Permanent Representative of Sweden to the Council of Europe

The Permanent Representative of Sweden to the Council of Europe is the head of the Permanent Representation of Sweden to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France. The Council of Europe, founded on 5 May 1949 with the signing of its Statute in London, is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to European cooperation, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Sweden was among the early signatories of the Statute.

Permanent Representative of Sweden to the Council of Europe
Lesser coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sweden
Incumbent Therese Hydén Chargé d'affaires ad interim since November 2024
Ministry for Foreign Affairs Permanent Representation of Sweden to the Council of Europe
Style	His or Her Excellency (formal) Mr. or Madam Ambassador (informal)
Member of	Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
Reports to	Minister for Foreign Affairs
Seat	67 Allée de la Robertsau 67000 Strasbourg France
Appointer	Government of Sweden
Term length	No fixed term
Formation	6 November 1953
First holder	Ingemar Hägglöf
Website	www.swedenabroad.se/en/embassies/strasbourg-council-of-europe/

Initially, Sweden's Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe also held the role of Permanent Representative of Sweden to the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) in Paris. However, in 1957, these roles were separated when Karl-Gustav Lagerfelt was appointed solely for the Council of Europe. In 1971, the position became entirely independent.

Today, Sweden's Permanent Representation serves as the primary link between Swedish authorities and the Council of Europe, advocating Swedish policies and safeguarding national interests within the Committee of Ministers—the organization’s highest decision-making body. The Representation, located near the Palace of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, consists of six staff members, three from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and three locally employed personnel.

History

On 5 May 1949, the Statute of the Council of Europe was signed at St James's Palace in London. The path to this event went through the Congress of Europe a year earlier. The conference's organizing committee outlined a proposal to establish a Council of Europe, consisting of a Committee of Ministers and a Consultative Assembly. In January 1949, the five states that had previously been part of the Treaty of Brussels—France, the United Kingdom, and the three Benelux countries—endorsed this proposal. A few months later, the Statute of the Council of Europe was signed not only by the Treaty of Brussels states but also by Sweden, among others.^[1]

On 6 November 1953, it was decided that the Permanent Representative of Sweden to the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) in Paris, Minister Ingemar Hägglöf [sv], would also serve as the country's permanent representative to the Council of Europe.^[2] In February 1957, this combined role was revised when Karl-Gustav Lagerfelt was appointed Sweden's permanent representative to the Council of Europe, succeeding Ingemar Hägglöf, who thereafter served solely as head of the OEEC delegation.^[3]

Lagerfeldt, in addition to serving as the permanent representative to the Council of Europe, was also accredited as the permanent representative to Sweden's delegation at the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the European Economic Community (EEC).^[4] On 1 April 1971, when Arne Fältheim [sv] was appointed permanent representative to the Council of Europe, the position became independent. The then-permanent representative, Sven Backlund, continued in his role solely for the ECSC, Euratom, and EEC.^[5][6][7]

Tasks

The Council of Europe is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to European cooperation, comprising 46 member states and representing over 700 million citizens. Sweden's permanent representation serves as the primary liaison between Swedish authorities and the Council of Europe.^[8]

Its main role is to advance Swedish policies and safeguard Sweden’s interests in the Council's key areas: European cooperation on democracy, the promotion of human rights, and the rule of law. The Swedish permanent representative, a diplomat with the rank of ambassador, serves as Sweden's representative in the Committee of Ministers, the Council of Europe's highest decision-making body.^[8]

The Swedish representation is situated near the Palace of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights building. It consists of six staff members—three assigned by the inistry for Foreign Affairs and three locally employed personnel.^[8]

List of permanent representatives

Name	Period	Title	Notes	Ref
Ingemar Hägglöf	1953–1957	Minister	Also representative to the OEEC.	[9]
Karl-Gustav Lagerfelt	1957–1963	Ambassador	Also representative at the ECSC (from 1956), Euratom (from 1959), and the EEC (from 1959).	[4][10]
Sten Lindh	1964–1968	Ambassador	Also representative at the ECSC, Euratom, and the EEC.	[11][12]
Sven Backlund	1968 – 30 March 1971	Ambassador	Also representative at the ECSC, Euratom, and the EEC.	[6][5]
Arne Fältheim	1 April 1971 – 1976	Ambassador		[6][13]
Bengt Åkerrén	1976–1980	Ambassador		[14]
Lennart Westerberg	1980–1982	Ambassador		[15]
Bertil Arvidson	1982–1987	Ambassador		[16]
Lennart Myrsten	1987–1989	Ambassador		[17]
Irene Larsson	1989–1993	Ambassador		[18]
Henrik Amnéus	1993–1996	Ambassador		[19]
Håkan Wilkens	1996–2001	Ambassador		[20]
Mats Åberg	2001–2004	Ambassador		[21]
Per Sjögren	2004–2010	Ambassador		[22][23]
Carl-Henrik Ehrenkrona	2010–2014	Ambassador		[24]
Torbjörn Haak	2014–2019	Ambassador		[25]
Mårten Ehnberg	1 September 2019 – February 2024	Ambassador		[26][27]
Robert Rydberg	2024–2024	Chargé d'affaires ad interim		[28]
Therese Hydén	November 2024 – present	Chargé d'affaires ad interim		[29]
Niklas Kebbon	Autumn 2025	Ambassador		[30]