Around 60 Swedes living in the Algarve met with the Swedish government-representative Karin Palmquist on Saturday (September 20) for lunch at the Aquarelle restaurant in Almancil.
Palmquist is the executive-secretary of Swedes in the World, an association that serves as the bridge between the 550,000 Swedes (25% of whom are retired) living abroad and the government.
She meets with Swedish expats and then takes their suggestions directly back to the government.
Among her achievements so far is a lower tax rate for pensioners who still pay taxes in Sweden.
During her trip to the Algarve, she also met with Albufeira mayor Carlos Silva e Sousa on Monday (September 22) and appointed Jack Soifer, Algarve-based author and international consultant, as the representative of Swedes in the World in the Algarve.
In Portugal there are currently around 4,000 Swedes – approximately 400 of whom in the Algarve.
Soifer says that besides their positive word-of-mouth effect on the local economy and tourism, Swedes are also increasingly buying homes like villas and luxury apartments in the Algarve.
Photo: Karin Palmquist, executive-secretary of Swedes in the World, with Albufeira Mayor Carlos Silva e Sousa
