Eu - or not EU, that's the question

In my line of work I have the pleasure of helping people from all over Europe to establish companies, to manage international employment contracts and to solve tax-related problems here in Sweden. The biggest hurdle in all of the connections with authorities has been trying to open up a bank account.

"No way!" you might say. In Sweden, one of 27 EU-countries, it should not be any problem to open up an ordinary bank-account for someone from Germany. And I do talk about an ordinary bank account, no credits just an account to put a German man's salary, a German man with Swedish staying permit.

The European union, a political and economical partnership, designed to support free moving of people, goods, services and capital, should stand for the support of European Union citizens trying to make a living for themselves in another European Union country. Free moving, yes, but how can this be possible if someone does not even have the possibility to open up an account? A person without any trouble to identify himself, who has a steady salary and pays taxes here in Sweden. Sweden is trying to adapt with so many questions on internationalisation, trying hard to find a place in the big world, to become a trustworthy, serious country to rely on.

At the same time management and administration goes one step back all of the time instead of going a step forward. Instead of making life easier for the once who really want to participate in Swedish society and economics, life is been made impossible to live here. Yes, of course, tax authorities are happy to gain some more taxes, but for your informaiton, it is not possible to pay any taxes if you do not have any account here. So, now he is paying his taxes from a German account, with a lot of fees and all the problems accuring from currency variation. ....strange?.... not in Sweden!