Sweden halves price of monthly public transport tickets
Sweden is halving the price of monthly public transport tickets from July 1st until the end of the year, funded by a multibillion-kronor subsidy paid out to the regions.
A total of 6.5 billion kronor was earmarked for the scheme when the government announced it in May.
This means, for example, that a 30-day ticket now costs 325 kronor in Stockholm, 685 kronor for all of Skåne (or 327.5 kronor for Malmö, Lund or Helsingborg) or 445 kronor for a Zone A ticket in Gothenburg (or 1,020 kronor for a Zone ABC ticket).
In Skåne, monthly tickets that include journeys to and from Denmark are also included in the new discount scheme.
"We are trying to guide the Swedish public through what is a rather complicated time, both in terms of security and the economy," Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told a joint press conference when he introduced the subsidy alongside the Christian Democrats, Liberals and Sweden Democrats.
"Encouraging public transport use also reduces the pressure on fuel consumption in Sweden," Kristersson said.
Swedish vocabulary: a ticket – en biljett
Sweden becomes one of Europe's cheapest countries for petrol
Sweden is now one of the cheapest countries in Europe for petrol and diesel, after slashing taxes today.
If you want cheaper petrol, you will have to drive all the way down to North Macedonia, reported Swedish news agency TT last month, comparing 35 countries.
On the diesel front, Sweden will become the fifth cheapest country, behind Bosnia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Poland.
Swedish fuel station owners have been working flat out to top of their fuel tanks ahead of the expected onslaught, especially in the towns close to the Norwegian border, where Norwegians already make up a large customer base.
The reduction of taxes on petrol and diesel is for five months, from July 1st to November 30th. The government expects that it will reduce the price by three kronor per litre at the pump.
Swedish vocabulary: cheap – billig
More than 50 aircraft to fly over Stockholm today
If you hear a big roar overhead in Stockholm today, don't worry, they're just celebrating.
More than 50 aircraft are set to fly over the Swedish capital in the early afternoon, scheduled to pass over the Royal Palace from 12.50pm.
The event will feature several formations of Jas Gripen fighter jets, transport aircraft, helicopters and a "large formation of historic aircraft", the military stated in a press release.
The final number of aircraft and the exact formations could be affected by weather conditions and other factors.
Swedish vocabulary: a flypast – en överflygning
Sweden lowers proposed criminal age of responsibility to 14 after political pushback
The Swedish government, as The Local reported at the time, made a U-turn on a proposal that would have seen 13-year-olds face prison sentences. A revised bill has now been submitted to parliament.
The new proposal means the age of criminal responsibility will be lowered from 15 to 14, rather than 13 as originally planned.
The government withdrew the original bill a couple of weeks ago due to uncertainty over whether it would secure enough votes in parliament. This uncertainty was driven both by the collapse of the parliamentary pairing system and signals that several MPs within the governing Tidö coalition parties were hesitant about the 13-year limit.
"Our assessment is that we are in a better position to pass 14 years rather than 13," said Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer.
The bill will be debated and voted on by an extraordinary session of parliament in August. The law is intended to come into force on September 10th.
Swedish vocabulary: a proposal – ett förslag