Inquiry into the consequences of a possible Swedish accession to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

In line with Sweden's long-standing commitment to disarmament and non-proliferation, Sweden took part in the multilateral negotiation process which concluded in July 2017 with the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Sweden voted in favour of the Treaty in connection with the conclusion of the negotiation.

At the same time, it was stressed in a national vote explanation that certain aspects of the adopted text did not satisfy Sweden's wishes. Sweden also declared that the Treaty would be subject to further consideration by the Government. A thorough analysis of the Treaty's content and the consequences of signing it is required.

The Inquiry Chair is to analyse the content of the Treaty and the consequences of Swedish accession in areas including:

• Swedish disarmament/non-proliferation policy;
• the Treaty's relation to other relevant treaties and agreements, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the EU treaties;
• Sweden's bilateral and multilateral security and defence policy cooperation;
• Sweden's obligations under other relevant treaties and agreements (including EU treaties), and analysis of the Treaty's requirements in relation to Swedish practice concerning the implementation of these;
• any need to adapt Swedish legislation and guidelines that the Treaty gives rise to; and
• the possibility of withdrawing from the Treaty.

In carrying out the remit, the Inquiry Chair is to gather information from relevant ministries, government agencies, the research community and civil society, as well as other stakeholders in Sweden and abroad.

The Inquiry Chair is to consult with experts from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence and other relevant ministries. The Inquiry Chair will also have access to a reference group in which certain government agencies will also be represented.

The Inquiry is to present its report to the Government Offices (Ministry for Foreign Affairs) by 31 October 2018.