Sweden
Overview and recent developments
Stakeholder engagement continues to be engrained into the law-making process in Sweden. Sweden now makes more systematic use of their central government portal where consultations and their relevant documentation are posted to receive feedback from authorities, organisations, municipalities, relevant stakeholders and the general public. Stakeholders can provide their feedback by email to the corresponding policy maker, which are then made publicly available on the same website. Sweden could benefit from moving towards a more interactive consultation website, where the public at large can publicly provide their feedback and react to the suggestions of other stakeholders.
When a committee of inquiry is appointed to investigate a policy issue, it normally includes a mix of policy makers, experts, and politicians, enabling consultation early in the process. The committee analyses and evaluates the proposal. The final report is sent to relevant stakeholders for consideration, before the joint draft procedure continues within the government offices.
Simplification remains a cornerstone of Sweden’s regulatory policy. In 2020, the Committee for Technological Innovation and Ethics (Komet) created a forum to receive feedback from citizens and businesses on regulatory barriers for technological development. This was followed by feasibility studies on 11 of the received proposals regarding health, science and transport.
Ex ante evaluation is required for all primary laws and subordinate regulations by the 2007 Ordinance on Impact Analysis of Regulation. In 2018, the guidelines for conducting impact assessment were updated to provide more detailed guidance on assessing economic, social and environmental impacts, as well as on how consultations with relevant actors can be conducted. Ex post evaluation is normally conducted ad hoc by a ministry, government agency, or by a committee of inquiry, as there is no requirement to carry out ex post evaluations systematically. Individuals or interest groups can also make suggestions to conduct ex post evaluations by sending proposals directly to the responsible ministry or government agency. Sweden could consider expanding ex post evaluation through carrying out comprehensive in-depth reviews in particular sectors or policy areas.
The Swedish Better Regulation Council is a is a decision-making body responsible for reviewing the quality of impact assessments to legislative proposals with effects on businesses. Its secretariat is located within the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth. The Agency, in turn, is responsible for methodological development, guidance and training in regulatory management tools. It also develops and proposes simplification measures, participates in international activities aimed at simplifying regulation for businesses, and promotes awareness among other government agencies of how businesses are affected by the enforcement of regulations.
Notes: The more regulatory practices as advocated in the OECD Recommendation on Regulatory Policy and Governance a country has implemented, the higher its iREG score.
Source: Indicators of Regulatory Policy and Governance Surveys 2017 and 2021, http://oe.cd/ireg.
Sweden: Transparency throughout the policy cycle | ||
|---|---|---|
Inform the public in advance that: | A public consultation is planned to take place | |
Regulatory impact assessment (RIA) is due to take place ▲ | ||
Ex post evaluations are planned to take place | ||
Consult with stakeholders on: | Draft regulations | |
Evaluations of existing regulations | ||
Publish online: | Ongoing consultations* | |
Views of participants in the consultation process ▲ | ||
RIAs | ||
Evaluations of existing regulations ▲ | ||
Policy makers use: | Interactive website(s) to consult with stakeholders ▲ | |
Website(s) for the public to make recommendations on existing regulations ▲ | ||
Policy makers provide a public response to: | Consultation comments ▲ | |
Recommendations made in ex post evaluations ■ | ||
Note: The data reflects Sweden’s practices regarding primary laws initiated by the executive. | ||
Source: Indicators of Regulatory Policy and Governance Survey 2021, http://oe.cd/ireg. | ||
All/■ Always/▲ Yes 
Major/■ Frequently
Some/■ Sometimes
Never/▲ No