Sweden's Finance Minister, Elisabeth Svantesson, defended her government's decision to reduce funding for certain services used by foreigners, emphasizing that Sweden

continues to be a "land of possibilities" for newcomers.

During an event in Malmö, Svantesson responded to questions from The Local about whether her government's policies were perceived as hostile to foreigners due to budget cuts affecting organizations like ABF, which provides Swedish language instruction for those unable to study SFI, and ethnic associations that research shows play a crucial role in integration.

Svantesson contended that Sweden remains dedicated to facilitating the integration of people from other countries. She stated, "If you put it all together, we do an enormous amount to make sure that people from other countries can come into society. We take action upon action, and I'd argue that Sweden is a 'land of possibilities' for those from another country."

Acknowledging the reduction in funding for folkbildning, a term referring to popular adult education organizations such as ABF and Medborgarskolan, Svantesson clarified, "Yes, the money for folkbildning is reduced, absolutely, but there's still a lot of money left."

She then highlighted the various ways in which Sweden offers support to newcomers, such as free Swedish lessons through SFI (Swedish for Immigrants) and financial assistance for asylum seekers studying Swedish. Svantesson also mentioned the availability of introductory jobs (etableringsjobb) in collaboration with unions and employers, along with completely free education, and in some cases, financial support for studying.

Svantesson firmly rejected the notion that her government is "hostile to foreigners," stating that such a characterization is far from accurate. She expressed confidence that individuals who genuinely aspire to succeed can achieve great progress in Sweden. Photo by Frankie Fouganthin, Wikimedia commons.