'Completely bizarre': Stockholm hits back at US embassy's anti-DEI contract
The US Embassy has sent a letter to Stockholm council's city planning office demanding it signs a contract confirming that it does not work to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), Swedish media report.
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According to Dagens Nyheter (DN), who reported the story, the embassy has given the city planning office ten working days to sign and return the contract.
"We have no plans to do that," city planning councillor Jan Valeskog told the newspaper, describing it as "completely bizarre". "It goes against everything we stand for."
"If the US stops working with the city planning office then the embassy would find it very difficult to get planning permission if they want to renovate. That's their headache, not ours," he said.
The letter comes after US President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January to end DEI programmes in federal agencies, writing up a list of over 40 companies he believes to be in violation of these rules.
The US recently demanded large European companies follow Trump's anti-DEI presidential order. Swedish company Ericsson recently made headlines for removing mentions of DEI work in its most recent annual report, although it denied that the changes to its annual report were related to Trump.
US embassies across the world have also been ordered to demand that their suppliers follow this decree, including confirming that they do not have DEI programmes or policies, else risk their payments being frozen and contracts cancelled.
In Spain, suppliers have been contacted by the US embassy in Madrid and asked to sign a document certifying that they do not apply any internal policies on 'diversity and inclusion' that could 'violate US anti-discrimination laws,' with a five-day deadline to do so, and the French trade ministry has condemned "unacceptable" US interference after the American embassy in Paris sent several French companies anti-DEI letters.
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According to Reuters, these demands take the form of a questionnaire entitled "Certification Regarding Compliance With Applicable Federal Anti-Discrimination Law," and have been sent to a wide range of companies, including newspapers where embassies hold subscriptions and utility companies used by embassy employees for their private properties.
Earlier in May, DN reported that similar letters have been set to companies in Stockholm.
"Swedish companies are according to the Discrimination Law responsible for working actively and preventatively to combat discrimination and promote equal rights – for example on grounds of gender, ethnic belonging or disability," Equality Minister Nina Larsson told the newspaper.
"Otherwise there may be consequences. Companies should feel secure in the fact that Swedish law continues to apply. It's also important that we – both politicians and people in industry – are clear on this when speaking to foreign clients."
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