The visit beginning on Tuesday by Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, joined by members of the Swedish government and business community, points to the growing weight of relations between Warsaw and Stockholm.
The two countries have drawn closer since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and that shift deepened after Sweden joined NATO, the Western military alliance.
The relationship gained formal shape in the fall of 2024, when the prime ministers of Poland and Sweden signed a strategic partnership agreement. Since then, cooperation has accelerated, especially in defense.
In the summer of last year, Swedish Gripen fighter jets were stationed in the northern Polish city of Malbork as part of a NATO operation, helping protect Polish airspace and arms deliveries to Ukraine.
Later that year, Polish paratroopers took part in exercises focused on the defense of Gotland, the strategically important Swedish island in the Baltic Sea.
Defense ties have expanded into arms deals. Poland selected an offer from Swedish defense company Saab in its submarine procurement process, while Sweden bought Piorun man-portable air-defense systems from Polish arms maker Mesko, designed for destroying aircrafts, helicopters, UAVs and winged rockets.
Economic cooperation has also gathered pace. The first Swedish-Polish business summit was held in Stockholm last fall as a result of the strategic partnership.
Swedish direct investment in Poland reached EUR 5.5 billion in 2024, an increase of 220 percent over the past two decades.
Around 700 Swedish companies now operate in Poland, employing a total of 109,000 people. Another 150,000 jobs in Poland are linked to exports to Sweden. Trade between the two countries is worth EUR 20.6 billion and continues to grow.
Polish companies are becoming more visible in Sweden as well, a change from just a few years ago.
Shared economic concerns have pushed the two countries closer still. With global trade unsettled by tariff increases introduced by US President Donald Trump, Poland and Sweden are working together to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, including through deregulation.
Relations between the two societies have evolved over the past 20 years. When Poland joined the European Union in 2004, Sweden was among the first member states to open its labor market to Polish workers without transition periods.
Since then, Polish medical universities have become popular among Swedish students. As a result, Polish-speaking doctors can now be found in many Swedish clinics.
A newer trend is the growing number of Swedes studying at Polish arts schools. Among the best-known graduates of the Łódź Film School is director Magnus von Horn, who settled in Poland and whose film The Girl with the Needle was Denmark’s Oscar entry.
Another Swedish graduate is cinematographer Nils Croné, who has worked on the popular Polish Netflix series 1670.
At the same time, more Swedes are choosing to live in Poland permanently, with their number estimated in the thousands.
Online forums show Swedes exchanging practical advice about renting apartments and working conditions in Poland, a reversal from earlier years, when Poles were more often seeking such information about Sweden.
Interest among Poles in moving to Sweden for work has fallen. In 2025, more Poles left Sweden than moved there.
Still, about 100,000 Poles live in Sweden, giving the relationship between the two countries a strong human dimension alongside its growing political and economic importance.
King Carl Gustaf the longest-reigning monarch in Swedish history, having ascended to the throne in 1973.
His personal motto is: “For Sweden – With the times.” As head of state, he primarily has state ceremonial and official duties, which are regulated by the Swedish constitution. The royal couple have been married since 1976 and have three children.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP