I am a writer and analyst. Current assignments include as Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and as Senior Adviser at the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies (SIEPS). I am also an IEEP Associate and a columnist for the news site Altinget. Contact: matsengstrom65@gmail.com.
My professional career includes positions in the Swedish government services, inter alia as Deputy State Secretary and Director of the International Departement at the Ministry for the Environment, and as Political Adviser to Foreign Minister Anna Lindh 1998-2001. I have been Editorial Writer at the newspaper Aftonbladet for seven years, Editor-in-Chief of Ny Teknik, the leading technology magazine in Sweden, and Policy Director at the biggest Swedish trade union, Unionen.
In addition I have worked at the Swedish government agency Tillväxtanalys with issues linked to innovation and sustainability transitions. From November 2015 to December 2017 I was Science and Innovation Counsellor at the Swedish Embassy in Tokyo, dealing with research and development policies in Japan and South Korea.
I have written extensively on European affairs, on environment and on technology. In addition to articles in Swedish newspapers, my texts have been published by inter alia Euractiv, European Voice, EU Observer, Inside Story, New Statesman, NRC Handelsblatt, OpenDemocracy, Tagesspiegel, World Politics Review, and on a number of international websites. Media interviews in Al Jazeera, CNBC, Euronews, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, La Stampa, Washington Post, and others. I am the author of three books.
Views expressed on this website or in linked texts are my personal opinions (unless otherwise stated).