Ministry of Finance

Combatting money laundering and terrorist financing is a priority for the Swedish government. This work takes place globally, on the EU level and nationally. In Sweden, several law enforcement and administrative agencies, together with large parts of the private sector, have obligations in this area.

The Stability and Growth Pact is a set of rules for coordinating fiscal policy between EU Member States. The purpose of these rules is to ensure sound public finances. Every April, Member States are to submit stability and convergence programmes. Sweden and other Member States that have not adopted the euro submit convergence programmes, whereas Member States that have adopted the euro submit stability programmes. The programmes are used by the Commission and the Council in their assessment of Member States’ fiscal policies and situations.

In July 2020, EU heads of state and government agreed on a recovery package to mitigate the effects of the crisis. The package, called NextGenerationEU, comprises EUR 750 billion in loans and grants to the Member States. The bulk of this will be channelled via the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).

The fiscal policy framework is an instrument to ensure that fiscal policy is sustainable and transparent in the long term. It consists of a number of targets and principles for fiscal policy, and methods to monitor and evaluate these and ensure transparency. Certain principles are regulated by law, while others are based on practice developed since the 1990s. The framework concerns the entire public sector – that is, central government, the municipalities and regions and the old-age pension system.

Today the Government presents the guidelines for economic policy and the Spring Amending Budget with further measures to limit the spread of the virus and alleviate the consequences of the pandemic for the economy and also to work Sweden out of the crisis. The proposals presented in connection with the Spring Fiscal Policy Bill total almost SEK 45 billion. The proposals are based on an agreement between the government parties, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party.

Resilience in the Swedish economy is strong and the recovery will gather strength in the second half of 2021. As activity increases, the labour market will also gain strength. Despite this, the situation remains serious, especially for those whose position in the labour market is weak. This is clear from the Ministry of Finance’s most recent forecast, presented today by Minister for Finance Magdalena Andersson.

As Chair of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC), the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) highest advisory body, Ms Anderson will lead meetings and negotiations on the IMF’s upcoming work. She will also take part in the G20 meeting.

Prime Minister Stefan Löfven today announced a government reshuffle. Two new ministers have been appointed, and two ministers have been given revised areas of responsibility. Minister Isabella Lövin is leaving her post.

To bring order to the gambling market and strengthen protection for consumers, a new Gambling Act was introduced on 1 January 2019. The Act includes stronger regulation of gambling advertising and the introduction of a national licence system for gambling operators. The Government is now continuing its work to address the remaining challenges