The Swedish Government Offices and the EU

Overall responsibility for Swedens EU policy lies with the Prime Minister. Other government ministers are responsible for their respective policy areas in EU work and represent Sweden at the various meetings of the Council of Ministers. As in the case of all other issues it deals with, however, the Government is collectively responsible for EU policy decisions.

The Prime Ministers State Secretary and the EU Policy Coordination Unit at the Prime Ministers Office are responsible for the management and coordination of EU-related activities at the Government Offices. The duties of the Prime Ministers Office in this respect include:

• Setting inter-ministerial priorities and formulating policy with regard to EU issues
• Heading the government think-tank on the long-term development of the Union
• Resolving inter-ministerial points of contention and promoting cohesive policy approaches in Swedens EU work
• Preparing for meetings of the European Council (EU summits)

The role of the ministries

The ministries are responsible for preparing government business in their respective areas. They formulate Swedish positions prior to negotiations in the Council of Ministers, and follow up EU decisions. Environment-related issues, for instance, are dealt with by the Ministry of the Environment.

Before a ministry can present its views on a particular matter to the Riksdag, and subsequently to the EU, it must first consult with the Prime Ministers Office, the Foreign Ministrys EU Department and the Ministry of Finances Budget Department, as well as with any other ministry affected by the matter in hand. EU issues involving several ministries are prepared collectively in the Government Offices so that all ministries have a chance to state their views.