Sweden is the EU country with which most member states say they cooperate in the Council of Ministers, second only to France and Germany, as well as the Netherlands. This is despite the fact that Sweden is the tenth most populous country in the European Union.
Shows what has been recently posted Stady from the University of Gothenburg, and was implemented in collaboration with the Swedish Institute for European Political Studies, Sieps.
The study points to the relationship between having what is called high network capital – that is, being a member state that others refer to as a frequent cooperation partner – and the opportunities to influence political outcomes. In other words, having many friends on the board is important for implementing your policy.
Sweden is stable in fourth place
However, Sweden having more weight than its weight in the Cabinet is nothing new. The fact is that Sweden ranked fourth among the most frequent partners even when the study was conducted in previous years.
Who takes who in the cabinet?
How do member states cooperate with each other in the Council of Ministers – and with whom? Since 2003, the University of Gothenburg has been investigating this matter: every three years, representatives of Member States in selected working groups and committees of the Council are asked about their choice of cooperation partners. The last survey was conducted in 2021, and the results were published in November 2023.
– As for Sweden, it is very stable. Sweden is high and there is very limited movement from year to year, Markus Johansson, a political scientist at Cibes and one of the researchers behind the study, tells Altinget.
In general, there are fairly small movements over time in Member States' patterns of cooperation. The exception is the Netherlands, which after Brexit replaced Great Britain in the top three places along with Germany and France, and thus overtook Sweden – the result of an active strategy on the part of the Netherlands to be more proactive, according to Markus Johansson.
The rotating EU presidency does not appear to play any significant role in increasing countries' network capital, according to the study, despite the fact that the country holding the presidency often has to cooperate on a much larger scale than usual.
Skilled officials
Why Sweden is one of the countries that ranks so highly is not something the study examines.
Eva Sjogren is Head of EU Coordination at the Government Office. In an episode of Siep's Podcast, where this particular study is in focus, she gives her explanation of what would make Sweden an attractive cooperation partner.
I think the reason we have gone so high is because we have very experienced negotiators in Brussels.
Eva SjogrenHead of European Union Coordination, Government Offices
– I think the reason we got this high rank is because we have very experienced negotiators in Brussels. There is also a kind of logic in Swedish actions in Brussels, as you understand Sweden. That's in addition to the fact that we have well-educated officials, often fluent in English, she says on the podcast.
The fact that Sweden has an open and transparent way of working and cooperating could also be a reason, according to Eva Sjogren.
– I think you can trust Sweden, that we have an open road, and we exchange information. It's kind of the key to our high popularity on the ground as well, when we negotiate.
Marcus Johansson, of Cibes, says it is difficult to say for certain why individual countries are ranked as they are. He agrees that Sweden's high rating may have something to do with how Swedish negotiators generally behaved.
– Of course, it can also relate to the type of positions taken. In other words, how central are you, so to speak, in the positions you take on various issues, he says.
Geography and governance matters of interest
According to the study, the people you collaborate with the most are largely governed by geographic proximity. In other words, they like to cooperate with neighboring countries, such as Finland and Denmark in the case of Sweden.
Sweden is high and there is very limited movement from year to year.
Marcus JohanssonResearcher in Political Science, Cibes
At the same time, the study showed that countries with common interests and similar social systems have a greater tendency to cooperate with each other. If countries are close to each other on the so-called Gal-Tan scale, which is based on social and cultural values, it also seems to have a certain importance for greater cooperation, as is the case with the point of view of European integration.
On the other hand, cooperation between countries does not change significantly when, for example, there is a change in government between the right and the left.
– So there are somewhat different dynamics that can affect that. But it's difficult to pinpoint exactly what's decisive, says Marcus Johansson.
Roswaal: Shared Languages and Values
The above explanations were confirmed by Swedish EU Affairs Minister Jessica Roswall, who highlighted neighboring Nordic countries, as well as the Baltic states as close allies.
I think when you're a slightly smaller country – or a mid-sized country like Sweden – you have to ally yourself a little bit with different countries depending on what's at stake.
Jessica RosswallMinister of the European Union
– Regarding the Nordic countries, we partly speak the same language. “We have the same values,” she told Altinget newspaper, highlighting the forest issue as an example where she works near Finland.
She also points out that it's not just about geography.
– I think that when you are a slightly smaller country – or a medium-sized country like Sweden – you have to ally yourself a little bit with different countries depending on what is at stake, says the minister.
On free trade issues, which are important for Sweden, Roswaal mentioned both Portugal and Ireland as close allies, while Ireland and Belgium are close cooperation partners when it comes, for example, to rule of law issues.
On the budget, where Sweden follows a restrictive line in the EU circle, the Netherlands has long been a close ally, but the EU minister also highlighted Ireland and the Czech Republic.
Outside the eurozone cooperation – not negative
The fact that Sweden is outside the scope of cooperation in the Eurozone is sometimes cited as a factor leading to Sweden losing influence within the EU. However, this is not what this study shows.
The fact is that after the three countries at the top, the list is followed by three countries outside the scope of cooperation in the eurozone: Sweden, Denmark and Poland.
– Even when we tested it in more advanced models, we couldn't prove any negative effect of standing outside, says Marcus Johansson from Sieps.
– Although you can of course discuss whether it might have looked better if you were involved.
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