<p>This thesis aims to analyse the problems concerning the reorganization of the Swedish consulary system, which took place right after the Swedish entry in the European Union in 1995. This thesis shows the underlying debate in the Parliament before the changes. It also discusses which factors caused the reorganisation. </p><p>My work focuses on the Swedish consulary representation in Spain which exist of an embassy in Madrid and 20 underlying honorary consulates. The consulates are not foreign authorities but are still handeling a lot of cases as an govenmental authority. This add to the fact that the assignment as an consul is unpaid makes the case with the honorary consulates even more complex. </p><p>The thesis analyses the problems with the implementaty chain and it also sees to the consul´s role. The consul works as a burecrate right under the Embassay, which in their turn works under the Foreign Affair departement (UD) in Stockholm. The role is quite complex and has to be seen in both a top- down and an bottom- up perspective, taking consideration to the local conditions. </p><p>Threw a metod of interviews and empirical research is my intention to analyse the role of the counsul, the power of the authorities and the legitimacy of the consulary activities with the help of theories from Michael Lipsky’s Street- Level bureaucracy, Guy Peter’s management thinking and Max Weber’s legitimacy thoughts. </p><p>The result of the analysis indicates that there are some problems with the Swedish consulary activities of today. The system is not a long- term solution and it has to be rechanged to be both effective and durable. The opinions of the future consulary system are diverging and they suggest different courses of development even though most of the involved proclaims that a changing is needed in one way or another.</p>

This thesis aims to analyse the problems concerning the reorganization of the Swedish consulary system, which took place right after the Swedish entry in the European Union in 1995. This thesis shows the underlying debate in the Parliament before the changes. It also discusses which factors caused the reorganisation. My work focuses on the Swedish consulary representation in Spain which exist of an embassy in Madrid and 20 underlying honorary consulates. The consulates are not foreign authorities but are still handeling a lot of cases as an govenmental authority. This add to the fact that the assignment as an consul is unpaid makes the case with the honorary consulates even more complex. The thesis analyses the problems with the implementaty chain and it also sees to the consul´s role. The consul works as a burecrate right under the Embassay, which in their turn works under the Foreign Affair departement (UD) in Stockholm. The role is quite complex and has to be seen in both a top- down and an bottom- up perspective, taking consideration to the local conditions. Threw a metod of interviews and empirical research is my intention to analyse the role of the counsul, the power of the authorities and the legitimacy of the consulary activities with the help of theories from Michael Lipsky’s Street- Level bureaucracy, Guy Peter’s management thinking and Max Weber’s legitimacy thoughts. The result of the analysis indicates that there are some problems with the Swedish consulary activities of today. The system is not a long- term solution and it has to be rechanged to be both effective and durable. The opinions of the future consulary system are diverging and they suggest different courses of development even though most of the involved proclaims that a changing is needed in one way or another.