Sweden’s Red-Green parties agree to push for suspension of EU trade deal with Israel

This became clear after a meeting of the Riksdag's EU Committee (the Swedish parliament's EU committee) on Friday.

I think this will get international attention, says Morgan Johansson.

While the red-green parties want the trade part of the association agreement with Israel to be suspended, they say the Swedish government should take into account that Israel has elections soon and that Sweden is led by a caretaker government.

"What the opposition seems to want to do now is put Sweden in an extreme position that I do not believe would benefit Sweden in any way. But I will of course analyze the position and try to relate to it," says Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) after the EU Committee meeting.

"Let's try to play a trick"

The issue is not on the agenda when EU foreign ministers meet in Luxembourg on Monday. Discussions are expected to focus instead on the importance of freedom of navigation and the situation around the Strait of Hormuz.

But if the trade agreement comes up, Malmer Stenergard will have to present Sweden's new position.

"I will of course do as the Riksdag says and take into account that we are in a caretaker government," she says.

So I guess I'll have to try to play a trick based on that.

Morgan Johansson calls it a show of strength by the red-green parties that they were able to agree on the issue. The Center Party expressed a dissenting opinion in the EU Committee, which the other red-green parties supported.

"It is quite clear that a new government, when it takes office, with the support of S, C, V and MP, will have a different policy from this government. I believe that it will be welcomed by everyone who works to uphold international law," says Johansson.

New Middle East Policy

He refers to the fact that countries such as Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and France have become more active in their criticism of Israel.

That's the group of countries I think we should be in.

The Left Party's foreign policy spokesperson Håkan Svenneling is pleased with today's announcement. Malmer Stenergard now needs to handle the issue in a "well-balanced way," he says.

It is a small step, but still a balanced step in the right direction, indicating that there is a red-green majority in the Swedish parliament.

Malmer Stenergard pushed to freeze the trade agreement with Israel as recently as July 2025, but has since played down the issue following criticism from the Christian Democrats and the Sweden Democrats.

She now points out that diplomatic relations between Sweden and Israel risk deteriorating if a freeze is pursued.