Denice Westerberg, national spokesperson for the Sweden Democrats’ youth wing Ungsvenskarna (Young Swedes), has a central role at the ECR Study Days conference this week, moderating a high-level panel discussion on migration alongside representatives from Poland, Italy, and France.
The panel will explore how various European nations have approached migration and how conservative parties across the continent are shaping the debate in the European Parliament. Westerberg expressed high hopes for the session, stating:
”I hope it’ll get a bit fiery, that we’ll really spark some feeling […] and that maybe we can put a bit more pressure on the EU to get those strict migration laws through”
Westerberg noted the rising influence of conservative parties across Europe, attributing it largely to growing public discontent with mass immigration.
”When you look at the majority of the recent elections, it’s conservative parties that are gaining power […] I think it’s largely because people are tired of mass migration and now want stricter policies,” she said.
Commenting on youth activism in other countries such as France and Ireland, where young people have demonstrated against mass immigration, Westerberg reflected on the lack of similar movements in Sweden:
”In Sweden, it’s basically only the left that’s out demonstrating […] maybe that’s because left-wing youth are more unemployed and right-wing youth are more likely to have jobs. Maybe that’s why they don’t have time to protest all day,” she remarked, offering a partly tongue-in-cheek explanation.
Westerberg’s involvement at the ECR Study Days signals a growing role for the youth wing of the Sweden Democrats in shaping international policy discussions. Her remarks underscore a wider European trend toward more restrictive migration policies driven by a rising conservative presence in the European Parliament.