OECD Regulatory Policy Outlook 2025

Sweden has strengthened its regulatory governance via an interdepartmental working group across the Government Offices. The Government has assigned 34 authorities with explicit responsibilities or reporting requirements on better regulation, and an additional 11 authorities to work on simplifying regulations. Stakeholder engagement is conducted via a central government portal, posting relevant documentation for public feedback from relevant stakeholders on primary and some subordinate regulatory proposals. Stakeholders are unable to comment directly on the portal, but can submit written feedback, which is publicly available. Committees of inquiry and regulatory agencies conduct engagement with stakeholders at an early stage when investigating a policy issue. They analyse and evaluate proposals, before the procedure continues within the agencies or Government Offices.

A new ordinance on regulatory impact assessment (RIA) was enacted in May 2024. Among other things, RIAs now need to explain why the chosen option does not entail more costs than necessary to achieve its purpose, as well as describe how and when regulatory impacts can be evaluated. Ex post evaluations are normally conducted by a ministry, government agency or committee of inquiry.

The Swedish National Financial Management Authority has new responsibilities for guidance, training and methodological support for conducting RIA. The Authority shall cooperate with the Swedish Better Regulation Council on proposals affecting businesses. The Council is a decision-making body responsible for RIA scrutiny and is placed at the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth. The Agency follows the development of regulatory costs for businesses, develops and proposes simplification measures, participates in international fora and raises awareness about the impact of regulations on businesses.