Nordic states pledge coordinated efforts to combat gang violence and illegal migration

Nordic countries vowed Tuesday to crack down together on gang crime and migration, with leaders blaming criminal groups recruiting youths from immigrant families for a cross-border surge in violence.

Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, whose government is propped up by the far right, said talks between the countries had "focused on deepening our cooperation to combat transnational organised crime".

The centre-right premier spoke after meeting with his counterparts from Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway, at a time when migration policy across Europe is shifting to the right.

Sweden is struggling to rein in a surge in shootings and bombings by gangs which officials say have a habit of recruiting children from poor immigrant families.

Violence linked to Swedish gangs has recently been reported in both Norway and Denmark.

The Swedish leader said gang violence was "a well-known Swedish problem" that had spread to neighbouring countries and insisted: "Our aim is to stop them, not to export them."

In early August, Denmark announced it was stepping up controls at its border with Sweden to combat the threat from gangs.

"It's getting worse. Criminals are being hired in Sweden to enter Denmark to commit serious crimes in Denmark, especially in Copenhagen. It is completely unacceptable," said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, speaking alongside Kristersson.

 Migration and crime  

Centre-left leader Frederiksen said the leaders had "focused today on two major topics, organised crime across borders and migration" from outside countries into the region.

"When we are talking about migration we are also unfortunately talking about organized crime," she said, claiming that for "too long" Nordic immigration policies had been "blind" to negative consequences.

"We are willing to step up our efforts on the external borders, on returns of those who should not be in Europe," Frederiksen said.

European leaders at a summit this month called for urgent new legislation to increase and speed up migrant returns, reflecting a shift across the bloc after far-right parties performed strongly in EU elections in June.

In Sweden Kristersson's government -- a minority coalition propped up by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats -- came to power in 2022 vowing to get tough on immigration.

In 2023, Sweden experienced a historic wave of violence linked to score-settling between gangs, with 363 shootings resulting in 53 deaths, according to police, in a country with a population of 10.5 million.

Many of the attacks were perpetrated by minors, used as hired killers and recruited via encrypted messaging services.

A 2021 report by the National Council for Crime Prevention said people born in Sweden to two foreign-born parents made up the largest portion of people charged with serious crimes.

The Scandinavian country has taken in large numbers of refugees since the 1990s, but since 2015 successive left- and right-wing governments have tightened asylum rules.