‘Embarrassing that we are still deporting people with in-demand skills’
2019-04-04
Three quick questions to Naod Habtemichael, chair of the Centre Students and soon to be the City of Gothenburg’s youngest-ever municipal commissioner, about the political situation.
In your opinion, what is the best thing about the January Agreement between the Social Democratic Party, the Green Party, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party and what is the worst?
– I would say the best thing is point 4, reforming the tax system so it pays to work more, closely followed by point 21, stopping the deportation of skilled workers. It is a preoccupation that the government has been much too passive about. It is embarrassing that we are still deporting people with in-demand skills.
– The hardest thing to swallow in the agreement is probably point 8, which is a first step towards introducing a family week [an extra week of paid parental leave]. The societal costs are enormous, and besides, we already have the most generous parental insurance in the world.
What is the most important issue in the run-up to the European Parliament elections on 26 May and why?
– The most important issue is the climate. The Swedish Climate Policy Council recently released its annual report. In it, they state that the emissions trading system and the transition of the transport sector are crucial to achieving our long-term goals.
– These are policy areas where an MEP can have a considerable impact. Emma Wiesner, the Centre Party’s top candidate, is one of those bringing the climate and energy issue to a head, which I believe is absolutely correct.
Housing policy issues are close to your heart. What is the single most important policy measure to alleviate the housing shortage?
– Hmm, that is a good question. I would probably say it is precisely this that has been the biggest problem. Over the last few decades, we have had no overall picture of why a housing policy focus is desirable and have instead prioritised individual, short-term changes while lacking the broad agreements with clear goals and policy proposals for how to achieve this. So my answer is the most important measure is agreeing on a package of measures.
Naod Habtemichael was interviewed by Erik Torstensson, consultant at New Republic. ´Three Quick Questions…’ is a series of interviews conducted by New Republic.