Eva Maria Louise Malmer Stenergard (born 23 March 1981) is a Swedish politician and juristCV Maria Malmer Stenergard Retrieved 19 April 2023. serving as Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2024. A member of the Moderate Party, she previously served as Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy from 2022 until 2024. She has been a Member of the Riksdag for Northern and Eastern Skåne since 2014.
Ministerial career
Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy (2022–2024) On 18 October 2022, Malmer Stenergard was appointed Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy in the cabinet of Ulf Kristersson. This role was seen as critical since migration was one of the key areas the new government was set to focus on.
In 2024, Malmer Stenergard announced that Sweden during that year had seen the lowest number of immigrants since 1997, and had for the first time in 50 years had more people migrating from Sweden than immigrating to Sweden. This was in line with the governments policy which she had implemented.
Minister for Foreign Affairs (2024–present) On 10 September 2024, prime minister Ulf Kristersson reshuffled his cabinet. During this reshuffle Malmer Stenergard was made Minister for Foreign Affairs succeeding Tobias Billström who had recently resigned. During a press conference later the same day she said she would pursue a foreign policy that prioritised Sweden.Sweden appoints new foreign minister with focus on supporting Ukraine Retrieved 11 September 2024. Reuters.
On 3 October 2024 during a debate in the Riksdag regarding Sweden's decision to abstain from voting on a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for the end of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, a bag containing tomatoes and onions was hurled towards Malmer Stenergard from the Riksdag's public gallery. Malmer Stenergard retreated from the chamber following the event. The bag's contents had been smuggled in through the security controls by three pro-Palestine activists, by means of hiding them in their clothes. The activists were quickly apprehended by security and removed from the perimeters of the Riksdag. Malmer Stenergard called the event an attack on basic democratic values, a sentiment echoed by Speaker Andreas Norlén.
She and her Nordic counterparts signed a joint letter in late October condemning Israel's planned bill that would seek to ban the UNRWA from operating in the country and in effect the Palestinian areas. Furthermore, they urged the Knesset to reconsider passing the bill.
Malmer Stenergaard called the March 2025 Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip "dangerous" and demanded an end to the violence.
List of international trips made by Maria Malmer Stenergard
+CountryLocation(s)Dates SourceHelsinki 2024: New York City (79th United Nations General Assembly) 2024Iqaluit 2024Luxembourg 2024Chișinău 2024Berlin 2024Reykjavík 2024Singapore 2024Bangkok 2024Brussels 2024Valletta 2024Ankara 2025Brussels 2025Bogotá 2025Lima 2025Copenhagen 2025Riga 2025Munich 2025Brussels 2025New Delhi 2025Ramallah 2025JerusalemBrussels 2025Luxembourg 2025Bornholm 2025London 2025Copenhagen 2025Warsaw 2025Antalya 2025Vilnius 2025Brussels 2025 : New York City 2025 2025The Hague 2025Sarajevo and Srebrenica 2025Nuuksio 2025Uzhhorod 2025Berlin 2025 : New York City (80th United Nations General Assembly) 2025 Victoria Falls 2025 Tokyo, Hiroshima 2025 Seoul 2025 Beijing 2025 Warsaw 2025 Brussels 2025 London 2025 Brussels 2025 Brussels 2025 Amman 2025 Asmara 2025 Ādaži (NATO Enhanced Forward Presence) 2026Brussels 2026Munich 2026Brussels 2026 Warsaw 2026Warsaw 2026: Houston and Austin 2026: Norfolk 2026Torrevieja 2026Kyiv 2026Lviv 2026Luxembourg 2026Kuressaare 2026Brussels 2026Limassol 2026Budapest 2026Riyadh 2026DohaAbu DhabiLuxembourg 2026Gdańsk 2026Gdynia 2026Ankara 2026Brasilia 2026CaliKyiv24 August 2026Wicklow 2026: New York City (81st United Nations General Assembly) 2026
Honours Foreign honours : Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon (6 May 2025) : Member Third Class of the Order of Princess Olga (5 September 2025)
References
External links