Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt will lead the European Union during Sweden’s six-month presidency.

On Wednesday, the Czech Republic handed over the presidency of the European Union to Sweden. Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has called for a more aggressive approach to the problems currently facing the E.U. as it tries to settle on a new charter and gain influence on the global stage.

The recent Czech presidency has been deeply criticized for a lack of leadership on key issues like the world financial crisis. An art exhibition commemorating the Czech presidency stirred anger across the region for its depiction of Bulgaria as a toilet, among other caricatures. Many see the Swedish presidency as a departure from the Czech style of leadership, though the last Swedish presidency was markedly quiet.

Bloggers had their say about the future and past of the European Union — including Swedish Minister for European Affairs Cecilia Malmström, who will chronicle Sweden’s presidency in her blog. She writes of her ambitions:

I’m looking forward to some challenging and exciting six months, that will require a lot of hard work and creative leadership.

It’s no secret that Sweden will be leading Europe in a difficult time. The European Union is facing a number of challenges, and the presidency will work under very specific conditions. But we are not afraid of taking up the challenge. The presidency’s ambition is to achieve results on a range of issues where citizens expect the Union to deliver. While working to create better conditions for growth and jobs, we will also need to unite the world in the struggle against climate change.

Blogger Julien Frisch shares his cautious enthusiasm:

As a realist, I know that the change [Sweden] can bring in practice is limited. But knowing that the spirit behind their actions is different to the previous presidencies, I have the hope that they will make a positive difference.

“Philippe,” a Swedish blogger, feels particularly dismayed over the failures of the previous leadership:

The past months have been marked by a rudderless feeling as the domestically strife-ridden Czechs failed to stamp their authority on the bloc, and member states freely bickered over how to tackle the devastating economic crisis.

Honor Mahony of euobserver.com writes that the Swedes are in for a difficult time:

Now prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt is in the hot seat. Every word he utters will be treated as the EU’s approach to that issue. His predictions on the economic crisis and a climate change deal will be headlines in themselves. [...] Each presidency brings with it its own particular traditions – the Swedes are pushy on transparency and have relatively good green credentials.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user shapeshift under a Creative Commons license.

In response to failing economies, the IMF has issued emergency loans of close to $49 billion to countries including Pakistan, Hungary, Ukraine, Latvia and Iceland.

The Icelandic government has virtually collapsed, as the prime minister resigned and the two-party ruling coalition fell apart — just months after the country’s banking system collapsed.

Riots and protests have already occurred in Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Hungary, leading to concern that the economic slide around the world is going to lead to much more unrest.

Michele Wucker, the executive director of the World Policy Institute, joins Martin Savidge to provide insight into the social and political fallout from the economic crisis. They discuss whether social unrest brought on by the financial climate is likely to grow and how world governments will respond to such unrest.

Below, bloggers from around the world discuss the political and social consequences of the economic crisis.

An Icelandic blogger at “The Huffington Post” writes about riots outside the Icelandic parliament building, issuing a plea for help to Barack Obama.

A blogger at the “National Post” writes that rioting in Iceland is the worst in over a century.

YouTube user “haukursmagnusson” has been sharing videos of protests in Iceland, including this footage from a large protest in Reykjavik:

The “All About Latvia” blog writes that peaceful protests turned violent in Latvia’s capital city, while blogger “wanchope” provides images.

The “Baltic” blog discusses how Latvia’s protesting farmers may shake up the political scene, arguing that the present government is “living in a power bubble.”

The “Europe EcoMonitor” blog writes about possibly policy solutions for governments facing social unrest, forecasting future protests in Romania and Hungary.

The “Hungarian Spectrum” blog writes about an economic summit in Budapest, as Hugarian leaders attempt economic reform.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user scarndp under a Creative Commons license.

The “BABY” sculpture by Czech artist David Cerny in Prague. Another piece by Cerny has generated controversy across Europe for its depiction of E.U. member countries.

An art exhibition in Brussels commemorating the Czech presidency of the European Union has become embroiled in controversy.

The sculpture “Entropa” by Czech artist David Cerny features symbols meant to represent E.U. member countries — but Romania is represented as a vampiric theme park, Bulgaria is portrayed as a Turkish toilet system and The Netherlands is shown completely underwater.

The sculpture, commissioned by the Czech government, was supposed to feature the work of 27 different artists from across Europe, but Cerny admitted that he had completed the entire piece on his own and faked the names of the 26 other artists.

David Cerny writes about his motivations for the hoax on his Web site, saying that the depictions “show how difficult and fragmented Europe as a whole can seem.”

Radio Free Europe’s “Transmission” blog writes that reactions to the piece have been mixed, but that the Czech government is to blame given Cerny’s history of “subversive” pranks.

Blogger “Alexander” writes from London that the sculpture is “wonderful” and sheds light on the Czech perspective.

Another English blogger says that Britain was omitted entirely from the piece, and writes that media coverage has ranged from the amused to the indignant.

The “Fistful of Euros” blog writes that the piece is a funny collection of European stereotypes.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user ankatank under a Creative Commons license.

In Ukraine, today’s political realities and yesterday’s revolutionary dreams may not be in line, and progress has come slowly.

In Poland, the anti-Soviet Polish Solidarity movement has reinvented itself in a democratic and economically strong Poland.

In the Czech Republic, the younger generation knows little about the Russian invasion and subsequent demonstrations that took place 40 years ago, and the country has problems discussing its past.

In Hungary, people still commemorate 1956 revolution — when approximately 200,000 Hungarians gathered in front of the country’s Parliament to demand an end to Soviet rule. Even as they move forward, Hungarians never quite leave the past behind.

Correspondent Dave Marash reports in a Worldfocus signature series: After the Fall.

Today, the younger generation of Czech citizens know little about the invasion and subsequent demonstrations. It poses a problem for schools and families to talk about their country’s political past.

Worldfocus correspondent Dave Marash reports on the forgotten history of the 1960s in present-day Czech Republic.

Though Czechs have benefited from American tourism, U.S. plans to develop a NATO missile shield system on Czech soil have led to some mixed feelings about the U.S.

Dave Marash travels to the Czech Republic to sample Czech opinion of the U.S. For more on the Czech Republic, see David Marash’s report on a delicious Czech tradition: Into the Czech woods for the mushroom hunt.

From Kenya to Argentina, from Egypt to India, world citizens speak out about U.S. foreign policy, culture and infrastructure.

Below, see the final piece of the series. In it, David Marash travels to the Czech Republic to sample Czech opinion of the U.S. — somewhat boosted by American tourists but soured by U.S. foreign policy.

But the Czech people aren’t the only mushroom enthusiasts — Italians also forage for fungi. At the “Italian Blog,” Serena describes the Italian version of the tradition and suggests recipes.

At the blog “Micah Moves,” an American living in Russia joins a local family for a mushroom outing.

The “Stone Spoon Blog” describes a hunt in the Canadian woods where the author chronicles the different types of mushrooms that he encounters.

Flickr user AnjaLouise dedicates a photo set to different types of wild mushrooms.

The Cornell University Mushroom Blog provides all the scientific information necessary to grow, care for and study mushrooms.