Ministry of Infrastructure

The Swedish Government has the honour to present its candidacy for the Council of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in the elections to be held during the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Bucharest, Romania from 26 September to 14 October 2022.

To support Ukraine and help secure its energy supply, the Government has decided that Svenska kraftnät may provide equipment that can be used to repair the country’s electrical grids.

There are already provisions in place whereby information registered on passenger lists should be preceded by controls of valid ID documents. However, there are limits on the extent to which this applies. The Government now wants to ensure that ID checks are carried out on all passengers travelling by ship and has therefore adopted a legislative amendment.

The European Commission is working actively to secure a stable energy supply in Ukraine, and the EU must remain unified against Russia’s invasion. Those were the key messages from the press briefing held by Minister for Energy and Digital Development Khashayar Farmanbar and European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to rising fuel and electricity prices. To strengthen Sweden in this extraordinary situation, the Government is presenting a package of measures with both short- and long-term investments. The package includes reduced fuel taxes, a new compensatory payment for fuel costs for private individuals who own cars, increased housing allowance for families with children and a new travel deduction system. Minister for Finance Mikael Damberg presented this package at a press conference today

As a consequence of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Europe is facing the greatest and fastest-growing refugee crisis since the Second World War. The Government sees a need to be able to reintroduce ID checks for travel to Sweden.

The Government considers that concrete changes need to be made to the European energy supply. EU Member States need to reduce their dependence on Russian energy. This was conveyed by Minister for EU Affairs Hans Dahlgren and Minister for Energy and Digital Development Khashayar Farmanbar at a press briefing.

On Friday, 25 February, the Government received an updated picture of the situation from the Swedish Energy Agency. At present, the assessment is that there is no acute risk of shortages or supply disruptions in the supply of electricity, gas or fuel in Sweden. Sweden’s energy supply is to a low degree directly dependent on Russian energy supplies, and reports show that energy supplies from Russia are functioning normally, which means that there are currently no indications of a rapidly approaching shortage. At the same time, it is already possible to see that the situation is affecting prices in the European energy market, and thus also Swedish consumers.

On 1 March, Minister for Energy and Digital Development Khashayar Farmanbar took part in a digital extraordinary ministerial meeting with International Energy Agency (IEA). The aim of the meeting was to discuss the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on global oil markets.

The Government has decided to ban Russian aircraft from Swedish airspace. An ordinance to this effect enters into force on 28 February 2022.

This information material contains a selection of the acts and ordinances – both new and amended – that enter into force in the second half of 2021 or some time thereafter.

Sweden’s seventh international Office of Science and Innovation was established at the Embassy of Sweden in London on 1 January 2022. The Office will develop and strengthen collaboration between the UK and Sweden on issues linked to the Government’s life sciences strategy, its export and investment strategy, the Research and Innovation Bill, and the Government’s strategic partnership programmes.

Sweden has been elected as a member of the Council of the International Maritime Organization. This means that Sweden will have greater opportunities to push for issues such as increased maritime safety and reduced environmental and climate impact of maritime transport.

The second week of UN COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow is currently in progress. Minister for Infrastructure Tomas Eneroth is in attendance together with transport ministers from around the world and other international actors. Sweden is taking part in a number of global initiatives to pick up the pace in the transition to emissions-free transport.

The Government has taken a decision on precise regulations for foreign road transport companies operating national road haulage in Sweden. At the same time, the penalty fees for infringements of the regulations will be increased from SEK 40 000 to SEK 60 000.

This compilation contains a selection of acts and ordinances – both new and amended – that enter into force in mid-2021.

Swedish Minister for Environment and Climate, Per Bolund, Minister for Gender Equality and Housing, Märta Stenevi, and Minister for Energy and Digital Development, Anders Ygeman, met with French Minister for Ecological Transition, Barbara Pompili, on her visit to Stockholm, to discuss joint efforts to enhance the green transition at national, European and global levels.

Sweden’s target is net zero emissions by 2045, at the latest, and negative emissions thereafter. The net zero target means that, in principle, greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector need to be zero by 2045. Greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector account for about one-third of emissions in Sweden, and road transport is the main source of these emissions.

How many people work at the Government Offices? What was the central government budget like last year? How many acts and ordinances were issued last year? The answer to these and other questions can be found in the Swedish Government Offices Yearbook 2020.