The Stockholm City council is responsible for matters concerning the city as a whole, such as city planning and taxation. Members of the District Councils are appointed by the City Council according to the election results in the whole of Stockholm, so the political composition of the District Councils mirrors that of the City Cuncil.
Sweden has one of he world’s most developed and progressive welfare systems, and the national tendency is towards left-wing attitudes on the domestic level, and a somewhat isolationist stance internationally.
Sweden has been a member of the European Union since 1995, and is a party to the Schengen agreement, but has resisted both accepting the Euro and joining NATO.