 2025. Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by The Local's Becky…
- Sweden in Focus
Why Sweden's Moderates are sending mixed messages on work permit immigration
In this week's episode we talk about Christmas and how to celebrate like a Swede. We also discuss why prominent Moderate Party politicians are arguing amongst…
- Sweden in Focus
Sweden in 2026: Will immigration be a big election issue?
Voters in Sweden will decide next year whether to keep the current coalition government bolstered by the far-right Sweden Democrats or switch to a more…
- Sweden in Focus
How can Sweden get better at integrating immigrants?
In this week's episode we talk about why immigrants in Sweden are often lumped into categories and what needs to be done to forge real connections, and we look…
- Sweden in Focus
'I hate to be stereotypical but the light in northern Sweden is amazing'
In this week’s episode of Sweden in Focus Extra, we hear from the Umeå-based Canadian writer. Mandy Pipher about what it's been like moving to Umeå in northern…
- Sweden in Focus
Popular Lucia songs, and why does northern Sweden face so much prejudice?
In this week's episode we talk about why northern Sweden doesn’t get the recognition it deserves from southerners, and we prepare for the annual Lucia…
- Sweden in Focus
How good is your Swedish vocabulary? - Quiz 15
Can our panelists pass the vocabulary section of högskoleprovet, the Swedish university entrance exam? Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by The Local's…
- Sweden in Focus
Why The Local is investigating Sweden's immigrant detention centres
In this week's episode we talk about Sweden’s immigrant deportation centres and why reports of miserable conditions there should concern everyone in Sweden. We…
- Sweden in Focus
Talent deportation: 'It's a lose-lose game for Sweden and Swedish taxpayers'
In this week’s episode we hear a conversation our Nordic editor Richard Orange had recently with Sasan Kazemian, an Iranian doctor who quit his job and left…
- Sweden in Focus
Liberals in crisis: Will Sweden soon have one less party in parliament?
In this week's episode we talk about strategies for coping with the long Swedish winter now that temperatures have taken a serious nosedive. In politics, with…
- Sweden in Focus
Meet the New Zealander who missed pies so much in Sweden he started selling his own
In this week’s episode deputy editor Becky Waterton chats with Tom Simpson, a New Zealander who missed the kind of savoury pies that were commonplace in his…
- Sweden in Focus
Why is the Sweden Democrats' 'immigration map' not getting more pushback?
In this week's episode we talk about a new map that shows just how successfully we immigrants are managing to take control of Sweden. We also put faces to the…
- Sweden in Focus
How good is your Swedish vocabulary? - Quiz 14
Can our panelists pass the vocabulary section of högskoleprovet, the Swedish university entrance exam? Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by The Local's…
- Sweden in Focus
Sweden's divorce rate not Europe's highest – but more likely for foreigners
In this week's episode we talk about how many people get divorced in Sweden and what the experience has been like for readers of The Local. We also look at…
- Sweden in Focus
How good is your Swedish vocabulary? - Quiz 13
It's quiz time again in this week's episode of Sweden in Focus Extra for Membership+ subscribers. Can our panelists pass the vocabulary section of…
- Sweden in Focus
Why many Swedes feast on goose blood in November
In this week's episode we talk about why Sweden is paying Somalia to accept citizens deported from Sweden and whether the political scandal is helping or…
- Sweden in Focus
How good is your Swedish vocabulary? - Quiz 12
This week's episode of Sweden in Focus Extra for Membership+ poses some seriously tricky Swedish language questions. It’s time again to learn some Swedish as…
- Sweden in Focus
Does it matter if Sweden's foreign football manager speaks the language?
In this week's episode we talk about Sweden’s new men’s football manager Graham Potter and we ask how good his Swedish is. We dig into a survey of readers of…
- Sweden in Focus
'We belong to this city': Malmö hummus bar owner fights parent' deportation
When the hummus bar he founded really started to take off, Ibra Idrees employed his parents and brought them to Sweden But his mother and father now face…
- Sweden in Focus
How hatred and threats are undermining Swedish democracy
In this week's episode we talk about last weekend’s rowdy party leader debate and what it tells us about next year’s election. We also dig into some insights…
- Sweden in Focus
'We're not in a labour market in Sweden, we're in network-related recruitment'
Sweden is one of the worst countries in Europe when it comes to providing job opportunities for educated foreigners, according to an investigation last year by…
- Sweden in Focus
'We're not in a labour market in Sweden, we're in network-related recruitment'
Sweden is one of the worst countries in Europe when it comes to providing job opportunities for educated foreigners, according to an investigation last year by…
- Sweden in Focus
What's too expensive in Sweden (and what do you miss when you're not here)?
In this week's episode we talk about the politics behind Sweden's planned new salary threshold for work permit holders. We also look at what readers of The…
- Sweden in Focus
Volvo engineer leaves Sweden for Brazil after 'mean decision' to deport teenage son
In this clip from the latest episode of Sweden in Focus Extra, The Local's Nordic editor Richard Orange interviews José Naves Moura Neto, a Brazilian software…
- Sweden in Focus
Bilingual schools under fire from Sweden's education minister
In this week's episode we talk about bilingual English-Swedish schools in Sweden and why they’re under fire from the authorities. We also discuss the pros and…
- Sweden in Focus
Sweden’s teen deportation problem ‘extremely easy’ to fix
In this week’s episode The Local's Nordic editor Richard Orange interviews the Gothenburg-based immigration lawyer Tomas Fridh. Many of The Local’s readers…
- Sweden in Focus
What's in the Swedish right's radical new plan (apart from disenfranchising immigrants)?
In this week's episode we talk about whether immigrants will soon have to sign a contract promising to follow Swedish norms, and what's in the Swedish right's…
- Sweden in Focus
'A big impact': How important is your name when seeking a job in Sweden?
In this clip from Sweden in Focus Extra, The Local's Nordic editor Richard Orange chats with Moa Bursell, a sociologist from Mälardalen University who…
- Sweden in Focus
Are anti-immigrant attacks in Sweden getting the coverage they deserve?
In this week's episode we talk about anti-immigrant attacks in Stockholm and why a government minister won’t answer questions in parliament on how much he knew…
- Sweden in Focus
'I've never even jaywalked in Sweden'
In this clip from Sweden in Focus Extra, The Local's Richard Orange talks to Masoud Jamshidian, a solutions architect from Iran who is facing deportation from…
- Sweden in Focus
What's in Sweden's 'absolutely shameless' new budget?
In this week's episode we talk about Sweden’s expansive new budget and how it’s likely to affect our pockets – and next year’s election. We'll also help hone…
- Sweden in Focus
'We have let the Sweden Democrats become our voice on immigration'
In this clip from Sweden in Focus Extra, The Local's Richard Orange catches up with Douglas Thor, the head of the Moderate party’s youth wing, to talk about…
- Sweden in Focus
Is Sweden's new cultural canon helpful for immigrants?
In this week's episode, panelists Becky Waterton and Richard Orange tell us how they've recently embellished their Swedish credentials through woodland…
- Sweden in Focus
Moving to Sweden: 'The help I got from Dalarna was mind-blowing'
In this clip from Sweden in Focus Extra, host Paul O'Mahony chats with Iain Forbes, a medical professional from the UK who moved to Falun shortly after the…
- Sweden in Focus
Why Swedish universities are refusing to design citizenship tests
In this week's episode we talk about the government’s plans for citizenship tests and why universities want nothing to do with creating them. And when does…
- Sweden in Focus
So you moved to Sweden. Are you an immigrant, a foreigner or an expat?
In this week's episode we talk about the latest from the trial of Sweden’s former national security chief, Henrik Landerholm, over the negligent handling of…