Sten Ask: Swedes Honored Anna Lindh in Euro Referendum

Novinite Insider » INTERVIEW | September 17, 2003, Wednesday // 00:00
Sten Ask: Swedes Honored Anna Lindh in Euro Referendum Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (novinite.com)

H. E. Sten Ask has been Sweden's Ambassador to Bulgaria since 1998. He has substantial diplomatic experience. He has doctor's degree in Economics from the University of Stochholm. Before coming to Bulgaria, he was director of the department of European Integration with Sweden's Foreign Ministry.

H.E. Sten Ask spoke to novinite.com Editor-in-Chief Milena Hristova

Q: The clear majority with which Swedes rejected the euro came as a small surprise. Still did you expect the tragic death of Foreign Minister Lindh to lead to victory for the supporters of Swedish Euro-membership?

A: It was completely obvious that the noers were in a clear lead before Anna Lindh was murdered. After her tragic death uncertainty followed and some speculations indicated that the murder would mobilize a lot of sympathizers to vote "Yes". I, myself, was all the time convinced that the majority would reject the euro in this referendum. The high participation rate of 81.2 %, however, can be seen as a result of Anna Lindh's murder. People wanted to contribute to her memory, they went to the ballots and voted, exceeding projected turnout rate by some ten percentages. This high turnout rate was a victory for the democracy.

We can speculate on the reasons for the result - 41.8% in favour and 56.1% against. In this perspective we must keep in mind that Sweden's unemployment rate is just above 5% against an average of 9% in the euro zone countries. Sweden also has quite good economic growth by European standards. Ordinary people were skeptical to transfer power from the Swedish National Bank to the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, reluctant to give up the weapon to set our own interest rates, reluctant to give up an independent monetary policy. They were frightened that this could lead to cutting of the extensive public sector and unemployment.

For the supporters of the Euro, the timing of this referendum was very bad - a difficult economic situation in the Euro area combined with big problems with the Stability Pact, for example in France, Germany and some other countries. The project seemed shaky in the eyes of the Swedish electorate and some regarded it as an elite project.

Q: How would you comment the words of Swedish European Commissioner Margot Wallstrom, who warned Swedes of the "economic and political price to pay for remaining outside"?

A: Many different analyses regarding both the economic and political consequences of the project have been carried out. Experts hold different views. This shows that it is very difficult to draw accurate conclusions - to weigh the pros and cons - about its future effects. As an immediate response to the outcome of the referendum, the Swedish Prime Minister presented yesterday in the annual statement of government's policy before the Riksdag special measures for the coming year, measures which focus on promoting economic growth and reducing corporate taxes to support the Swedish industry.

We are fully aware that a consequence of remaining outside the euro zone will imply currency risks. Sweden will also be excluded from the decision-making process in the European Central Bank. Those are of course negative factors.

Q: Do you share the opinion that the result will be viewed by the European Union as a warning that it has distanced itself a lot from the people?

A: Absolutely. The issue of how the EU project can come closer to its citizens, to make efforts that are relevant to ordinary people has been on the agenda of the European Union for several years. That's why Sweden has been very active to promote a more efficient employment policy, a policy for equality between men and women and better environment at EU level.

Q: What will be the impact of Sweden's vote on other European Union members still outside the euro zone, notably fiercely euro-sceptic Britain?

A: The Governments of the United Kingdom and Denmark had, of course, hoped to get some help from the Swedish referendum if the majority were convinced to vote Yes. It is, however, important to point out that the situation in the two countries is very different, with opinion polls in Denmark giving a clear lead for the Yes vote and the opposite in the United Kingdom.

Q: How long will it take to convince the Swedes in the benefits of the single currency?

A: We will follow the development of the Euro project very closely. Then we will see what is happening in the future.

It is, however, important to underline that Sweden already participates in the two first stages of the EMU, namely live up to the convergence criteria and participate in the stability pact. Even more important is the fact that opinion polls show that more than 60% of the Swedish voters are in favour of our EU membership.

Q: Do you think political motives were at the bottom of the murder of Foreign Minister Lindh, the main face of the Yes campaign?

A: There are similarities with the way our former Prime Minister Olof Palme was murdered seventeen years ago. By the fate of irony, Olof Palme served as a political model for Anna Lindh. She admired him.

Anna Lindh was the most popular politician in Sweden, also the political opposition loved her. She was a very honest and democratic person, vital and full of energy. She was a tough negotiator and acted with courage and dignity. It will be very difficult to find a Foreign Minister of her qualification. And it is impossible to replace a mother to two young boys. This is a great tragedy.

I have a sweet story about Anna that I told Parliamentary Speaker Ognyan Gerdzhikov the other day. When she came to Bulgaria less than three years ago - in the running up to the Swedish EU Presidency in 2001 - I invited her to a buffet dinner. She was a vegetarian so she liked very much the Kyopulo salad (a traditional Bulgarian salad made of roasted aubergines, peppers, loads of garlic, parsley). She asked me about the recipe and then sent me a very nice letter, saying "Now I do it by myself".

The role of Anna Lindh should be remembered in Bulgaria. She played a very important role to speed up the EU enlargement process and the removal of the visa obligations for Bulgarian citizens. Under the Swedish EU Presidency she, together with Javier Solana, played a key role to promote peace and stability in Macedonia. Anna was always at the forefront when it came to human rights and democracy. She never missed an opportunity to defend or promote these important values.

We will pay tribute to the memory of Anna Lindh on the International Day of Peace by playing a football match on Sunday at Vassil Levsky stadium - my team against the team of President Parvanov. The event, organized with the assistance of UNDP in Bulgaria and Sports Minister Vassil Ivanov, is also in line with the recommendation of the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. I am very grateful to President Parvanov and all other people who are involved in this project.

Anna Lindh was associated with great hopes for the future - not least among young people. Many expected her to become the first female prime minister in Sweden.

Q: What kind of security measures will be introduced by the Swedish government, following the murder?

A: The issue is now under a thorough consideration and a careful analysis will be made. We will see what further measures should be taken to protect the security of our politicians in the future.

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