MELLAN FOLKVILJA OCH PARLAMENTARISK STRATEGI En motivanalys om Socialdemokraternas och Moderaternas hantering av Eurofrågan efter folkomröstningen 2003

Abstract

This study aims to analyze how the two Swedish political parties, The Social Democrats and The Moderates, justify their stance on the euro regarding two motivational factors, voter-based ones and parliamentary ones. Since the referendum in 2003 resulted in a clear no amongst the Swedish voters, the political debate surrounding the euro has in many regards disappeared from the broader Swedish political climate, yet the expectations that Sweden faces from the European Union to adopt the euro remains. The EU-membership entails legal obligation to comply with the larger economic integration within the EU where the collective currency of the euro is an important factor. The study is conducted using the qualitative method of motivational analysis to examine the extent of which voter-based motivations and parliamentary motivations are used by the two political parties to justify their continued inactivity on the euro question. The underlying sources of information were made up of sources such as parliamentary and governmental documents, interviews with central figures throughout the years 2003-2025, and other relevant material. The study found that both political parties motivated their positions on the euro on voter-based motivations to a higher extent than parliamentary ones, often with clear references to the result of the referendum in 2003.