Who does what?

The Swedish Government takes all decisions collectively with the Ministry of the Environment preparing decisions on environmental policy matters. However all ministries have responsibilities for environmental consequences in their field. The ministries are comparatively small and policies and programmes are implemented by government agencies with the help of regional offices in the county administrative boards. Implementation of environmental policies is coordinated by some of the central environmental agencies, but all agencies are responsible for environmental impacts in their fields. Municipalities have broad responsibility for the enforcement of environmental regulations at local level.

Some central government bodies in the environmental field are described below.

• The Ministry of the Environment

  The Ministry of the Environment assists the Government in governing Sweden and in implementing the Government´s policies. The following policy areas fall under the responsibility of the Ministry of the Environment: climate, water and seas, nature conservation and biological diversity, sustainable development, sustainable planning and housing environments, international environmental cooperation, chemicals and ecocycles, nuclear safety and radiathetion protection, and environmental legislation, technology and research.

• The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

  The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Swedish EPA) is the central government agency for coordinating and promoting environmental policy and protection nationally, in the EU and at international level. The Swedish EPA drafts proposals for objectives, action strategies and policy instruments, disseminates information and evaluates the environmental situation and work being undertaken. Among other tasks, the Swedish EPA is also the central government agency for wildlife management, including hunting issues.

• The Swedish Chemicals Agency

  The Swedish Chemicals Agency (KemI) is the central Swedish regulatory authority for chemical substances and products. KemI issues regulations implementing EC legislation and approvals of pesticides before they can be used. KemI is also responsible for monitoring manufacturers and importers of chemical products and their compliance with regulations governing the sale of chemical products.

• The National Board of Housing, Building and Planning

  The National Board of Housing, Building and Planning - Boverket - is the central government authority for town and country planning, management of land and water resources, building and housing.

• The Environmental Objectives Council

  The Environmental Objectives Council promotes consultation and cooperation in implementing the environmental quality objectives adopted by the Riksdag. The Council consists primarily of representatives of central government agencies and county administrative boards. It is assisted by a group of experts representing local authorities, county councils, environmental NGOs and the business sector.

• Responsibilities of municipalities and county administrative boards with regard to environmental protection

  Municipalities share responsibility with a number of government agencies for ensuring compliance with legislation in the environmental area, particularly with regard to water supply, wastewater treatment, waste management, food safety, monitoring and inspection. Apart from inspections, their supervisory role includes providing advice and information to prevent and limit the risk of damage and breaches of the law.
  County administrative boards, which are central government bodies, provide support and advice to the operational regulatory authority in municipalities in order to coordinate supervisory and regulatory activities in their county. The county administrative boards are in charge of environmental monitoring and supervision of the air, ground and water and are responsible for inspections and enforcement, mainly in the case of activities that entail a major environmental impact. They are also engaged in nature conservation aimed at maintaining functional ecosystems and preserving biological diversity.
  

• Links to other public authorities with specific tasks related to environmental protection:

• The National Food Administration

  The National Food Administration is responsible for checking the quality of food and drinking water; i.e. monitoring that concentrations of pesticide residues do not exceed permitted levels.

• The Geological Survey of Sweden

  The Geological Survey of Sweden is responsible for progress towards achievement of the national environmental quality objective Good-Quality Groundwater and involved in efforts to attain the objective A Good Built Environment.

• The National Board of Forestry

  The National Board of Forestry is responsible for the "Sustainable Forests" environmental quality objective.

• The National Board of Health and Welfare

  The National Board of Health and Welfare coordinates work on environmental health.

• The National Heritage Board

  The National Heritage Board is the central authority for matters concerning the historic landscape and cultural heritage.

• The Rescue Services Agency

  The Rescue Services Agency is responsible for preventing and responding to environmental accidents.

• The Swedish Board of Agriculture

  The Swedish Board of Agriculture is the Government's expert authority in the field of agricultural and food policy, and the authority responsible for agriculture, horticulture and reindeer husbandry.

• The Swedish Business Development Agency

  The Swedish Business Development Agency (Nutek) deals with industrial policies, including environmental sustainability as a driver for increased competitiveness.

• The Swedish Consumer Agency

  The Swedish Consumer Agency provides advice on consumer products and carries out tests on the functionality and safety of products, including chemical products such as shampoo and detergents as well as toys.

• The Swedish Energy Agency

  The Swedish Energy Agency works towards transforming the Swedish energy system into an ecologically and economically sustainable system by guiding state capital towards the area of energy. This is done in collaboration with business, energy companies, municipalities and the research community.

• The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute

  The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) has hydrological and oceanographic expertise and carries out climate studies and research in addition to being the national body for weather forecasting.

• The Swedish Parliamentary

  The Swedish Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Agriculture deals with environmental protection, agriculture, forestry, hunting and fishing.

• The Swedish Radiation Protection Agency

  The Swedish Radiation Protection Agency, took over the responsibility and tasks from the Swedish Radiation Protection Institute and the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate when these ceased to exist on 30 June 2008, works towards protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation, now and in the future. The task of protecting covers both you as a private person and as a professional.
  

• The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning

  The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (FORMAS) supports research and disseminates information on research within the area.

• Links to research organisations, non-governmental environmental organisations and others:

• Albaeco

• The Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research (MISTRA)

• Friends of the Earth Sweden

• Greenpeace Nordic (Swedish pages only)

• Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, SNF

• WWF Sweden

• The Swedish Association of Environmental Managers, NMC