Emmanuel Macron began a two-day state visit to Sweden this Tuesday. Before meeting the Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, the latter sent him a rather amusing welcome video, spotted by our colleagues at Huffington Post.
“Dear President Macron, I can’t wait to welcome you to Sweden,” begins the Swedish Prime Minister, facing the camera. “But first, let me introduce you to some Swedish tips and behaviors. In Sweden we have a saying: There is no such thing as bad weather, there is only bad clothing. You will hear this if you start complaining about the snow,” Ulf Kristersson initially warned, not without humor.
“Now you are more than prepared for your stay”
“We also have this very important thing called “fika”. If you try to avoid this opportunity to sit down with a coffee and a “kanelbulle”, there would be serious consequences,” the politician continues in the video.
“And finally, we love waiting in line. If you try to overtake in the queue, “tränger dig”, we would be really annoyed, but would remain silent. We might write you an “arg lapp”, an angry message. The Swedes don’t like to make a scene in public,” adds Ulf Kristersson. Before concluding: “Now you are more than prepared for your stay. Mr. President, welcome to Sweden.”
Tuesday, Emmanuel Macron and Ulf Kristersson held a joint press conference, evoking in particular the European Union and the importance of NATO. In a context of “a threatening international situation, particularly because of Russia’s war in Ukraine, but also because of problems linked to terrorism,” declared the Swedish Prime Minister.