SWEDEN: Swedish euro supporters yesterday brandished the threat of fewer jobs if Sweden votes No to the euro on September 14th, after promises of more trade and growth have failed to put them ahead in polls.
So far focused on the political and economic benefits of the euro, the Yes campaign shifted tactics from carrot to stick to warn of the risks of staying out of the euro. The message came from two respected figures, Foreign Minister Ms Anna Lindh and the chief executive of flagship telecoms firm Ericsson, Mr Carl-Henric Svanberg, at a joint news conference.
"I don't want to resort to scare tactics, but we must inform the public of the risks of staying outside the euro. I don't want people to ask why they had not been warned," Ms Lindh said.
Mr Svanberg, who also published a joint article with Lindh in the business daily Dagens Nyheter yesterday, said a rejection of the euro would discourage companies from investing in Sweden because of the currency exchange risk.
The pointed warning came as Danske Bank published a poll in which Swedes opposed to adopting the euro extended their lead over supporters to 10 percentage points in August from nine in July. - (Reuters)