Pay more money to migrants who want to leave Sweden and return to their home country. That’s the proposal of the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD), which has divided the Stockholm government. “We believe that there are many people who would prefer to go home but could use some help on the way,” said Ludvig Aspling, spokesman for the SD, which supports the current government of moderates, Christian Democrats and Liberals from the outside. As the Swedish parliament resumed sittings yesterday (September 10), the issue of increasing voluntary migration aid caused strong tensions between the Liberals and the Sweden Democrats.
offer
The far-right SD party wants to achieve an increase in the allowance offered to residents born outside Sweden who decide to leave the country, in line with the Danish system, in order to persuade foreigners to return to their country of origin and go elsewhere.
The current repatriation compensation in Sweden is 10,000 Swedish crowns, equivalent to 873 euros, a paltry sum compared to its Danish neighbours, where those who leave the country permanently can receive up to 330,000 Danish crowns, or 44,000 euros, according to Euractiv. So the use of this tool has been minimal: in Denmark, only one person benefited from it in 2023, compared to 300 people.
In 2023, the Stockholm government commissioned a special researcher to investigate ways to encourage more people living in Sweden but with strong ties to another country to emigrate. The research is in line with the coalition’s commitment to develop a new return system.
According to the government, those affected would be those who are unable to integrate into Swedish society in terms of language, self-sufficiency or other cultural factors. Joakim Ruist, a government-appointed researcher and economist in the field of global migration, said he was against the proposal and warned that such a policy would have little economic impact and negative effects on integration.
Liberals are against it
The Liberals supported Ruist’s position and therefore are holding back and do not want to bring up the issue. A member of the Liberal Party Youth Association (LUF) called on the political formation to resolutely oppose the proposal, while the party’s youth are strongly opposed to it. According to their chairman Anton Holmlund, the Sweden Democrats’ idea would send a very bad message to those who want to integrate.
“This sends a very bad signal to those who want to stay and integrate. Here the government is saying you shouldn’t stay. Ideally, we want to pay you to leave. This is a completely wrong signal and will not help integration in Sweden,” he said.
Source: Today IT
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
