Sweden Today

Posted on Jul 21, 2020

Rotarian of 27 years and member of Sweden’s Parliament, Ann-Britt Åsebol, spoke to Ladner Rotary members from her home of Falun, in northern Sweden on July 21, 2020. After 25 years as a teacher, Ann-Britt, having appealed to politicians over many years for various changes, was encouraged to run for public office herself. She started her new career as a County councilor of Landstinget Dalarna. In 2010 she was elected one of 349 members of the Swedish Parliament where she has served on the Committee of Constitution, and Committees of Education, of Social Insurance, of Social welfare and of Culture. As a member of the Rotary Club of Falun Kopparvågen, Ann-Britt also served as a Rotary International Director 2012-14, as one of the first women to be elected to the RI Board.

Ann-Britt Åsebol

Previously Ann-Britt Åsebol served as District Governor in 2002-03. She has been a Regional Rotary Membership Coordinator and Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator. She was a Training Leader during the International Assembly in Anaheim and San Diego, USA for two years and she has also served as Seminar Trainer for the Training Leaders. During the years 2012-2014, she was RI Director where she also served as chair of the Executive Committee on the Board. In 2017-18 Ann-Britt was the chair of the Joint Young Leaders and Alumni Engagement Committee.

She was the chair of the organizing committee for The Peace Symposium in Hamburg 2019. Since 2018 she is the vice-chair of the Rotary Peace centers committee. She is also the vice-chair in The International Committee for the convention in Taipei 2021.

Sweden has a population of 10 million in a country that is twice the size of the United Kingdom. With all that space, many Swedes enjoy their summer homes in the countryside and mountains or at the seaside. Taxes are high, but they pay for many social services supporting the entire population. Among the many notable organizations and gifts to the world from Sweden are the Nobel Prize honours, IKEA, and, as noted in the Ladner Rotary meeting, the Sedin twins dynamic forces for the Vancouver Canucks hockey club.

Falun, Sweden. Ann-Britt is one of 349 members of parliament who meet in Stockholm

Most people in the Nordic countries of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland speak “Scandinavian” or Swedish, except in Finland, where they speak Finnish.

During the pandemic, Sweden has taken a more open approach to managing through the crisis, with less restrictions than in many countries. As a result, Swedes are blocked from entering other Nordic countries, but can visit some of the other European countries, such as Spain, France, Germany and Greece.

Summer homes by the sea or in the mountains are popular in Sweden. Food specialities include meatballs and potatoes in winter and raw herring in summer.

Fika is a tradition in which friends, family or colleagues meet for coffee or tea, often once a day and with something sweet on the side. In the winter, one of the specialities of Swedish cuisine is meatballs and potatoes. In summer, raw herring is popular, often with vodka, or raw or cooked salmon.

She has a broad background in education, as a teacher, principal, and trainer at the Teachers Training College. Ann-Britt has two sons and a daughter and three grandchildren. In her spare time, Ann-Britt enjoys skiing (both cross-country and downhill) in the winter and golf in the summer.