The Swedish government will halve the price of monthly public transport passes for six months, in order to mitigate the effects of rising energy costs caused by the war in the Middle East. The announcement by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's executive - whose Moderate Party has governed since October 18, 2022, together with the Christian Democrats (KD) and the Liberals (L), with external support from the Sweden Democrats, nationalists and populists - was immediately criticized by opposition parties, who called it an electoral move ahead of the parliamentary renewal vote on September 13.
"We cannot eliminate all the consequences of the war. It is simply impossible. But we can mitigate its effects so that the recovery of the Swedish economy is not halted," the Prime Minister explained at a press conference. The government will present a revised budget of 6.5 billion kronor (600 million euros) to Parliament, which will be allocated to the regions responsible for public transport, he specified. "It is time to complement measures for those who commute by car with measures for those who use public transport," he added.
