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Cecilia Malmström. Photo: Mikael Lundström

Malmström Sweden’s new EU commissioner

Politics | 2009-11-17 | 3 comments
Today, the Swedish Government nominated Cecilia Malmström, currently Minister for EU Affairs, as a candidate for the position of commissioner to the European Commission.

“Cecilia Malmström is a convinced European and has a strong personal background”, said PM Fredrik Reinfeldt on a press conference.

Malmström, representing the Liberal party, has long experience of European politics. Before she entered the government after the last general election, she was an MEP since 1999. All four party leaders in the centre-right Alliance agreed on the nomination, and according to Reinfeldt, it was also rooted among the opposition parties.

“I am proud and honoured for the opportunity to contribute to this important task as Commissioner. Being a liberal, I feel strongly about European integration. The European Union is the most important tool we have to tackle our common challenges”, says Malmström in a statement.

She lists climate change, increased cross-border crime and making further enlargement possible as important issues for the EU to handle.

Cecilia Malmström will, if the EU Parliament accepts the nomination, succeed Sweden’s current EU commissioner, Margot Wallström (Social Democrat).
Political commentators described the nomination as uncontroversial, but most had expected a candidate from the moderate party.

During the Swedish EU Presidency she has an English blog here.

Facts:

Cecilia Malmström was born in 1968 and has partly spent her childhood in France, Germany and Spain. She speaks and writes English, French, German and Spanish. She also speaks Italian. These language skills will surely make her life as a Commissionaire. Malmström also has a Ph.D. in Political Science from Gothenburg University. Today she lives in Gothenburg with her husband and two children.

She was appointed Minister of European Affairs in 2006. During her time as minister, she has, among other things, worked with the Lisbon Treaty and the revision of the EU budget. Malmström also coordinated preparations for the Swedish EU Presidency.

Cecilia Malmström was MEP between 1999 and 2006. Among other things, she has served as a member of the Parliament´s Foreign Affairs Committee and the Constitutional Committee. Since 1997 she has been a member of the Swedish Liberal Party Board.

Sources: the Government Offices and the Liberal Party.

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Readers' comments

2009-11-19 14:12 a very worried latvian wrote:
It is very surprising to see how a candidate from Latvia, a country that, together with Greece and Italy, has the highest corruption in Europe, is accepted as such without greater scrutiny. Vaira Vike Freiberga had several scandals for her dishonest behavior during her presidency years. One of these scandals led to Courts of justice. Also her political work was without success, and she has no other political experience than the Latvian post.
2009-11-19 13:26 latvian wrote:
It is a very welcome step to have more women in high positions, however, as a Latvian, I have to remind Ms Malmstrom that our candidate, Vaira Vike Freiberga, is a mistake, is the result of our corrupt environment. Such a candidacy has been possible only because our citizens have not learned how to demand a more efficient and just behavior from our politicians. Mrs. Freiberga has not achieved good results in her political work, and, worst of all, has engaged herself in corruption.
2009-11-17 21:29 lancelot wrote:
Good choice! Malmström will rule in Brussels!


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