2012
Right bloc · MLoreen wins Eurovision; Princess Estelle born; economy cools.
2012 infographic: Eurovision, Estelle, and slowdown
AI-generated infographic using the page's 2012 anchors.
Highlights
- Eurovision victory: Swedish singer Loreen won the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku with "Euphoria", scoring 372 points. The song became a genuine international chart hit, reaching No. 3 in the UK — unusually strong crossover success for a Eurovision entry.
- Princess Estelle born: On 23 February 2012, Crown Princess Victoria gave birth to Princess Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland, who is second in the line of succession to the Swedish throne.
- Economic slowdown: GDP growth fell to approximately 1% as the eurozone debt crisis weighed on Swedish exports. The country avoided recession thanks to its fiscal buffers, but the slowdown underscored the limits of Sweden's export-driven model when European demand faltered.
Events in this year
2012-03-29 Saudiaffären — Project Simoom 2012 In March 2012 Sveriges Radio's Ekot revealed that Sweden's defence research agency FOI had been working via a shell company to help Saudi Arabia build an advanced weapons factory under the code name Project Simoom; on 29 March Defence Minister Sten Tolgfors resigned, opening the modern Swedish debate over arms exports to authoritarian regimes. Scandal 2012-05-26 Loreen wins Eurovision 2012 with Euphoria Eurovision records Loreen winning the 2012 contest for Sweden with Euphoria in Baku. Culture 2012-12-01 2012: The Sweden Democrats adopt an official "zero tolerance" policy In 2012, Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Åkesson set an official "zero tolerance" policy against racism and extremism inside the party, after years in which it had carried extremist associations. Reform