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Ten questions Swedes asked Google in 2016

It's been a year of major events both around the world and in Sweden, from the US elections and ongoing Syrian war to Sweden dealing with the aftermath of last autumn's refugee crisis.

Published: 14 December 2016 16:33 CET

Ten questions Swedes asked Google in 2016

'Why does Australia get to be in Eurovision?' Photo: AP Photo/Jacques Brinon

But for Swedes, the highlight of the year was Pokémon Go, at least if their Google search history is anything to go by.

The popular game topped the list of Google searches trending in Sweden in 2016, followed by the European football championships and iPhone 7 – perhaps not a surprise in techy Sweden.

Fourth in the list was US president-elect Donald Trump, who was also the person trending the most in Google searches in Sweden and featured in some of the most-asked questions.

“Why did Trump win?” desperate Swedes asked the search engine, but not as many as those who wanted to know why sea turtles cry, why you get the hiccups and the colour of eggs.

Meanwhile, many were also dying to find out the answers to the questions “what is Brexit”, “why does Australia get to be in Eurovision” and “what does the word democracy mean”.

Continue reading to find out some of the other things Swedes searched for.

The top-trending searches of 2016

1. Pokémon Go
2. Euro 2016
3. iPhone 7
4. Donald Trump
5. Olympics 2016
6. David Bowie
7. Melodifestivalen 2016 (Sweden's Eurovision Song Contest)
8. Lisa Ekdahl
9. Prince
10. Brexit

Questions that start with “why”

1. Why are eggs brown or white?
2. Why do sea turtles cry?
3. Why do you get the hiccups?
4. Why did Trump win?
5. Why do you say 'prosit'? (Swedes use the Latin word 'prosit' to say 'bless you' or 'gesundheit')
6. Why do you get menstrual pains?
7. Why are yawns contagious?
8. Why is meat bad for your health?
9. Why does Australia get to be in Eurovision?
10. Why do cats flick their tails?

Questions that start with “what…?”

1. What is Brexit?
2. What does Donald Trump stand for?
3. What is sustainable development?
4. What does the word democracy mean?
5. What is a hybrid car?
6. What is erosion?
7. What goes up when it goes down?
8. What is inflation?
9. What is the periodic table?
10. What is Liberalism

This is just a selection. Click here to see more of the searches.

Commission official: 'Up to Sweden how strict it is on Brexit applications'

In an email sent to The Local, the official confirmed the latest data, published at the end of last year, which showed that 22 percent of residence applications from UK nationals under the Withdrawal Agreement had not been successful in Sweden. The official said this was similar to the rejection rate for Swedish citizens’ applications in the UK.

“Through its regular monitoring in Annual reports under Article 159(2) of the Withdrawal Agreement, the European Commission is aware of the fact that Sweden has a high rate of refusal of residence applications under Article 18(1) of the Withdrawal Agreement,” the official said.

But they said that this in itself did not indicate that Sweden was failing to apply the UK Withdrawal Agreement correctly.

“As long as there is no indication that a Member State in question is incorrectly applying the Withdrawal Agreement rules, it is not for the Commission to tell Member States how strict or lenient they should be when processing late applications,” the Commission official said.

READ ALSO: Brits in Sweden still in limbo years after Brexit deadline

Two EU lawyers The Local spoke to earlier this summer said that they believed that the Swedish Migration Agency had not been correctly applying the proportionality test to late applications, and had been too narrow in its interpretation of what constitutes “reasonable grounds” for a late application.

They also said that they believed the Migration Agency had been overly strict on what level of employment or savings UK citizens were required to have to qualify as resident in Sweden under EU law, and to therefore be qualified for post-Brexit residency.

SEE MORE: Why did Sweden reject Brits for post-Brexit residency?

But the Commission official said that when it came to the late applications at least, Sweden was entitled to take the position it had done.

“If the host State authorities reach the conclusion that a late applicant did not have reasonable grounds for missing the application deadline, they do not have to deal with the application on substance,” the official said.

“This means that someone who would have qualified for the residence rights under the Withdrawal Agreement might not be granted those rights if they missed the application deadline and did not have a valid reason for doing so.”

READ ALSO: Is Sweden getting EU law wrong on Brexit cases?

An unusual high rejection rate, the official continued, did not mean that Sweden was breaking the terms of the EU Withdrawal agreement.

“The fact that there are negative decisions being taken by Member States under Article 18 of the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) does not, in itself, indicate that those Member States apply the Withdrawal Agreement incorrectly,” they said.

The Migration Agency had carried out a review of refusals, they said, checking a selection for “legal quality”, something The Local has previously reported on.

The Commission had received the Migration Agency’s review, they said, but had yet to complete its analysis of the findings.

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