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Permanent Representative of Sweden to the Council of Europe

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Permanent Representative of Sweden to the Council of Europe
Lesser coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sweden
Incumbent
Therese Hydén
Chargé d'affaires ad interim
since November 2024
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Permanent Representation of Sweden to the Council of Europe
StyleHis or Her Excellency (formal)
Mr. or Madam Ambassador (informal)
Member ofCommittee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
Reports toMinister for Foreign Affairs
Seat67 Allée de la Robertsau
67000 Strasbourg
France
AppointerGovernment of Sweden
Term lengthNo fixed term
Formation6 November 1953
First holderIngemar Hägglöf
Websitewww.swedenabroad.se/en/embassies/strasbourg-council-of-europe/

The Permanent Representative of Sweden to the Council of Europe is the head of the Permanent Representation of Sweden to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France. The Council of Europe, founded on 5 May 1949 with the signing of its Statute in London, is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to European cooperation, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Sweden was among the early signatories of the Statute.

Initially, Sweden's Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe also held the role of Permanent Representative of Sweden to the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) in Paris. However, in 1957, these roles were separated when Karl-Gustav Lagerfelt was appointed solely for the Council of Europe. In 1971, the position became entirely independent.

Today, Sweden's Permanent Representation serves as the primary link between Swedish authorities and the Council of Europe, advocating Swedish policies and safeguarding national interests within the Committee of Ministers—the organization’s highest decision-making body. The Representation, located near the Palace of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, consists of six staff members, three from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and three locally employed personnel.

History

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On 5 May 1949, the Statute of the Council of Europe was signed at St James's Palace in London. The path to this event went through the Congress of Europe a year earlier. The conference's organizing committee outlined a proposal to establish a Council of Europe, consisting of a Committee of Ministers and a Consultative Assembly. In January 1949, the five states that had previously been part of the Treaty of Brussels—France, the United Kingdom, and the three Benelux countries—endorsed this proposal. A few months later, the Statute of the Council of Europe was signed not only by the Treaty of Brussels states but also by Sweden, among others.[1]

On 6 November 1953, it was decided that the Permanent Representative of Sweden to the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) in Paris, Minister Ingemar Hägglöf [sv], would also serve as the country's permanent representative to the Council of Europe.[2] In February 1957, this combined role was revised when Karl-Gustav Lagerfelt was appointed as Sweden's permanent representative to the Council of Europe, succeeding Ingemar Hägglöf, who from then on served solely as the head of the OEEC delegation.[3]

Lagerfeldt, in addition to serving as the permanent representative to the Council of Europe, was also accredited as the permanent representative to Sweden's delegation at the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the European Economic Community (EEC).[4] On 1 April 1971, when Arne Fältheim [sv] was appointed permanent representative to the Council of Europe, this position became independent. The then-permanent representative, Sven Backlund, continued in his role solely for the ECSC, Euratom, and EEC.[5][6][7]

Tasks

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The Council of Europe is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to European cooperation, comprising 46 member states and representing over 700 million citizens. Sweden's permanent representation serves as the primary liaison between Swedish authorities and the Council of Europe.[8]

Its main role is to advance Swedish policies and safeguard Sweden’s interests in the Council's key areas: European cooperation on democracy, the promotion of human rights, and the rule of law. The Swedish permanent representative, a diplomat with the rank of ambassador, serves as Sweden's representative in the Committee of Ministers, the Council of Europe's highest decision-making body.[8]

The Swedish representation is situated near the Palace of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights building. It consists of six staff members—three assigned by the inistry for Foreign Affairs and three locally employed personnel.[8]

List of permanent representatives

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Name Period Title Notes Ref
Ingemar Hägglöf 1953–1957 Minister Also representative to the OEEC. [9]
Karl-Gustav Lagerfelt 1957–1963 Ambassador Also representative at the ECSC (from 1956), Euratom (from 1959), and the EEC (from 1959). [4][10]
Sten Lindh 1964–1968 Ambassador Also representative at the ECSC, Euratom, and the EEC. [11][12]
Sven Backlund 1968 – 30 March 1971 Ambassador Also representative at the ECSC, Euratom, and the EEC. [6][5]
Arne Fältheim 1 April 1971 – 1976 Ambassador [6][13]
Bengt Åkerrén 1976–1980 Ambassador [14]
Lennart Westerberg 1980–1982 Ambassador [15]
Bertil Arvidson 1982–1987 Ambassador [16]
Lennart Myrsten 1987–1989 Ambassador [17]
Irene Larsson 1989–1993 Ambassador [18]
Henrik Amnéus 1993–1996 Ambassador [19]
Håkan Wilkens 1996–2001 Ambassador [20]
Mats Åberg 2001–2004 Ambassador [21]
Per Sjögren 2004–2010 Ambassador [22][23]
Carl-Henrik Ehrenkrona 2010–2014 Ambassador [24]
Torbjörn Haak 2014–2019 Ambassador [25]
Mårten Ehnberg 1 September 2019 – February 2024 Ambassador [26][27]
Robert Rydberg 2024–2024 Chargé d'affaires ad interim [28]
Therese Hydén November 2024 – present Chargé d'affaires ad interim [29]
Niklas Kebbon Autumn 2025 Ambassador [30]

References

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  1. ^ Fältheim, Arne (29 May 1974). "Europas fönster mot världen" [Europe's window to the world]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 4. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  2. ^ "Minister Ingemar Hägglöf". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 7 November 1953. p. 4A. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  3. ^ "Envoyén K.-G. Lagerfeldt" [Envoy K.-G. Lagerfeldt]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 23 February 1957. p. 4A. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  4. ^ a b Sveriges statskalender 1963 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1963. p. 311.
  5. ^ a b "Ombud hos Europarådet" [Representative at the Council of Europe]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 30 March 1971. p. 12. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  6. ^ a b c Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1971). Sveriges statskalender 1971 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. p. 356.
  7. ^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1972). Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1972 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. p. 362. SELIBR 3682755.
  8. ^ a b c "About us". Permanent Mission of Sweden to the Council of Europe. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  9. ^ Sveriges statskalender för året 1957 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1957. p. 297.
  10. ^ Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1985 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1985] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1984. p. 619. ISBN 91-1-843222-0. SELIBR 3681527.
  11. ^ Sveriges statskalender 1967 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1967. p. 315.
  12. ^ Uddling, Hans; Paabo, Katrin, eds. (1994). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1995 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1995] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 669. ISBN 91-1-943202-X. SELIBR 8261514.
  13. ^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1976). Sveriges statskalender 1976 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Liber/Allmänna. p. 449. ISBN 91-38-02736-4. SELIBR 3682757.
  14. ^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1980). Sveriges statskalender 1980 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Liber. pp. 357–358. ISBN 91-38-05350-0. SELIBR 33682761.
  15. ^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1982). Sveriges statskalender 1982 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Liber/Allmänna. p. 380. ISBN 9138067307. SELIBR 3682763.
  16. ^ Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (2001). Sveriges statskalender 2001 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. p. 74. ISBN 9138318385. SELIBR 8261601.
  17. ^ Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (2001). Sveriges statskalender 2001 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. p. 807. ISBN 9138318385. SELIBR 8261601.
  18. ^ Almqvist, Gerd, ed. (1993). Sveriges statskalender 1993 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Allmänna. p. 365. ISBN 9138128098. SELIBR 3682772.
  19. ^ Almqvist, Gerd, ed. (1996). Sveriges statskalender 1996 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. p. 201. ISBN 9138350211. SELIBR 3682781.
  20. ^ Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (2001). Sveriges statskalender 2001 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. p. 198. ISBN 9138318385. SELIBR 8261601.
  21. ^ Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (2004). Sveriges statskalender 2004 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. p. 194. ISBN 91-38-32120-3. SELIBR 89506762.
  22. ^ Sveriges statskalender 2010 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedts Juridik AB/Fritzes. 2010. p. 204. ISBN 978-91-38-32520-9. SELIBR 11846164.
  23. ^ "Per Sjögren". Canadian Global Affairs Institute. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  24. ^ Scheiman, Sebastian (2017). "Inledning" [Introduction]. Svensk Juristtidning (in Swedish). p. 166. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  25. ^ "Torbjörn Haak CV" (PDF). Government Offices of Sweden. p. 1. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  26. ^ "Ny chef för Sveriges representation vid Europarådet" [New head of Sweden's representation at the Council of Europe] (Press release) (in Swedish). Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  27. ^ "Mårten Ehnberg". LinkedIn. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  28. ^ "Representationen" [The representation] (in Swedish). 13 December 2017. Archived from the original on 22 June 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  29. ^ "Representationen" [The representation] (in Swedish). 20 November 2024. Archived from the original on 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  30. ^ "Ny chef för Sveriges representation vid Europarådet" [New head of Sweden's representation at the Council of Europe] (Press release) (in Swedish). Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 24 April 2025. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
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