What does the EU actually do?In June 2016, the British people voted to leave the EU. The vote was the culmination of a long-standing populist campaign, often with elements of pure nationalism and xenophobia, where both the political establishment and large parts of the tabloid press spread all kinds of prejudices and sometimes outright lies about the EU. It was clear that most of the British people had no idea what they were voting on. But how is it in Sweden then? Do Swedes know more about EU cooperation and what the EU does? When I ask my Swedish friends, few can think of more than five things that the EU does. Some do not come up with anything at all, but still sense that EU cooperation is good for Sweden and therefore worth being part of. Perhaps this is a sign that EU membership has been ”normalized” in Sweden in a different way than in the UK, despite the fact that the UK was a member for 45 years compared to Sweden’s 25 years.This book gives a brief insight into what EU cooperation actually means and what it means in practical terms for Sweden and the Swedes. It shows the rich array of benefits and opportunities that EU membership brings and what we would simply be without if we were not members of the EU.
