Sweden: Stockholm Takes the Reins of the European Union

Sweden became the next European Union country to hold the presidency of the European Union on July 1. Sweden has many issues to deal with, including the global financial crisis, ratification of the Lisbon Treaty and expansion of the bloc. Instead of addressing these problems, Sweden will turn its attention to challenging Russia for influence in the Baltic region. The next six months will allow Stockholm to try its hand at politics on the global stage.