Ewa Björling
Minister for Foreign Trade
In office
12 September 2007 – 3 October 2014
Prime MinisterFredrik Reinfeldt
Preceded bySten Tolgfors
Succeeded byMikael Damberg
Minister for Nordic Cooperation
In office
5 October 2010 – 3 October 2014
Prime MinisterFredrik Reinfeldt
Preceded byCristina Husmark Pehrsson
Succeeded byKristina Persson
Member of the Swedish Riksdag
for Stockholm County
In office
30 September 2002 – 16 October 2014
Personal details
Born (1961-05-03) 3 May 1961
Political partyModerate Party
Alma materKarolinska Institute
ProfessionPhysician/Dentist

Ewa Helena Björling (born 3 May 1961) is a Swedish politician and a member of the Moderate Party. She served as Minister for Foreign Trade from 2007 to 2014 and as Minister for Nordic Cooperation from 2010 to 2014 in the Swedish Government. She was a member of the Swedish Riksdag for Stockholm County from 2002 to 2014.

On 16 October 2014, she submitted her resignation from the Riksdag and announced that she will retire from politics.

Prior career

Ewa Björling is a dentist, Doctor of Medicine and a docent in virology. Prior to her election to the Swedish parliament in 2002, she worked as a lecturer at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. She was also a member of the municipal council in Ekerö Municipality from 1999 to 2006, and served as its chairman from 2005 to 2006. She was elected a Member of Parliament in 2002 and served in the parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs. She was also a substitute in the Committee on the Constitution, the Committee on Education and the Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs.

She was a member of the board of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency from 2003 to 2007. She was also chairman of the Swedish National Council for Coordination of Efforts Against HIV/AIDS in 2007, and Europe's representative in the Inter-Parliamentary Union's working group on HIV/AIDS. Björling has promoted the use of contraception in Malta, a country which maintains solid links to the Roman Catholic Church.[1]

Career as Minister for Foreign Trade

In November, 2012 Björling traveled with two Swedish trade delegations to discuss increasing bi-lateral trade[2] between Sweden and war-torn country of Myanmar, despite an existing EU arms embargo against Myanmar.[3] Björling was later questioned by the Swedish Parliament regarding the discovery of Swedish made Carl Gustav recoilless rifles found in Myanmar in December, 2012.[3][4]

Following the 2010 general election, Björling also took office as Minister for Nordic Cooperation. She made mining one of the areas of Nordic cooperation.[5]

Awards

In 2006 Björling was awarded with the "Jerusalem Prize" from the Zionist Federation in Sweden.[6] The award is given to persons who has shown "extraordinary support for Israel, Jerusalem and Zionism".[6]

Personal life

Ewa Björling is married and has two children. She lives on the island of Ekerö west of Stockholm.

References

  1. ↑ Swedish Minister Talks Condoms on Malta Archived 23 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ ScandAsia, Swedish PM to visit Myanmar and Indonesia on 12–14 November, expects to meet Then Sein and Suu Kyi, 9 November 2012, Sippachai Kunnuwong, http://scandasia.com/viewNews.php?coun_code=se&news_id=11475%5B%5D
  3. 1 2 Björling: Burmavapen hade exporterats till Indien, Publicerat: torsdag 13 December kl 17:23, Sverige Radio, http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=83&artikel=5380204
  4. ↑ Swedish arms for India found in Myanmar, news.com.au, http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/world/swedish-arms-for-india-found-in-myanmar/story-e6frfkui-1226537571027
  5. ↑ Sweden’s Minister for Nordic Coordination Ewa Björling has a soft spot for mines, http://www.nordiclabourjournal.org/artikler/portrett/portrait-2011/article.2011-10-06.4068239192/
  6. 1 2 "Ewa Björling ny handelsminister" (in Swedish). Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå. 12 September 2007. Archived from the original on 15 September 2007. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
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