Stockholm Rejects “Bizarre” US Demand to Abandon DEI

Stockholm officials have flatly rejected what they described as a “bizarre” demand from the U.S. embassy to abandon diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, becoming the latest European entity to push back against the Trump administration’s efforts to extend its anti-diversity stance beyond American borders.

The standoff highlights growing transatlantic tensions as European governments and municipalities increasingly resist what they view as American overreach, with officials in France, Belgium, and Spain similarly rejecting U.S. attempts to impose domestic policy preferences on international partners.

Formal Request Sparks Diplomatic Tension

The confrontation began when the U.S. embassy in Stockholm sent an email dated April 29 to the city’s planning office, requesting that officials sign a document pledging that contractors would not operate any programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion that would violate current U.S. law, according to France 24.

“It’s so bizarre,” said Jan Valeskog, Stockholm’s vice-mayor for city planning, in comments to the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter. The city council confirmed Friday that it would neither comply with the embassy’s demands nor offer an official response to the request.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Valeskog elaborated on the city’s position: “We were really surprised, of course. We will not sign this document at all, of course not.” He emphasized that while Stockholm wishes to maintain good relations with the U.S. embassy, the city will continue to follow Swedish law and current municipal policies even if they include DEI practices.

Pattern of International Pressure

The Stockholm incident represents the latest in a series of similar approaches to European entities by U.S. diplomatic missions. In March, the American embassy in Paris sent letters to several French companies warning against pursuing diversity programs and requesting they certify that they “do not practice programmes to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Those letters included an ominous clause stating: “If you do not agree to sign this document, we would appreciate if you could provide detailed reasons, which we will forward to our legal services.” The communication claimed that President Trump’s January 20 executive order rescinding DEI programs “also applies to all contractors and suppliers of the US government, regardless of nationality or country of operations.”

Similarly, diplomatic missions in Belgium and Spain have made comparable demands, with officials in Barcelona also refusing to comply with what European leaders increasingly characterize as diplomatic overreach.

European Policy Context

The clash underscores fundamental differences in how diversity policies are approached across the Atlantic. While France lacks U.S.-style affirmative action policies and legally prohibits treating individuals differently based on origin, ethnic group or religion, many European nations and municipalities maintain their own approaches to promoting workplace diversity and inclusion.

France requires companies with more than 1,000 employees to promote gender equality with benchmarks such as having at least 30 percent of executives be women. Other European countries have similar requirements tailored to their specific social contexts, with approaches varying widely across the continent.

Swedish diversity policies are particularly progressive by global standards, focusing on both gender equality and broader inclusion efforts for immigrants and minority populations. Stockholm’s Pride celebration, which features rainbow decorations throughout the city including its historic City Hall, represents just one visible aspect of the municipality’s commitment to diversity.

French Response Sets Tone

The French government’s response to similar U.S. pressure in March established a template for European resistance. France’s ministry of foreign trade issued a strongly worded statement declaring: “US interference in French companies’ inclusion policies is unacceptable, just like its unjustified tariff threats. France and Europe will defend their companies, their consumers, but also their values.”

Economy Minister Eric Lombard’s office emphasized the cultural divide, stating that while the U.S. letter “reflects the values of the new US government,” those values were not shared by France. “They are not ours,” the ministry declared. “The minister will remind his US counterparts of that.”

This forceful stance appears to have emboldened other European entities like Stockholm to resist similar pressure, with officials increasingly framing their responses as a defense of national sovereignty and European values against American impositions.

U.S. Policy Implementation

The international demands stem from President Trump’s January 20 executive order, signed on his first day back in office, which eliminated federal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and directed government agencies to cease related activities. The order broadly characterized such efforts as attempts to “socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.”

While the order primarily focused on domestic U.S. government operations, the State Department has evidently interpreted it to apply to international contractors and partners as well, leading to the diplomatic efforts to secure compliance from foreign entities doing business with the American government.

Legal experts have questioned whether such extraterritorial application would withstand judicial scrutiny, noting that U.S. executive orders typically cannot override the domestic laws of sovereign nations or impose requirements on foreign entities not explicitly doing business with the U.S. government.

Broader Implications

The growing resistance to U.S. pressure on diversity policies reflects broader tensions in transatlantic relations since President Trump’s return to office. European leaders have also pushed back against American tariff threats and trade policies, signaling a more assertive stance toward Washington than during previous administrations.

Political analysts suggest that the clash over diversity policies, while important in its own right, also serves as a proxy for larger disagreements about American influence in Europe and differing approaches to social policy across the Atlantic. The dispute highlights the challenge of maintaining strong transatlantic ties while respecting distinct cultural and political traditions.

As additional European cities and companies face similar pressures from U.S. diplomatic missions, observers expect resistance to continue, potentially leading to more formal diplomatic exchanges between Washington and European capitals over the proper limits of American influence on European social policies.