Sören Wibe

Who was Sören Wibe?

Sören Axel Wibe was a Swedish economist and eurosceptic politician, born in Östersund, who was formerly a social democratic Member of the European Parliament 1995–1999, member of the Riksdag 2002–2006, and who since 6 July 2008 was party leader of the June List. In January 2009 he was elected President of the EUDemocrats - Alliance for a Europe of Democracies, a eurorealist European political party with members from 15 European countries.

Wibe was professor of forest industrial economics at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Umeå. He has been one of the most prominent and vocal EU critics in the Social Democratic Party. In April 2008, he announced his resignation from the party citing a number broken promises over EU policy and rulings in the European Court of Justice, which he alleged would lead to a weakening of the trade unions' position and limitations on strike actions in Sweden. Wibe was also actively involved in the European No Campaign against the proposed European Constitution.

Shortly after leaving the Social Democrats, he was nominated as one of two new party leaders for the June List together with Annika Eriksson. In January 2009, Eriksson left her post, after which Wibe was the lone leader of the party and its top candidate for the European elections 2009.