November 24, 2015 5:57 pm

“The current situation is unsustainable so we must drastically reduce the number of asylum seekers coming to Sweden,” Stefan Löfven, the prime minister, told a news conference.

The crackdown represents a humiliating failure for many Swedes, who regard their country as a humanitarian superpower. The Nordic country already takes in more refugees per capita than any other European country.

Sweden’s politics have been shaken by the rapid rise of the anti-immigration, populist Sweden Democrats party, which is leading in several opinion polls. Successive right and leftwing governments have each refused to deal with the party and instead maintained generous asylum policies that, for instance, offered permanent residency to Iraqis and then Syrians.

Under the measures announced on Tuesday, Sweden will severely restrict the right to family reunification and limit residence permits to an initial three-year period.

Sweden will also introduce identification controls on bus and train passengers entering the country, after recently imposing border checks and implementing controls on ferries.

The government admitted it was forced to act after complaints from overstretched municipalities led the Civil Contingencies Agency to warn that crucial social functions, such as healthcare and education, were being put at risk. “It is an untenable situation,” Mr Löfven conceded.

Sweden’s government continued to insist that a Europe-wide agreement must be found to distribute refugees more fairly between EU member states.

The EU has been struggling to cope with a surge in refugees this year from war-torn and economically deprived lands in the Middle East and Africa that has put pressure on its open-border policies and sparked tension between national governments over the redistribution of thousands of people.

“Sweden had in the worst refugee crisis since World War 2 taken greater responsibility than any other western county,” the government said in a statement released on Tuesday. “We are a small country making a huge effort and the Swedish people are showing great solidarity at this difficult time.”

The move is particularly bitter for the junior government partner, the Greens, who were instrumental in pushing Sweden to take so many refugees. Asa Romson, leader of the Green party and deputy prime minister, cried as she announced the new measures.

Norway also introduced border controls on Tuesday night. Erna Solberg, the prime minister, said: “We can’t wait until the same thing happens in Norway [as Sweden].”