The new Swedish ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, Johanna Brismar Skoog, presented recently her credentials to King Philippe, opening a new chapter in the bilateral relations between the countries, after the embassy in Brussels was closed down in 2011.
Back then Sweden, as the only EU Member State, decided to close its embassy in Brussels, in addition to four other embassies around the world. According to the government, the decision was taken for cost saving reasons but aroused disappointment among the up to 10,000 Swedes living and working in Belgium.
A protest petition was signed by 425 persons but did not help. Government and opposition in Sweden blamed each-other for the decision. The Swedish representation to the EU remained with over 120 employees.
The embassy was replaced five years ago by a Consulate General which continued to provide certain services but not new passports. Swedish nationals who needed to renew their passports had to travel to embassies in other countries or to a police office in Sweden. Sweden continued to keep an ambassador to Belgium, based at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stockholm, who visited Belgium regularly.
Johanna Brismar Skoog brings with her experience from postings as ambassador to Brazil and Indonesia. She has also served as head of the department for international development cooperation in the Swedish foreign ministry. Between 2007 and 2013, she worked at the Swedish EU-representation.
“I’m happy and honored to be the first resident Swedish ambassador in 14 years,” the new ambassador commented on social media. “Our countries have deep historical ties and are close allies in the EU and NATO. Trade is strong and diverse. But we also face many common challenges and there is much to be won by closer bilateral collaboration.”
The new embassy in Brussels has been warmly welcomed and expectations are high, she added. The decision to reopen the embassy was taken in order to better serve Swedish interests in Belgium, strengthen bilateral relations and strategically promote trade relations between Sweden and Belgium, the government announced in February this year.
Furthermore, there is a large presence of Swedes and major business interests in the country. Belgium is Sweden's tenth largest export market. There are 300 Swedish companies in the country. In addition, there is space for closer bilateral cooperation in many areas, including combatting drug-related crime.
The decision to close the Swedish embassy was taken by then foreign minister Carl Bildt, known for his international engagement. In retrospect, is this something that Sweden regretted?
“The former Foreign Minister had a rich network of foreign policy contacts and possibly considered that he could do without an embassy in Brussels since there is also a large representation to the EU,” she replied diplomatically.
She told The Brussels Times that it is hard to say why it took so long time for successive governments from both political blocs in Sweden to reopen the embassy. “In general, the geo-political situation has changed in recent years with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, new challenges and the need to strengthen cooperation with like-minded countries in various policy areas."
Waiting times for passports
Those who expected that it would soon be possible to apply for passports at the newly opened embassy risk being disappointed. The embassy, which currently consists of Ambassador Johanna Brismar Skoog and a small team, is temporarily located in the same building as the Swedish representation at Square de Meeûs.
It plans to move to its own premises next summer. Processing passport applications and photographing applicants require more space as well as special equipment and infrastructure. The aim is to have everything ready and installed in the new premises by the turn of the year 2026/27 at the latest.
The perhaps most pressing need for Swedes in Belgium is the possibility to apply for renewal of their passports. A survey which was carried out last year by “Swedes in the World”, a civil society organisation representing Swedes abroad, found that 70 % of 2,000 respondents experienced bureaucratic difficulties in applying for a passport at Swedish consular services abroad.
During the Covid crisis, waiting times for passport applications increased both at Swedish police offices and embassies abroad. While waiting times in Sweden have decreased, they are still long abroad.
A senior official at the foreign ministry, when confronted with the findings, admitted that Sweden does not keep an updated register of citizenship. Therefore, Swedish citizens must provide the same information with every application, regardless of whether it is made in Sweden or abroad.
A Belgian ID card for a residence permit also contains information about Swedish citizenship based on the person’s passport. Will the embassy accept Belgian ID cards in cases where identity and Swedish citizenship need to be confirmed? "The card shows that the applicant is not a Belgian citizen," she replied.
Swedish legislation has been tightened following demands from the Swedish police for extra checks due to security reasons. Dual citizenship has been allowed for many years, but embassies still have to check when the person received Swedish citizenship and that he/she has not renounced it. "We handle the passport applications and issue the passports, but are obliged to follow the police regulations."
Bilateral relations not damaged
© Royal Palace, Belgium
Swedish regions are well represented in Brussels, promoting trade relations. Have Sweden's political, economic, and cultural relations with Belgium been affected by the embassy closure?
“It is difficult to assess whether they were affected. Our Belgian colleagues were disappointed when the embassy was closed,” Ambassador Brismar Skoog replied. Belgium continued to be a major trading partner for Sweden.”
Adding a caveat, the Ambassador suspects that traffic through Antwerp and other ports may have influenced the trade figures. “What is clear is that long-term bilateral cooperation requires a diplomatic presence on site and good knowledge of the complex political system in a federal state like Belgium with autonomous regions.”
The cultural exchange between Belgium and Sweden continued uninterrupted throughout the years and will probably increase with the opening of the Swedish embassy.
The dance performance ‘White Box’ about the Swedish hot air balloon expedition to the North Pole in 1897 was recently shown at the Monnaie Theater in Brussels. The film ‘Eagles of the Republic’, a political thriller set in Egypt and awarded a Swedish film award, was shown at Cinema Galeries. An animated Swedish short film was shown at the Razor Reel Flanders Film festival in Bruges.
For more information about upcoming Swedish cultural activities in Belgium, click on the embassy's Facebook page.
“We are a small embassy and share administrative support functions with the Swedish representation to the EU,” the Ambassador concluded. The representation is responsible for EU relations and EU decisions. Our task is to promote bilateral relations.” The embassy reports on developments in Belgium and Sweden and promotes the exchange of good practices between the two countries, for example on combatting organized crime.
Coordination is required at times. When business delegations and other groups visit the EU institutions in Brussels, the embassy can provide information about opportunities in Belgium.
The embassy can also support the Swedish government with deeper analysis of the national position on issues where Sweden needs to understand the underlying concerns, such as the issue concerning the use of immobilized Russian assets to guarantee loans to Ukraine (for example to finance procurement of Swedish JAS Gripen fighter aircraft, editor's remark).
