Thursday, 23 April 2026, Free Hanseatic City of Bremen: Swedish Ambassador Veronika Wand-Danielsson paid her inaugural visit to the Senate at Bremen City Hall. She was accompanied by the new Honorary Consul in Bremen, Daniel Günther, who also received his certificate of appointment on this occasion. Both were received by Senator for Economic Affairs, Ports and Transformation, Kristina Vogt, representing Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte. The Ambassador also signed the city’s Golden Book.
The ambassador was visiting Bremen because Sweden is this year’s partner country of the jazzahead! jazz fair, at whose opening Wand-Danielsson participated. However, there are also close economic ties between Sweden and Bremen, largely centered on Bremen’s significant economic activities in the fields of hydrogen, aerospace, and security policy. For example, there is increasingly close cooperation in the area of the hydrogen economy, moving from research activities to industrial implementation.
Ambassador Wand-Danielsson, was subsequently welcomed by Bremen Parliament Speaker Antje Grotheer, for her inaugural visit to the Parliament building. Wand-Danielsson has been in office since September 2023; from September 2014 to August 2020, she represented Sweden as Ambassador to France and Monaco.
After the traditional signing of the guestbook, the hour-long exchange turned to cultural topics. During the remainder of the conversation, Wand-Danielsson and Grotheer discussed the relationship between Sweden and Germany regarding Ukraine. They noted that solidarity with Ukraine remains a high priority in both countries.
In this context, Grotheer spoke about the close ties between the city of Bremen and its twin city, Odessa, in Ukraine. Wand-Danielsson then spoke about a turning point in Sweden’s approach to defense. She explained that open communication with the public leads to support for military action, and that joining NATO enjoys the backing of approximately 70 percent of the Swedish population. Since 2017, Sweden has reinstated conscription for both men and women.
The discussion then turned to economic issues: Germany is Sweden’s most important trading partner, Wand-Danielsson noted. She added that Sweden is generally concerned about the current economic situation and emphasized the importance of economic independence from the United States.
For further information
Bremen Senate: https://www.senatspressestelle.bremen.de/pressemitteilungen/schwedische-botschafterin-besucht-bremen-484100?asl=bremen02.c.732.de
