Sweden’s status as a member of the European Union should be reassessed, the leader of the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats, Jimmy Åkesson, argued in an article published on Tuesday by daily newspaper Aftonbladet.

The European Union has become a “straitjacket” for Sweden because of its increasingly “symbolic politics,” Akesson wrote. According to the results of the September elections, the party “Sweden Democrats” became the second political force in the Parliament of Stockholm, reports DPA and Agerpres.

According to Jimmy Akesson, power is being transferred from Stockholm to Brussels, and Sweden’s influence on EU policy is limited. The Swedish Democrats have taken a Eurosceptic line, especially on the issue of migration.

“This ensures that German, Polish or French politicians can in practice decide what car you are allowed to buy, how expensive gasoline should be, what trees you can cut down on your own land,” said the Swedish politician.

There were good reasons to assess Sweden’s membership in the EU as “fair”. Since other EU member states have used the community bloc for their own benefit, Sweden should do the same, the leader of the Sweden Democrats emphasized.

Instead, the leader of the Liberal Party, Johan Persson, whose formation is part of the government coalition, told the Swedish national radio station that a review of Sweden’s membership in the EU is completely out of the question. Sweden’s influence on the European Union should grow, Persson believes.

In the first half of this year, Sweden presides over the EU Council for six months.

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