Birgitta Ohlsson

Eva Birgitta Ohlsson Klamberg (born 20 July 1975) is a Swedish politician who was Minister for European Union Affairs in the Swedish government from 2010 to 2014. She is a member of the Liberals, formerly the Liberal People's Party. Birgitta Ohlsson serves as the National Democratic Institute's director of political parties.

In June 2017, Ohlsson challenged incumbent party leader Jan Björklund to become the next leader at the congress in November 2017. On 15 September 2017, following results from the 'test election' in Stockholm County, Ohlsson announced she was to relinquish her leadership bid and to leave the political arena by the next general election in 2018.

Early life and education

Birgitta Ohlsson was born on 20 July 1975 in Linköping, Östergötland County, Sweden. She received her upper secondary (gymnasium) education at Katedralskolan in Linköping between 1991 and 1994. Between 1994 and 1997 she studied political science, international relations and United Nations studies at Stockholm University.

Career

Between 1997 and 1999 Ohlsson worked as an editorial writer for several liberal newspapers in Sweden, such as Sundsvalls Tidning, Vestmanlands Läns Tidning, Västerbottens-Kuriren and Dagens Nyheter. Between 1999 and 2002 she was chair of the Liberal Youth of Sweden, the youth wing of the Liberal People's Party.

In the 2002 general election Ohlsson was elected a member of the Swedish parliament, representing the Stockholm Municipality constituency. In the parliament she served as a substitute to the Committee on the Labour Market (2002–2006) and the Committee on Foreign Affairs (2002–2004), and as a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (2006–2010). In the parliament she was also her party's spokesperson on foreign affairs.