Investments in civil defence and crisis preparedness in the autumn budget

Increased grants to municipalities and regions 

The serious deterioration of the security environment and experiences from Ukraine have illuminated the need for strong civil defence, and municipalities and regions have a vital role to play in this. In the Budget Bill for 2024, the Government has therefore proposed that grants for the work of municipalities and regions on crisis preparedness and civil defence increase by SEK 100 million annually, starting in 2024.  

Protection of civilian population

In a worst-case scenario – with Sweden at war – the civil population must be protected. In the Budget Bill for 2024, the Government has proposed additional funding to the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency for improvements and modernisation of civil defence shelters amounting to SEK 100 million per year, starting in 2024. The Government has also proposed SEK 40 million in additional funds to the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency to strengthen municipal rescue service capabilities during heightened alert and war.

Activation of civilian service

In the Budget Bill for 2024, the Government has proposed SEK 40 million in additional funding for the activation of civilian service within municipal rescue services. This means that people who already have sufficient competence will be registered for civilian defence duties within municipal rescue services. This will ensure the ability to rapidly increase the amount of available personnel during heightened alert. 

The Swedish National Grid will also analyse the conditions for registering individuals for civilian defence duties within the area of energy supply.

Enhanced cyber capabilities in civil defence

The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-SE) is Sweden’s national group for the prevention and management of IT incidents. The Government has determined that CERT-SE, which is part of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, needs to be reinforced. The Agency must also be able to offer qualified support to affected actors and continue to develop national capabilities to manage cyberattacks. The Government has therefore proposed increasing the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency’s appropriation by SEK 20 million in 2024.

Increased appropriation to the Psychological Defence Agency

Security developments are placing greater demands on Sweden’s psychological defence. In the Budget Bill for 2024, the Government proposes appropriating an additional SEK 8 million per year for the Psychological Defence Agency for the years 2024 to 2026.

Press release: New assignment and increased funding to Psychological Defence Agency

Preparations for Rakel Generation 2

The Rakel national communications system is approaching its technical expiration date and will need to be replaced. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency has been tasked with planning and preparing the further development and introduction of Rakel Generation 2. In the Budget Bill for 2024, the Government has proposed increasing the appropriation for preparations for Rakel Generation 2 by SEK 20 million in 2024.

New emergency planning zones

Emergency planning zones have been introduced around each nuclear power plant. These are zones where planning is in place for evacuation, sheltering and iodine thyroid blocking. The decision to introduce new emergency planning zones in Sweden was made in 2020 and entered into force on 1 July 2022. The Government considers it necessary for relevant government agencies to take the measures required to establish the new emergency planning zones quickly, and has proposed increasing the appropriation to the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency by SEK 4 million in 2024.

Higher compensation for rescue services

Expenditures for compensation for rescue services have exceeded the previous estimate for 2023. This is due partly to rescue operations during forest fires earlier this year. In the autumn amending budget, the Government has therefore proposed increasing the appropriation for compensation for rescue services by SEK 10 million for 2023.

Increased remuneration to SOS Alarm 

The costs for alerting services have exceeded the previous estimate. This is partly because the recruitment and training of new alerting services operators has required more resources than expected. In the autumn amending budget for 2023, the Government has therefore proposed increasing the remuneration to SOS Alarm Sverige AB by SEK 37.5 million in 2023.