but they have not agreed to take the steps to meet the criteria so it is still Swedens sovereign decision.
So Sweden is deliberately maintaining an excessive budgetary deficit, it is deliberately maintaining high inflation rates, and it is deliberately maintaining high interest rates, just to assert its sovereignty ? That’ll teach the feckers ! 🙂
The reality is that the EU bureaucracy, with complete contempt for democracy and the will of the people in supposedly independent sovereign member states, creates rules and treaty obligations which are either enforced or simply ignored depending on the preferred outcome.
For example government rescue packages and support for financial institutions during the credit crises undoubtedly broke EU rules as specific approval from the EU was not sort beforehand, as is required. However no one cared so the rules were simply ignored.
On the other hand when it suits it the EU is perfectly prepared to enforce EU law and issue fines if they are breached. And you can of course bet your bottom dollar that the deeply undemocratic TTIP and the Investor-State Dispute Settlements which will allow companies to sue governments if government policies cause a loss of profits, and which in effect will mean that unelected transnational corporations will dictate the policies to democratically elected governments, will be ruthlessly enforced.
