Counties of Sweden - Proposed Regions

Proposed Regions

Under the aegis of the Swedish government, Ansvarskommittén has been investigating the possibilities of merging the current 21 counties into 6 to 9 larger regions. If approved, these would come into effect around 2015. These suggestions of new regions were found in their final report:

  1. Norra Sverige: Norrbotten County + Västerbotten County + Jämtland County + Västernorrland County + Nordanstig and Hudiksvall
  2. Bergslagen: the rest of Gävleborg County + Dalarna County + Örebro County + Värmland County
  3. Mälardalen: Stockholm County + Uppsala County + Södermanland County + Västmanland County + Gotland County
  4. Västra Götaland: Västra Götaland County + Halland County
  5. Östra Götaland: Östergötland County + Jönköping County + Kronoberg County + Kalmar County
  6. Södra Götaland: Skåne County + Blekinge County
  1. Norra Sverige: Norrbotten County + Västerbotten County + Örnsköldsvik
  2. Mellannorrland: Jämtland County + Västernorrland County (except Örnsköldsvik) + Nordanstig and Hudiksvall
  3. Dalarna-Gävleborg: Dalarna County + Gävleborg County (except Nordanstig and Hudiksvall)
  4. Västra Svealand: Värmland County + Örebro County
  5. Mälardalen: Stockholm County + Uppsala County + Södermanland County + Västmanland County + Gotland County
  6. Västra Götaland: Västra Götaland County + Halland County
  7. Östergötland: Östergötland County + Västervik
  8. Småland: Jönköping County + Kronoberg County + Kalmar County (except Västervik)
  9. Södra Götaland: Skåne County + Blekinge County

A model for this comes from the merger of some counties into Skåne County and Västra Götaland County in 1997 and 1998, respectively, which is now considered a success.

The counties are discussing the proposal. An obstacle is that Stockholm County does not want to merge with any other county, while its neighbours want to merge with Stockholm.

Read more about this topic:  Counties Of Sweden

Famous quotes containing the words proposed and/or regions:

    “To coöperate in the highest as well as the lowest sense, means to get our living together. I heard it proposed lately that two young men should travel together over the world, the one without money, earning his means as he went, before the mast and behind the plow, the other carrying a bill of exchange in his pocket. It was easy to see that they could not long be companions or coöperate, since one would not operate at all. They would part at the first interesting crisis in their adventures.”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    “We have wasted our spirit in the regions of the abstract and general just as the monks let it wither in the world of prayer and contemplation.”
    —Alexander Herzen (1812–1870)