Civil defence

A letter of intent on strengthened defence cooperation between Sweden and Moldova was signed on 20 August 2024.

In a joint statement, the Nordic and Baltic Ministers of Digitalisation emphasised the importance of enhanced cooperation concerning underwater infrastructure for electronic communication.

On 5 November 2024, Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin and Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko signed a statement of intent between Ukraine and Sweden on closer collaboration in the areas of civil protection and national resilience.

Sweden and Ukraine yesterday signed a statement of intent on closer collaboration in the areas of civil protection and national resilience. Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin also presented a civil support package that the Government intends to approve. The package includes approximately 40 000 protective face masks, worth SEK 100 million, from the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, and two environmental protection vessels and additional materiel from the Swedish Coast Guard.

(New version) The Government has now presented a Total Defence Bill for the period 2025–2030. It includes substantial reinforcements of the total defence. Additional funding over SEK 170 billion will be allocated to the military defence and SEK 37.5 billion to the civil defence through 2030. These are historically large investments. Defence expenditures will therefore already reach 2.6 per cent of GDP in 2028.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday 16 October. Following the meeting, they will hold a joint press conference.

On 6 September, the Regional Civil Protection Forum was held in Vilnius, Lithuania. A joint statement was issued in conjunction with the forum. Sweden was represented by Johan Berggren, State Secretary to Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin.

On Tuesday, Minister for Defence Pål Jonson and Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin signed a Letter of Intent on strengthened defence cooperation between Sweden and Moldova.

On 19–20 August, Minister for Defence Pål Jonson and Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin will visit Romania and Moldova. The aim is to strengthen relations and cooperation between Sweden and these countries on military and civil defence.

The Government has adopted Sweden’s new national security strategy, which includes five guiding principles for management of Sweden’s security. It constitutes the framework for the Government’s work on national security until 2030.

On 4 July, the Government adopted Sweden’s first defence and security space strategy − The role of space in a new security environment.

Friday 31 May, Prime Minster Ulf Kristersson hosted a Nordic-Ukrainian Summit in Stockholm. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Iceland’s Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson took part.

At the third Nordic-Ukrainian Summit in Stockholm on 31 May, the Prime Ministers of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland and the Presidents of Ukraine and Finland issued the following statement:

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson hosted a Nordic-Ukrainian Summit in Stockholm today, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the heads of state and government of the other Nordic countries taking part.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have signed an agreement on bilateral security cooperation between Sweden and Ukraine.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Sweden to take part in a Nordic-Ukrainian Summit hosted by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

On Friday 31 May, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will host a Nordic summit with the President of Finland and the heads of government of Denmark, Norway and Iceland.

Innovative emerging and disruptive technologies that benefit defence and security are of central importance amid the intensifying political, ideological and economic tensions shaping the international situation. The Government is now presenting a strategic approach for defence innovation that collects and clarifies political ambitions and measures going forward. This strategic approach creates conditions to accelerate and mutually strengthen innovation in the military and civilian sectors, contributing to Sweden’s defence capability and innovative capacity, increased competitiveness and enhanced security.

Speech by Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin at a seminar on 9 May 2024, arranged by the Embassy of Sweden in Washington, D.C. in conjunction with a meeting arranged by the United States for senior NATO officials responsible for resilience. Check against delivery.