NordenBladet — Up to a dozen bridges are set to be built in the north of Sweden, allowing for the safe travel of reindeers searching further afield for food due to the effects of global warming.
The bridges, named ‘renoducts’, will cross railway lines and major roads in Norrbotten and Västerbotten, with construction set later in 2021. Tobias Jonsson, a local reindeer herder, told the Swedish public broadcaster Sveriges Radio, “I’m looking forward to us being able to cross undisturbed.” It was also announced that a group of herders were consulted on the bridges’ design and locations.
Due to the warmer and wetter winters, lichen, a crucial part of the reindeer diet, has struggled to grow. As a result, reindeer have been forced to search further afield for food, crossing treacherous paths across railway lines or major roads, where they are at risk of being hit by passing vehicles.
Per Sandström, a landscape ecologist at the Swedish university of agricultural sciences, told Sveriges Radio, “In a changing climate with difficult snow conditions, it will be extra important to be able to find and access alternative pastures.”
NordenBladet – Earlier this week, King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel met with government officials to talk about Brexit.
In a digital meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister, Anna Hallberg, and European Union Minister, Hans Dahlgren, the royals discussed Sweden’s relationship with the United Kingdom after it left the European Union last year.
The Royal House notes that Hallberg and Dahlgren spoke about how Brexit is affecting EU cooperation and how Sweden is responding to the agreements forged from the exit. Also discussed were the ways Sweden’s and the European Union’s trades were being affected by Brexit, both short- and long-term, as well as how trade with the United States and China will change because of Brexit.
In a press conference when Brexit was finalised and the trade deals hammered out, Hallberg said that “This agreement is welcome. In practice, there were three possibilities. No agreement, a bad agreement and a good agreement. What we have is a good agreement.”
Dahlgren added, “This agreement provides the conditions for long-term and predictable cooperation and for good relations between the EU and the UK in the future.”
Several changes affecting Sweden and the United Kingdom went into effect at the start of the year. From now on, travellers from Sweden can stay in the UK for six months without needing a visa. As well, Swedish people who were living the UK prior to Brexit taking effect will need a new residence permit, the Settled/Pre-Settled Permit, which allows EU citizens who settled in the UK until 31 December 2020 to apply to stay.
If Swedish people want to move to the UK following Brexit, they will be subject to a points-based immigration system, the same system that others who wish to emigrate follow.
Last year, before Brexit took effect, the Swedish government noted on its website that, “The United Kingdom is an important partner for Sweden on many levels, not least in terms of trade relations between the two countries but also in other contexts. In the long run, it is therefore important for the government to create good agreements with the British.”
NordenBladet – Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden has attended the EU project DUNC’s digital conference. From her home-office at Haga castle Her Royal Highness gave a speech and closely followed the final day of this conference.
Development of UNESCO Natural and Cultural Assets, also known as DUNC, is an EU-funded collaborative project where the Swedish municipality of Karlskrona municipality has been essential. For three years, the project has worked to increase the commitment to sustainable tourism, as well as strengthen the local business community, at four world heritage sites around the southern part of the Baltic Sea.
In her message for the final day of the conference on January 26th, Her Royal Highness said: “As an alumni ambassador for the Sustainable Development Goals, the future of the ocean, and the Baltic Sea in particular, is a topic very close to my heart. I believe the DUNC project is a great example of how we can come together, around the Baltic, to address the challenges we have in common. And I look very much forward to hearing more about the achievements that have been made over the past three years.”
In January 2016, the Crown Princess was appointed by the then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as one of 17 ambassadors for work on the UN’s global sustainability goals. The ambassadors’ task is to promote in various ways the UN’s goals for sustainable development, Agenda 2030. From 2019, the Crown Princess has been included in the alumni group. As an alumni, the Crown Princess continues to focus in particular on sustainability, maritime and fisheries issues.
The royals in Denmark and Norway have also been deeply involved in sustainable development. In October last year, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark attended the World Hour in Copenhagen, an event that teaches young people about the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Crown Prince Haakon has for many years been a goodwill ambassador for the UN Development Program UNDP.
NordenBladet – Princess Madeleine of Sweden’s husband, Chris O’Neill, has closed down two of his former firms. According to Swedish newspaper Expressen, Mr O’Neill has closed down Wilton Partners and Warwick Partners over the last few years.
In addition to shutting down these two companies, Mr O’Neill has also withdrawn from his prominent roles in companies Wilton Payments and Belgravia Investment. Both these companies remain active. Expressen further reports that all the companies are listed at the same law firm in Palm Beach, Florida, where they have been in contact with lawyer Timothy Hanlon who is the contact listed for the companies. Mr Hanlon has declined to answer questions about the reason for the changes that have been made. Mr O’Neill has also made no comment on the reports.
The communications manager at the Swedish Royal Court, Margareta Thorgren, tells Expressen that O’Neill has several companies that are used for investments amongst other things. She said: “When the companies are no longer needed, they dissolve – which is something you can expect. In addition, O’Neill goes from leading to non-leading roles in some investment companies. These changes have no effect on his shareholder status.”
Chris O’Neill was born in London to an American father and Austrian mother in 1974. His father was an investor and Chris followed in the family’s footsteps. Among other things, Chris O’Neill has worked as a financial advisor for wealthy clients, at which he was highly successful. He married Princess Madeleine of Sweden in 2013. He chose to remain a private citizen and continue with his business abroad. Since 2018, the family has been located in Florida.
NordenBladet – From the Swedish monarch’s lockdown residence Stenhammar Palace just outside Stockholm, King Carl XVI Gustaf attended a digital event entitled The Forest Day on Wednesday. The King of Sweden has a deep commitment to issues concerning nature, the environment and forests. His Majesty participated in the conference and opened the digital event with a speech.
In his speech, the King said: “I am sitting here on Stenhammar and looking out over the Sörmland forest, and thinking about how important the forest is to our country. The fact is that it is the income from those who have built up Sweden’s prosperity. And still does, with an annual export worth 150 billion Swedish crowns. At the same time, growing forests play a key role in slowing down and counteracting global climate change. Here in Sweden alone, it binds over 140 million tonnes of carbon every year.”
The conference was arranged for the seventh year in a row, this time completely digitally. The purpose of the conference is to strengthen the knowledge about Sweden’s forest and focus on the work that is done with the forests. Following the speech of the King, politician, academics and experts spoke and discussed, among other things, the role of the forest in a sustainable society.
In advance of the conference, King Carl Gustaf had a private visit to the forest near Stenhammar Palace – a residence recently attacked by an infestation of bark beetles. Here, and in many other similar areas in Sweden, work is now underway to get eliminate the bark beetles and rebuild the forest – job that will take a long time.
The forests in Sweden consists of about 75% cultural forest and just under 25% natural forest. In the south, deciduous forest is relatively more common, while central and northern Sweden are completely dominated by coniferous forest consisting of spruce and pine stands.
In Sweden, planned forestry has been conducted since the turn of the century in 1900, with the aim of supplying the forest industry with high-quality raw materials, while at the same time not jeopardising the long-term regrowth.
NordenBladet – King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden has received the vaccination against coronavirus. Underlining his belief in the importance of the jab, the monarch was photographed as he was given the injection.
King Carl Gustaf received the vaccination on January 15th at Stenhammar where he has been staying through this latest phase of the pandemic with Queen Silvia. Her Majesty also received the jab although no image was released.
The Swedish king released a short statement following his vaccination, saying ”the great vaccination programme against Covid-19 is now underway around our country. It is my hope that everyone who has the opportunity to be vaccinated in these coming months chooses to do so, so that together we can get through this difficult time.”
King Carl Gustaf will celebrate his 75th birthday in April while Queen Silvia turned 77 in December. At the end of last year, they tested negative for coronavius after underdoing checks when it was confirmed that their son, Prince Carl Philip, and his wife, Princess Sofia, had both contracted the illness. They have since made a full recovery and announced soon afterwards that they are expecting a baby in the spring.
In recent months, the King of Sweden has been critical of his government’s approach to the pandemic, saying ”I think we have failed. We have a large number who have died and that is terrible.”
Sweden has taken one of the most notably relaxed approaches in the world to dealing with the pandemic. The country has never held a full lockdown and most measures to control the spread are advisory rather than compulsory. Since the outbreak began, Sweden has recorded over 7,800 deaths, a much higher toll than neighbouring Scandinavian nations. Speaking after the comments became public, Sweden’s Prime Minister, Stefan Lofven, said ”the fact that so many have died can’t be considered as anything other than a failure” but continued that a proper verdict on the strategy wouldn’t possible until after the pandemic was over.
NordenBladet – Prince Daniel has opened a brand new organisation “Anti-doping Sweden”. The body is a newly formed independent organization which from 2021 is Sweden’s national anti-doping organization. Previously, the responsibility lay with the Swedish Sports Confederation. Prince Daniel inaugurated the organization’s activities on January 11th 2021.
For many years, Prince Daniel has been heavily involved in sports and the fight for a more healthy and active society. He has had a passion for sports all his life, and following a brief time in the army after graduating from school, he became a fitness instructor and personal trainer before meeting Crown Princess Victoria.
His Royal Highness opened the organization in a digital ceremony. In his speech Prince Daniel said: “Sport is for everyone. There, everyone should have the opportunity to participate and compete, on equal terms. If you break the rules, you have to take the consequences – and those consequences must also be on equal terms. No matter who or where you are. We all want a clean, neat and fair sport. And if we are to get there, we must have effective anti-doping work everywhere in the world. The new world anti-doping code is another step towards that goal.“
Prince Daniel continued: “I am both proud and grateful that the Swedish sports movement has so many leaders and activists who push this issue, at all levels. I believe that it is absolutely crucial for the credibility of sport. Sweden has long been at the forefront of the fight against doping, and we will continue to do so. I hereby declare Anti-Doping Sweden inaugurated. I wish you the best of luck and I look forward to following your work in the future!”
Anti-Doping Sweden says in a statement that they will defend the obvious right of all athletes to participate in a sport free from doping. To achieve the goal, the fight against doping is waged by various means at all levels of sport. In several interviews, Prince Daniel has said that he wants to fight to make a change. During an interview, he said: “I think that we have to understand that changing public health trends is not easy. I think that all stakeholders have to come together and do what they can and see the potential and see their own responsibility in this matter.”
NordenBladet – King Carl Gustaf of Sweden has been joined by Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel at the annual Swedish Defence conference. The conference was this year digital due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the King kept up his tradition of his attendance on the conference. This years conference was also broadcasted live on Swedish TV on the channel SVT2.
At the opening of the national conference on January 11th 2021, the King gave with a live greeting to this year’s participants and audience. In his greeting, the King said: “I have had the opportunity to attend the conference for a number of years. I believe that this conference will be as good as ever. I look forward to it and wish you all the best of luck and prosperity.”
While the King was at his office at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, the Crown Princess and Prince Daniel attended the conference from Haga castle. King Carl Gustaf, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel will also attend the conference on January 12th.
The seminar is run by the organisation “People and Defence” and is regarded as Sweden’s most important forum for discussions on security politics, defence and Swedish war preparedness. It is not just military participating in the seminar. In addition, politicians, civil organisations, professional organisations, the Swedish business community and representatives of several youth organisations were present along with the King at the seminar.
King Carl XVI Gustaf has a special role in Swedish defence. As most monarchs worldwide, he is his nation’s top military commander. The King completed his military service in 1968 when he graduated as a naval officer in the Royal Swedish Navy. Afterwards, he took leadership courses and became a Lieutenant in the Svea bodyguards, Navy, Air Force and the Jemtland regiment. After the King ascended the throne when his grandfather died, he achieved the rank of Captain for both the Swedish fleet, army and air force through military education. He was automatically General and Admiral when he became King.
NordenBladet – On Tuesday 6 October, The King, The Queen, The Crown Princess and Prince Daniel held a digital audience with Ambassador Karin Olofsdotter, Sweden’s envoy in Washington DC, USA.
Before the forthcoming presidential and congressional elections on 3 November, Sweden’s Ambassador to Washington DC gave the Royal Family a report on the country’s domestic political situation.
Ambassador Olofsdotter also provided information about bilateral relations between Sweden and the USA.
Featured image: The King and Queen during the video meeting with Ambassador Karin Olofsdotter. (Victor Ericsson/The Royal Court of Sweden)
Source: kungahuset.se
NordenBladet – Three children die every minute as a result of avoidable environmental degradation, a sobering fact shared by Crown Princess Victoria during the third instalment of the Global Child Forum’s Action Lab series on Tuesday.
The virtual meeting, also attended by Queen Silvia, focused on the environment and the devastating impact it can have on children’s health and future wellbeing.
“Around the world, children’s rights are suffering a severe setback due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Crown Princess Victoria said in an introductory video for the event.
“At the same time, we are in a state of environmental emergency that is threatening children’s prospects for a healthy and prosperous future. Rising sea levels. Severe weather events. Drought, forest fires and flooding. Widespread pollution of air, water and soil. Exposure to toxic substances. Loss of biodiversity. All of these things put children at risk – for birth defects, failing health and child mortality. For conflict, poverty and child labour.”
In addition to the more than 1.7 million children under the age of five who die every year because of environmental degradation, Crown Princess Victoria pointed out how “millions more suffer consequences of climate change such as disease, disability, and other forms of harm.”
David Boyd, the current UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, also spoke during the Action Lab. Crown Princess Victoria shared how, “in 2018, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment recommended that businesses conduct environmental and human rights impact assessments, viewed through a children’s rights lens.”
Because of this, climate change was identified as “a global concern disproportionately affecting children, echoing a UN Human Rights Council resolution that recognized children as among the most vulnerable to climate change.”
The Global Child Forum was created by the Swedish Royal Family in 2009 and brings together leaders in business, government, academia, and civil society from around the world to bring change surrounding children’s rights. The Forum especially focuses on the power of businesses to advance children’s rights and the best practices they can carry out to make changes for children in their communities.
Featured image: Victor Ericsson/Kungl. Hovstaterna
