Friday Gallery: Walls

I had missed that Friday Gallery started up again in September due to our move to a new country (I think I'm excused for missing it!), but now with life having returned to some sort of normalcy, I should be able to blog on a more regular basis.  So here's the first post for October.  Birgitta is our hostess (as in picking the themes) this month and for today she has picked "walls".

Today I can only think of one thing when I think of "walls", and that is the grim pictures from the latest accident involving people wanting to get to Europe from across the Mediterranean.  Over 100 are dead and even though many have been rescued from the burning and sinking boat, about 200 are still unaccounted for.  I know the issue is very complex (or, you could actually argue it is not), but in principle I think we should really welcome everybody.  I don't like so-called Fortress Europe.  If we had more normal routes for migration, whether it is political, economic or human reasons, we wouldn't thousands of people arriving dead (or never arriving at all) on the shores of Europe.

Image borrowed

Healthcare or Sick Care?

Helena argues really well for more European healthcare co-operation! Some people think the EU should stay away from healthcare issues but like Helena, I think we can only benefit from more co-ordination and more patient influence.

Helena has a personal story to tell - you can read it here. In brief, she has moved back and forth between Stockholm, London and Brussels over the last five years, which has caused some difficulties for the Swedish health service, mainly as a result of the procedures in place for GP appointments, referrals for tests, waiting times, IT systems and ultimately, her living abroad. Even though she had a letter from her doctor in London stating that she needed to have a certain test taken, the Swedish health service could not set up an appointment unless she went through the normal routes within the Swedish healthcare system (details on her blog).

Her point with the post is to:

ask the question how the Swedish health service manages increased internationalisation? If they could not manage my needs, despite me being registered in Sweden, because I had taken a test in another country, how would they then meet the needs of persons who live in Sweden temporarily, persons who have just moved to Sweden, or person who do not speak Swedish?

The need of the patient must always be more important than the system. If something does not fit into the system there must exist a culture within the health service that encourages flexibility and initiative. But all too often governance through quantitative evaluation and budget goals makes it more profitable for divisions and units to stand on the side of the system when it collides with the needs of the patient.

Thus I cringe when I hear Swedish politicians saying that EU initiatives in the healthcare sector threatens the Swedish healthcare system. Defence of systems and models is seldom a very good political starting-point.

What I would add is that - which probably Helena would agree with as well - is not that we want the EU to start deciding the financing or the content of the healthcare provision, but to facilitate for patients in an increasingly global world.

Södertälyeah!*

* The town's slogan

The world looks toward Södertälje - that has been the gist of many articles in foreign media in recent weeks. Södertälje is my hometown and the place I spent 19 years of my life, so naturally I take an interest in what is written about this medium-sized town (semi-suburb) southwest of Stockholm.

The last few months Södertälje has been invaded by international journalists because the town receives more Iraqi immigrants than the whole of North America put together. Södertälje welcomed 1,268 refugees last year of which 95% were from Iraq, a figure that is expecting to rise to 2,400 this year. Here it is appropriate to mention that Sweden took in over 9,000 Iraqi asylym-seekers, or almost 50% of all Iraqis coming to Europe. The USA in comparison took 202.

The reporters are coming to Södertalje to see how the process of integration is going and how they can learn from the successes and problems of the whole experience. So far, correspondents from the BBC, the New York Times and Le Monde have reported from the city and this week, the Washington Post is to publish a major report. There is much surprise amongst foreign correspondents as to how a city the size of Södertalje can cope with the influx. There are of course many problems such as the shortage of pre-school and childcare facilities and other infrastructure.

Anders Lago, the mayor of Södertälje (whom I interviewed for once) is actually going to Washington DC on 9 April to speak in front of the US Congress on the matter. The hearing is for the Commission on Security and Co-Operation in Europe. Lago has been asked to account for the strategies Södertälje uses to meet the challenges associated with Iraqi refugees.

Before this latest celebrity factor, Södertälje was mostly famous for the two multinational companies Scania and Astra Zeneca and the tennis player Björn Borg (who happened to have gone to my old school, not at the same time though). For a longer history of Södertälje, read here, and for more info on the international character of the town, here.

Some links
SÖDERTÄLJE SPECIFIC
BBC news
NYTimes January 2008

SWEDEN GENERAL
International Herald Tribune March 2008
Washington Post March 2008
International Herald Tribune March 2008
Le Monde March 2008
NYTimes September 2007
NYTimes June 2007
NYTimes January 2007

(To read some of the articles you may need to sign up - for free.)

Global Talk with Miliband

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband was in Sweden yesterday, a visit that I helped to set up. The Minister of course met with his Swedish opposite number, Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, and the Leader of the Opposition, Social Democrat Mona Sahlin, but he also took part in two interactive sessions, one at a local upper secondary school specialising in globalisation and sustainable development and one at Fryshuset, a social project centre.

At the upper secondary school he discussed globalisation and climate change with pupils in year 2 (17-year-olds). The whole event was webcasted and you can hear both Miliband's short introductory speech and the Q&A session between him and the students. (If you look carefully you might spot me at the back of the room towards the door!)

In his speech Miliband said that globalisation has benefited - especially countries such as Sweden and the UK - substantially. Trade has made us richer, cultural exchange has given us a much more dynamic society, and co-operation with other states makes our countries stronger and more influential.

But it has also brought a new type of uncertainty within both the economy and politics that forces states to act in a new way. Issues that belonged to domestic politics have now become "foreign policy". Environmental issues reflects this phenomenon very well. Earlier the problems were local, e.g. the smog in London caused by industrialisation. Today there are global problems that must be solved with global solutions. The environment is a very important issue also on the agenda of foreign ministers.

Miliband said - and this is one of the most interesting points - that climate change is not just or mainly an environmental problem. Environmental problems is a symptom while the problems are those of conflicts (over resources) and forced migration. These are issues that have consequences for other countries since large groups are forced to migrate. In that way climate change is strongly linked to both economic issues and foreign policy.

Another interesting point Miliband made is that it is important to see that the solutions (i.e. reducing carbon emissions) are not strictly technical. It is about ethics and values. The technology exists but the problem is who should pay, who should bear the burden.

Also, if you take it down to the individual level, Miliband said that we all have an individual responsibility to reduce our personal carbon footprint. But governments have to make it easy for people to raise their awareness and change their behaviour, for example by regulating against fossil-high cars and low-efficient lightbulbs.

I will post the link to the Fryshuset event once it is up.

Proportionality

Lately several international newspapers have covered the fact that Sweden welcomes large numbers of Iraqi refugees. A recent article in the New York Times asks: how can the US, ultimately responsible for the outflow of refugees from Iraq (or at least deeply involved, depending how you see it), let other countries bear the burden?

Extracts:
Many are restarting in Sweden. Between January and August this year, Sweden took in 12,259 Iraqis fleeing their decomposing country. It expects 20,000 for all of 2007. By contrast, in the same January-August period, the United States admitted 685 refugees, according to State Department figures. The numbers bear closer scrutiny. In January, Sweden admitted 1,500 Iraqis, compared to 15 that entered the United States. In April, the respective numbers were 1,421 and 1; in May, 1,367 and 1; and in August 1,469 and 529.

When Tobias Billstrom, the migration minister, says, “Yes, of course the United States should do more”, you can feel his indignation about to erupt like milk boiling over. He notes that given the huge population difference, Sweden’s intake of Iraqis “is the equivalent of the U.S. taking in about 500,000 refugees".

Full article here.