How could Sweden's proposal to cap foreigners in some areas affect you?
Sweden's Immigration Minister Anders Ygeman has suggested that Sweden limit the concentration of people with "non-Nordic" backgrounds to 50 percent in the most troubled areas of its cities. How could this affect foreigners in Sweden?
What's happened?
Ygeman suggested a 50 percent limit when pushed by the newspaper’s reporters on whether he thought Sweden should bring in a similar target to that of Denmark, where the ruling Social Democrats have brought in a target that no housing development in the country should have more than 30 percent of the population with a non-Western background by 2030.
Which areas could be affected?
The proposal would affect so-called "vulnerable areas", described by the police authority as areas “characterised by a low socioeconomic status where criminals have an effect on the local community”.
Here is the most recent list of Sweden's "vulnerable areas".
What would it mean?
Ygeman said that the 50 percent figure could be "a target", which could be "one of five criteria", alongside factors taking unemployment, level of education and criminality into account.
If it were made law, there would be no ban on non-Nordic residents moving to an area as such, rather areas with a higher percentage of non-Nordic residents could risk being classified as "vulnerable areas" and encouraged to limit this number.
Why 'non-Nordic'?
Ygeman's argument is that it's easier to integrate into Sweden if you speak the language.
“If you want to learn Swedish, you need to practice," he told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper.
"If you live in an area where you can get by with the language of your home country, it becomes hugely more difficult to learn and develop the language. If, in addition, you have a job where you can get by in the language of your homeland, where are you going to practice Swedish? In that context, I think having this sort of goal can say something important.”
The Nordic countries are Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland. Danish and Norwegian are close to Swedish, meaning that citizens of these two countries would most likely understand Swedish with some effort.
However, Icelandic and Finnish differ considerably from Swedish, meaning that Finns and Icelanders would struggle to understand Swedish unless they had learnt the language, and would most likely switch to English to get by - meaning that they are not much different from many other immigrants, in this respect.
It's also not clear how "non-Nordic background" will be defined. Currently, Swedish statistics registering the amount of people living in Sweden with a "foreign background" define the term as "people who are either born abroad or have two parents born abroad". Immigrants from the Nordic countries are included in this statistic.
This could mean that children born in Sweden to two foreign parents could be classified as having a foreign background, despite growing up in the country.
Did he suggest anything which could benefit foreigners?
Maybe. Ygeman also expressed interest in copying another Danish policy, "flexible renting". This would mean that those in education or in work would be able to jump the housing queue in these areas, in order to attract people with better finances and more purchasing power.
Of course, if there is a fixed limit on how many non-Nordic residents are allowed in a certain area, this might not benefit immigrants, but if the government chooses to weigh other factors - like unemployment or education - higher than ethnicity, this could provide recently-arrived immigrants with an easier route when it comes to renting in Sweden's cities.
However, foreigners in Sweden aren't a homogenous group. This would only benefit well-educated, well-off foreigners. Low-educated, less well-off foreigners could face even more issues in finding an apartment if they are priced out of these areas, unless the government made it easier for them to find housing in other - more expensive - areas.
When could it come into force?
It's important to underline the fact that this is, so far, just a suggestion made by Ygeman in an interview with newspaper DN.
If it were to happen, an inquiry would take place investigating how such a law could be formulated before a proposal were to be made. A proposal would then need to be debated and passed in parliament before it could come into law. There is currently no deadline or goal suggesting when this suggestion could be made law, or indeed any evidence that it would be backed by a majority in parliament.
It is also important to note that this is all being said just a few weeks before Sweden goes to the polls. The populist anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats are currently Sweden's third largest party, so it is entirely possible that this suggestion is nothing more than election tactics aimed to attract Sweden Democrat voters to the Social Democrats.
Either way, there is no guarantee that this proposal would ever be enforced by the Social Democrats if they were to remain in power following September's election, or indeed if the conservative opposition would implement a similar policy if they were to form a government after September 11th.
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What's happened?
Ygeman suggested a 50 percent limit when pushed by the newspaper’s reporters on whether he thought Sweden should bring in a similar target to that of Denmark, where the ruling Social Democrats have brought in a target that no housing development in the country should have more than 30 percent of the population with a non-Western background by 2030.
Which areas could be affected?
The proposal would affect so-called "vulnerable areas", described by the police authority as areas “characterised by a low socioeconomic status where criminals have an effect on the local community”.
Here is the most recent list of Sweden's "vulnerable areas".
What would it mean?
Ygeman said that the 50 percent figure could be "a target", which could be "one of five criteria", alongside factors taking unemployment, level of education and criminality into account.
If it were made law, there would be no ban on non-Nordic residents moving to an area as such, rather areas with a higher percentage of non-Nordic residents could risk being classified as "vulnerable areas" and encouraged to limit this number.
Why 'non-Nordic'?
Ygeman's argument is that it's easier to integrate into Sweden if you speak the language.
“If you want to learn Swedish, you need to practice," he told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper.
"If you live in an area where you can get by with the language of your home country, it becomes hugely more difficult to learn and develop the language. If, in addition, you have a job where you can get by in the language of your homeland, where are you going to practice Swedish? In that context, I think having this sort of goal can say something important.”
The Nordic countries are Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland. Danish and Norwegian are close to Swedish, meaning that citizens of these two countries would most likely understand Swedish with some effort.
However, Icelandic and Finnish differ considerably from Swedish, meaning that Finns and Icelanders would struggle to understand Swedish unless they had learnt the language, and would most likely switch to English to get by - meaning that they are not much different from many other immigrants, in this respect.
It's also not clear how "non-Nordic background" will be defined. Currently, Swedish statistics registering the amount of people living in Sweden with a "foreign background" define the term as "people who are either born abroad or have two parents born abroad". Immigrants from the Nordic countries are included in this statistic.
This could mean that children born in Sweden to two foreign parents could be classified as having a foreign background, despite growing up in the country.
Did he suggest anything which could benefit foreigners?
Maybe. Ygeman also expressed interest in copying another Danish policy, "flexible renting". This would mean that those in education or in work would be able to jump the housing queue in these areas, in order to attract people with better finances and more purchasing power.
Of course, if there is a fixed limit on how many non-Nordic residents are allowed in a certain area, this might not benefit immigrants, but if the government chooses to weigh other factors - like unemployment or education - higher than ethnicity, this could provide recently-arrived immigrants with an easier route when it comes to renting in Sweden's cities.
However, foreigners in Sweden aren't a homogenous group. This would only benefit well-educated, well-off foreigners. Low-educated, less well-off foreigners could face even more issues in finding an apartment if they are priced out of these areas, unless the government made it easier for them to find housing in other - more expensive - areas.
When could it come into force?
It's important to underline the fact that this is, so far, just a suggestion made by Ygeman in an interview with newspaper DN.
If it were to happen, an inquiry would take place investigating how such a law could be formulated before a proposal were to be made. A proposal would then need to be debated and passed in parliament before it could come into law. There is currently no deadline or goal suggesting when this suggestion could be made law, or indeed any evidence that it would be backed by a majority in parliament.
It is also important to note that this is all being said just a few weeks before Sweden goes to the polls. The populist anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats are currently Sweden's third largest party, so it is entirely possible that this suggestion is nothing more than election tactics aimed to attract Sweden Democrat voters to the Social Democrats.
Either way, there is no guarantee that this proposal would ever be enforced by the Social Democrats if they were to remain in power following September's election, or indeed if the conservative opposition would implement a similar policy if they were to form a government after September 11th.
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