In a new article published in Journal of Women, Politics & Policy, Ole Elgström and Malena Rosén Sundström explore how EU member state officials perceive Sweden’s role in promoting gender equality—during and after the FFP era. Based on interviews conducted between 2018 and 2024, the study shows that FFP was generally well received and helped Sweden refine its leadership style, becoming more collaborative and less didactic.
While Sweden’s policy priorities are perceived by other EU members to remain largely unchanged, the country is no longer seen as the sole leader in the field, but rather as part of a broader group of frontrunners. Interviews with Swedish diplomats reveal mixed views on whether gender equality remains a top priority.
📖 Read the article “Normative Leadership Lost? Gender Equality in the EU and the Rise and Demise of Sweden’s Feminist Foreign Policy” is published in Journal of Women, Policy & Politics with Open Access: https://doi.org/10.1080/1554477X.2025.2563464