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Europaudvalget 2017
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EUROPEAN

COMMISSION

Brussels, 3.2.2017

SWD(2017) 56 final

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT

The EU Environmental Implementation Review

Country Report - SWEDEN

Accompanying the document

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the

European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions

The EU Environmental Implementation Review: Common Challenges and how to

combine efforts to deliver better results

{COM(2017) 63 final}

{SWD(2017) 33 - 55 final}

{SWD(2017) 57 - 60 final}

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This report has been written by the staff of the Directorate-General for Environment, European

Commission. Any comments are welcome to the following e-mail address:

[email protected]

More information on the European Union is available on the internet (http://europa.eu).

Photographs: p.10 ©LIFE09 ENV/SE/000348/Daniel Skog; p.13

©ArtesiaWellsChristinaRahmArtesiaWell; p.15 ©Mikael_Broms/iStock; p.20 ©Marek

SLUSARCZYK/iStock

For reproduction or use of these photos, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holder.

©European Union, 2017

Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

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Table of Content

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................... 4

PART I: THEMATIC AREAS ............................................................................................................................... 5

TURNING THE EU INTO A CIRCULAR, RESOURCE-EFFICIENT, GREEN AND COMPETITIVE LOW-

CARBON ECONOMY............................................................................................................................... 5

Developing a circular economy and improving resource efficiency ..................................................... 5

Waste management .............................................................................................................................. 9

PROTECTING, CONSERVING AND ENHANCING NATURAL CAPITAL..................................................... 11

Nature and Biodiversity....................................................................................................................... 11

Estimating natural capital ................................................................................................................... 13

Green Infrastructure ........................................................................................................................... 13

Soil protection ..................................................................................................................................... 13

Marine protection ............................................................................................................................... 14

ENSURING CITIZENS' HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE .......................................................................... 16

Air quality ............................................................................................................................................ 16

Noise ................................................................................................................................................. 16

Water quality and management ......................................................................................................... 17

Enhancing the sustainability of cities .................................................................................................. 19

International agreements ................................................................................................................... 20

PART II: ENABLING FRAMEWORK: IMPLEMENTATION TOOLS ..................................................................... 21

MARKET BASED INSTRUMENTS AND INVESTMENT ............................................................................ 21

Green taxation and environmentally harmful subsidies ..................................................................... 21

Green Public Procurement .................................................................................................................. 22

Investments: the contribution of EU funds ......................................................................................... 22

EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE AND KNOWLEDGE...................................................................................... 24

Effective governance within central, regional and local government................................................. 24

Compliance assurance......................................................................................................................... 25

Public participation and access to justice ........................................................................................... 26

Access to information, knowledge and evidence................................................................................ 27

Environmental Implementation Report – Sweden

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Executive summary

About the Environmental Implementation Review

In May 2016, the Commission launched the

Environmental Implementation Review (EIR), a two-year

cycle of analysis, dialogue and collaboration to improve

the implementation of existing EU environmental policy

and legislation

. As a first step, the Commission drafted

28 reports describing the main challenges and

opportunities on environmental implementation for each

Member State. These reports are meant to stimulate a

positive debate both on shared environmental challenges

for the EU, as well as on the most effective ways to

address the key implementation gaps. The reports rely on

the detailed sectoral implementation reports collected or

issued by the Commission under specific environmental

legislation as well as the 2015 State of the Environment

Report and other reports by the European Environment

Agency. These reports will not replace the specific

instruments to ensure compliance with the EU legal

obligations.

The reports will broadly follow the outline of the 7th

Environmental Action Programme

and refer to the 2030

Agenda for Sustainable development and related

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

to the extent to

which they reflect the existing obligations and policy

objectives of EU environmental law

The main challenges have been selected by taking into

account factors such as the importance or the gravity of

the environmental implementation issue in the light of

the impact on the quality of life of the citizens, the

distance to target, and financial implications.

The reports accompany the Communication "The

Environmental Implementation Review 2016: Common

challenges and how to combine efforts to deliver better

results",

which identifies challenges that are common to

several Member States, provides preliminary conclusions

on possible root causes of implementation gaps and

proposes joint actions to deliver better results. It also

groups in its Annex the actions proposed in each country

report to improve implementation at national level.

hydropower and iron ore constitute the natural resource

base of its economy, therefore sustainable management

and use of these resources is crucial for sustainable

development of Swedish economy. Certain aspects of the

environmental status of seas, lakes, watercourses and

ground waters, and of several terrestrial ecosystems,

remain problematic, not least as regards eutrophication

and biodiversity.

Main Challenges

The three main challenges with regard to

implementation of EU environmental policy and law in

Sweden are:



Improving the status of habitats, in particular

grassland, for which all types are in unfavourable

conservation status.



Improving the quality of the monitoring programme

of SE marine waters.



Reducing emissions of air pollutants.

Main Opportunities

Sweden could perform better on topics where there is

already a good knowledge base and good practices. This

applies in particular to:



Reducing pressures from agriculture and natural

systems modification, which would help move

towards favourable status of birds and habitats.

Points of Excellence

Where Sweden is a leader on environmental

implementation, innovative approaches could be shared

more widely with other countries. Good examples are:



The very good performance of Sweden on waste

recycling; Sweden has reached the EU 2020 recycling

rate target of 50% in 2014 (49.9%), being well ahead

of the EU average (43%).



In 2015 the government established an

Environmental Objectives Council to strengthen the

implementation of environmental policies. The

Council is a platform for Heads of agencies that are

strategically important for achieving environmental

objectives.



In 2014 the government adopted a strategy for

biodiversity and ecosystem services

. The strategy

has significance not only for many of its own

objectives and its generational goal but also for the

international Aichi targets adopted under the

Convention on Biological Diversity, as well as the

objectives of the EU's biodiversity strategy.

General profile

Sweden is a country with long coastlines, thousands of

lakes, freshwater streams, mountains and deep forests.

Sweden is an export-oriented mixed economy. Timber,

Communication "Delivering the benefits of EU environmental policies

through a regular Environmental Implementation Review"

(COM/2016/

316 final).

Decision No. 1386/2013/EU of 20 November 2013 on a General Union

Environmental Action Programme to 2020 "Living

well, within the

limits of our planet".

United Nations, 2015.

The Sustainable Development Goals

This EIR report does not cover climate change, chemicals and energy.

http://www.government.se/articles/2015/08/swedish-strategy-for-

biodiversity-and-ecosystem-services/

Environmental Implementation Report – Sweden

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Part I: Thematic Areas

1. Turning the EU into a circular, resource-efficient, green and

competitive low-carbon economy

Developing a circular economy and improving

resource efficiency

The 2015 Circular Economy Package emphasizes the need

to move towards a lifecycle-driven ‘circular’ economy,

with a cascading use of resources and residual waste that

is close to zero. This can be facilitated by the

development of, and access to, innovative financial

instruments and funding for eco-innovation.

SDG 8 invites countries to promote sustained, inclusive

and sustainable economic growth, full and productive

employment and decent work for all. SDG 9 highlights

the need to build resilient infrastructure, promote

inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster

innovation. SDG 12 encourages countries to achieve the

sustainable management and efficient use of natural

resources by 2030.

Objectives (EQOs) have been formulated for 16 areas

(Ministry of Environment). The objectives are related to

climate, air quality, acidification, forest, wetlands, oceans

and coasts, lakes, mountains, urban environment,

agriculture, toxic substances, radiation, ozone,

groundwater and biodiversity.

Figure 1: Resource productivity 2003-15

Measures towards a circular economy

Transforming our economies from linear to circular offers

an opportunity to reinvent them and make them more

sustainable and competitive. This will stimulate

investments and bring both short and long-term benefits

for the economy, environment and citizens alike

As shown in Figure 1, Sweden has a level of resource

productivity

(how efficiently the economy uses material

resources to produce wealth) that is below the EU

average, with 1.74 EUR/kg (EU average is 2.0 EUR/kg) in

2015

. This is largely due to the structure of the Swedish

economy and its large primary sector. More significant is

that Sweden's resource productivity has decreased

modestly since 2010.

The context for the policies relating to eco-innovation

and circular economy is the generational goal adopted by

the Swedish Parliament, which is the overarching

objective of environment policy and guides

environmental action at every level of society, from the

national level up to engagement at the EU and global

levels. The goal is to pass on to the next generation a

society in which the major environmental problems have

been solved, without increasing environmental and

health problems beyond Sweden’s borders. To attain the

generational goal, national Environmental Quality

The National Environmental Technology Strategy, in use

between 2011 and 2014, has been evaluated by the

agency Growth Analysis. The evaluation concludes that

the majority of the measures in the strategy can be

considered to contribute, to some extent, to achieving

the strategy goals, because these measures reached the

target group identified by the government.

The government established a new agency for public

procurement in September 2015. This agency is assigned

to give support through consultation, practical tools and

methods within the area of public procurement in

general. The objective of the agency is to develop the

idea of a good public deal with a focus on sustainable,

innovative and efficient procurement. The agency puts

extra emphasis on environmentally friendly procurement

as an instrument to achieve the policy objectives in the

environmental area. This is considered to contribute to

sustainability in the wider sense, including social and

economic dimensions

A study from 2014 by the Swedish Agency for Growth

Policy Analysis benchmarked the manufacturing sector of

Sweden with other countries. The highest performing

sectors in terms of the green innovation index and

comparative advantage are motor vehicles, special-

purpose machinery and furniture with 26%, 5% and 2%

European Commission, 2015.

Proposed Circular Economy Package

Resource productivity is defined as the ratio between gross domestic

product (GDP) and domestic material consumption (DMC).

Eurostat,

Resource productivity,

accessed October 2016

Eurostat,

Resource productivity,

accessed October 2016

The National Agency for Public Procurement, 2016.

Environmental Implementation Report – Sweden

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shares of green inventions, respectively, far above the

world average in these sectors. These sectors also

perform well in comparative advantage terms. They are

clear strengths in green competitiveness terms and are

well positioned to prosper in the future green economy.

The non-metallic mineral products sector also has

remarkable performance in terms of green innovation

activity, but does not currently enjoy a comparative

advantage. This sector presents a clear opportunity to

maintain and expand market share in the future through

greening. Parts and accessories for motor vehicles and

structural metal products, tanks, reservoirs and steam

generators, are lagging behind competitor countries.

However, they have high green patenting activity overall

(7% and 8% green patents, respectively), which means

they are probably not at risk.

Several sectors that fall into the ‘threats’ quadrant in the

analysis are: telecommunication, paper and paper

products, general-purpose machinery, and other

chemical products.

The Swedish eco-tech industry has developed a strong

position in waste management and processing

technologies, including reuse and recycling, waste water

purification, biogas and other renewable energy sources,

indoor air quality (energy-saving ventilation and air

filtration), heating and cooling technologies (district

heating/cooling and heat pumps), power transmission

and the automation of technical systems in buildings.

Start-ups are also important in an innovative society and

the types of SMEs emerging can be an indicator of trends

as they often depend in finance from organisations or

people who are interested in investing in a particular

business sector.

Being among the best achieving actors in Europe

regarding the environment, Sweden has many good

practices to share in a number of different sectors such

as textiles and construction. SE is eager to exploit the

new concepts of a sharing economy, industrial symbiosis,

collaborative consumption, etc.

efficiency and green markets"

, it is shown that 56% of

Sweden's SMEs have invested up to 5% of their annual

turnover in their resource efficiency actions (EU28

average 50%), 38% of them are currently offering green

products and services (EU28 average 26%), 67% took

measures to save energy (EU28 average 59%), 68% to

minimise waste (EU28 average 60%), 43% to save water

(EU28 average 44%), and 65% to save materials (EU28

average 54%). From a circular economy perspective, 60%

took measures to recycle by reusing material or waste

within the company (EU28 average 40%), 32% to design

products that are easier to maintain, repair or reuse

(EU28 average 22%) and 40% were able to sell their scrap

material to another company (EU28 average 25%).

According to the Flash 426 Eurobarometer, the resource

efficiency actions undertaken allowed the reduction of

production costs in a 35% of the Sweden' SMEs (EU28

average 45%).

The number of SMEs in the Swedish ‘non-financial

business economy’ is average for Europe. They account

for 5% of value added and 66% of employment.

The Flash 426 Eurobarometer "SMEs, resource efficiency

and green markets" shows that 39% of the SMEs in the

Sweden have one or more full time employee working in

a green job at least some of the time (EU28 average

35%). Sweden has an average number of 2.0 full time

green employees per SME (EU28 average 1.7%)

Eco-innovation

With an overall score of 124.5, Sweden is fifth in the

ranking on the Eco-Innovation Scoreboard. This is lower

than the results of 2013, when Sweden held first place

with 138.3 points. The Nordic countries have been

successful in eco-innovation throughout 2010-2015. They

have held rankings within the top five, and Sweden has

been in the top three during 2011-2013, peaking in 2013

at first place. But the scores from 2015 are pointing at a

trend where Sweden is losing at least some of its leading

edge. In 2015, Denmark, Finland, Ireland and Germany

have all overtaken Sweden.

This seems to be a result of a decline of Sweden’s eco-

innovation performance, combined with an increase in

absolute scores. In first place is Denmark, with a score of

166.5 (compared to Sweden’s leading score of 138.3 in

2013). Runner-up is Finland with a score of 140.2, with

Ireland in the third place and Germany in the fourth.

SMEs and resource efficiency

In 2010, Small and Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) had

already recovered from the crisis lows of 2009. In 2008-

2014, their value added increased by 22%. Recovery in

employment was not as strong, though SME employment

was still 5% higher than in 2008.

Sweden's small business administration (SBA) profile

stands well above the EU average in most areas. Better

focused public support strategies to encourage SMEs to

invest in resource-efficient measures and the production

of green products will improve Swedish SMEs’ ability to

face environmental challenges.

In the Flash 426 Eurobarometer "SMEs, resource

European Commission, 2015.

Flash 426 Eurobarometer

The Flash 426 Eurobarometer "SMEs, resource efficiency and green

markets" defines "green job" as a job that directly deals with

information, technologies, or materials that preserves or restores

environmental quality. This requires specialised skills, knowledge,

training, or experience (e.g. verifying compliance with environmental

legislation, monitoring resource efficiency within the company,

promoting and selling green products and services).

Environmental Implementation Report – Sweden

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Figure 2: Eco-Innovation Index 2015 (EU=100)

There is an explicit political ambition that by focusing on

sustainable growth and eco-innovation at home Sweden

will be able to contribute both to creating new jobs and

to reducing the environmental burden in other

countries

. The great challenge to implement a green

structural change is not limited to the environmental

technology sector, but affects all industry sectors and

thereby the whole economy. Even companies that deliver

solutions in completely different areas of society will

need to be environmentally sustainable. This is expressed

in a recent report from EPA, which is already being used

as a basis for new policy initiatives. This indicates that all

industries and sectors will need to shift to a more

environmentally driven business model.

Swedish companies have historically been able to

respond and adapt quickly to new international market

and economic circumstances – green structural change is

actually nothing new but rather a desired continuation of

the continuous transformation of the economy.

Potentially, this is a great long-term driver for eco-

innovation in Sweden.

There are some 30 national public stakeholders with

connections to the environmental technology field. This

constitutes a challenge to companies to find the right

one(s), and also involves a risk of unnecessary work

duplication and suboptimal use of public funds. The idea

to involve all governmental stakeholders is to create as

many channels as possible into the system of green

structural change. The website Swedishcleantech.se is

the official business-to-business (B2B) platform for

Swedish companies, with the purpose of contributing to

the development, commercialisation and export of

Swedish environmental technology. It also aims to lead

the company to the appropriate public actor. The website

is operated and developed by the Swedish Agency for

Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket) in

cooperation with the authorities, industry and

stakeholder associations, as well as regional

environmental technology actors. The Association of

Swedish Environmental Technology Industries (ASSET) is

the umbrella organisation for the regional actors in the

Swedish environmental technology sector

. The

organisation´s aim is to strengthen Swedish cleantech

companies through business driven collaboration.

Studies show that Swedish companies have previously

responded to regulatory drivers of eco-innovation. One

study on eco-innovative measures in large Swedish

companies found that – in addition to regulations –

consumer demands and business opportunities (via cost

reductions, for example) are presently considered as

drivers .

According to a survey published by the European

The most important driver is the overarching political

ambition in Sweden to create green structural change by

focusing on sustainable growth and eco-innovation. This

is clearly manifested in the ‘generational goal’ – the

overall goal of Swedish environmental policy – which

defines the direction of the changes in society that need

to occur within one generation if the country’s

environmental quality objectives are to be achieved.

With that as a starting point, the generational goal is

intended to guide environmental action at every level in

society. A number of important points have been added

to it. One is that efforts to solve Sweden’s environmental

problems must not come at the price of environmental

and health problems being exported to other countries.

An All Party Committee on Environmental Objectives has

been set up to secure broad political consensus on

environmental issues. Its role is to advise the government

on how the generational goal and the environmental

quality objectives can be achieved in a way that is cost-

effective in economic terms. The committee is made up

of Members of Parliament, together with advisers and

experts from non-governmental organisations and

government ministries. Its overall remit runs to the end

of 2020

Eco-innovation Observatory:

Eco-Innovation scoreboard 2015

Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, 2016.

All Party

Committee on Environmental Objectives

Growth Analysis, Growth Facts, 2013

http://asset.nu/en/

Environmental Implementation Report – Sweden

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Commission, companies stated that the biggest obstacles

to more investment in eco-innovation were uncertain

market demand and uncertain return on investment, and

almost the same number stated that obstacles connected

with funding (such as access to own funding, insufficient

availability of subsidies or tax relief) were serious

obstacles . Swedish companies in the survey generally

made the same assessment of the obstacles as other

European companies. The most important driving forces

for more investment in eco-innovation for both Swedish

and European companies were expected and current

energy prices and material prices. Furthermore, Swedish

companies thought greater demand for green products,

good business partners, and the availability of technology

and leadership were important driving forces for

investment in eco-innovation.

The main challenge identified is that there is no money

for the early stages of business development and for

companies that want to grow. The biggest obstacles to

more venture capital investment in the cleantech sector

are stated to be that measures are too capital-intensive,

long-term and difficult to scale up, and that the risks

related to both technology and policy are considered to

be higher. All in all, this leads to environmental

technology, and first and foremost the energy sector,

becoming less attractive to private venture capital, which

then tends to prefer small capital-intensive investments

with lower risk and faster return on investment. Venture

capital investments have decreased continuously in

recent years, from close to 0.07% of GDP in 2007 to

about 0.025% in 2014. The shortcomings in the state's

venture capital activities consist in them not being active

enough, being governed by sectoral and regional lock-ins,

and being inefficient (Ministry of Industry, Employment

and Communications, 2016).

To tackle this, Sweden has included the establishment of

a green investment fund in the programmes for the

Swedish use of EU regional funds 2014–2020, with the

purpose of strengthening the supply of venture capital

early stage funding to businesses in the climate and

energy technologies and service sectors. The managing

authority, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional

Growth, is in the process of starting up this green fund.

The government also presented a bill in March 2016 with

a proposal on a new structure to finance innovation and

sustainable growth. This new structure was decided by

the parliament in June 2016 and is now partly

established

The Swedish Environmental Technology Strategy and

Growth Analysis evaluation

From 2011 to 2014, the Government of Sweden

implemented an Environmental Technology Strategy with

the following goals: increased commercialisation of

innovative environmental technology, higher firm growth

and increased exports from the environmental

technology sector. SEK 400 million (about EUR 43 million)

were allocated to the strategy. The Environmental

Technology Strategy included 26 different measures that

were carried out by 10 publicly funded agencies. Firms,

and in some cases research institutes, have directly

received 28% of the resources allocated. The remaining

resources reached companies indirectly through the

activities carried out by the authorities, such as

cooperation projects, information, education, support in

connection with international cooperation, etc. The

strategy was very broad, and did not focus on any one

specific area. The actual support that firms have received

has also been small in relation to the factors that are

known to affect environmental technology firms’ growth

potential.

The Swedish Agency for Growth Policy Analysis (Growth

Analysis) conducted a comprehensive evaluation of this

strategy and its implementation. The report was

published in March 2015, in which Growth Analysis

concluded that it is unlikely that these goals will be

achieved. For future initiatives to lead to a high level of

growth in the environmental technology sector, Growth

Analysis recommended that they include: (1) a clear

focus on a limited area, (2) a greater reliance on

evidence-based measures, and, (3) a balance between

supply-side focused and demand-side focused measures.

Additionally, further efforts need to be undertaken to

identify and evaluate the types of activities that many of

the measures in the strategy include, such as export

promotion activities, in order to gather evidence on what

effects they have on firms.

After the completion of the Environmental Technology

Strategy, other measures have been integrated into

other policy areas, for example in export policy and

innovation policy. The Swedish government has decided

on an export strategy in which environmental technology

is an important component. The Government has also

appointed a National Innovation Council which focuses

on environmental and climate technology as one of three

priorities. As an extension of the Innovation Council, five

innovation partnership programmes

have started, for

example one on smart cities and one on circular bio-

based economy.

Sweden has 18 EMAS registered organisation, which is a

quite low with respect to the total of 4034 organisations

that hold a registration. Sweden has not seen any

changes in the number of registered organisation since

October 2015.

www.saminvest.se

http://www.government.se/articles/2016/07/innovation-

partnership-programmes--mobilising-new-ways-to-meet-societal-

challenges/

Environmental Implementation Report – Sweden

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Concerning the EU Ecolabel, Sweden has 24 licenses,

which is quite a low number with respect to the 1875

total number of licenses.

Figure 3: Municipal waste by treatment in Sweden 2007-

Suggested action



Strengthen the existing circular economy policy

actions.



Further facilitate green investments.

Waste management

Turning waste into a resource requires:



Full implementation of Union waste legislation,

which includes the waste hierarchy; the need to

ensure separate collection of waste; the landfill

diversion targets etc.



Reducing per capita waste generation and waste

generation in absolute terms.



Limiting energy recovery to non-recyclable materials

and phasing out landfilling of recyclable or

recoverable waste.

SDG 12 invites countries to substantially reduce waste

generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and

reuse, by 2030.

The EU's approach to waste management is based on the

"waste hierarchy" which sets out an order of priority

when shaping waste policy and managing waste at the

operational level: prevention, (preparing for) reuse,

recycling, recovery and, as the least preferred option,

disposal (which includes landfilling and incineration

without energy recovery). The progress towards reaching

recycling targets and the adoption of adequate

WMP/WPP

should be the key items to measure the

performance of Member States. This section focuses on

management of municipal waste for which EU law sets

mandatory recycling targets.

Municipal waste

generation has decreased in Sweden in

2014 (438 kg/y/inhabitant) and it remains below the EU

average (475 kg/y/inhabitant)

Figure 3 depicts the municipal waste by treatment in

Sweden in terms of kg per capita. Incineration accounts

for 50% and landfilling only 1%. Sweden has taken

appropriate steps to implement and to perform even

better than the current European minimum targets.

Figure 4 shows that Sweden has reached the EU 2020

recycling rate target of 50% in 2014 (49.9%), being well

ahead of the EU average (43%)

Figure 4: Recycling rate of municipal waste 2007-14

The Swedish waste management plan for the years 2012-

2017 includes measures to promote material recycling

and additional steps may be needed to meet future EU

recycling targets.

Moving towards the targets of the Roadmap on Resource

Efficiency, which outlines how we can transform Europe's

economy into a sustainable one by 2050, could create

Waste Management Plans/Waste Prevention Programmes

Municipal waste consists of waste collected by or on behalf of

municipal authorities, or directly by the private sector (business or

private non-profit institutions) not on behalf of municipalities.

Eurostat,

Municipal waste and treatment, by type of treatment

method,

accessed October 2016

Eurostat,

Municipal waste and treatment, by type of treatment

method,

accessed October 2016

Member States may choose a different method than the one used by

ESTAT (and referred to in this report) to calculate their recycling rates

and track compliance with the 2020 target of 50% recycling of

municipal waste.

Eurostat,

Recycling rate of municipal waste,

accessed October 2016

Environmental Implementation Report – Sweden

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over 2,300 additional jobs and increase the annual

turnover of the waste sector by over EUR 240 million

Sweden has two official investigations working in the

waste area: one on economic instruments and

incineration and one on promoting reuse in order to

prevent waste.

The Swedish EPA has different missions on waste, on

better collection and treatment of waste textiles, on

waste statistics and traceability, and on updating and

revision of the waste management plan and the

prevention programme. The Swedish government has

decided to use economic instruments through taxation to

stimulate repair and reuse.

Suggested action



Introduce new policies, including economic

instruments, to further reduce waste generation, and

promote prevention, reuse and recycling.



Shift reusable and recyclable waste away from

incineration e.g. by gradually phasing out subsidies to

incineration / introducing incineration taxes.

Bio Intelligence service, 2011.

Implementing EU Waste legislation for

Green Growth,

study for European Commission. The breakdown per

country on job creation was made by the consultant on Commission

demand but was not included in the published document.

Environmental Implementation Report – Sweden

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2. Protecting, conserving and enhancing natural capital

Nature and Biodiversity

The EU Biodiversity Strategy aims to halt the loss of

biodiversity in the EU by 2020, restore ecosystems and

their services in so far as feasible, and step up efforts to

avert global biodiversity loss. The EU Birds and Habitats

Directives aim at achieving favourable conservation

status of protected species and habitats.

SDG 14 requires countries to conserve and sustainably

use the oceans, seas and marine resources, while SDG 15

requires countries to protect, restore and promote the

sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably

manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and

reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

The 1992 EU Habitats Directive and the 1979 Birds

Directive are the cornerstone of the European legislation

aimed at the conservation of the EU's wildlife. Natura

2000, the largest coordinated network of protected areas

in the world, is the key instrument to achieve and

implement the Directives' objectives to ensure the long-

term protection, conservation and survival of Europe's

most valuable and threatened species and habitats and

the ecosystems they underpin.

The adequate designation of protected sites as Special

Ares of Conservation (SAC) under the Habitats Directive

and as Special Protection Areas (SPA) under the Birds

Directive is a key milestone towards meeting the

objectives of the Directives. The results of Habitats

Directive Article 17 and Birds Directive Article 12 reports

and the progress towards adequate Sites of Community

Importance (SCI)-SPA and SAC designation

both in land

and at sea, should be the key items to measure the

performance of Member States.

The area covered by old forest and of protected forest is

increasing. The conservation status of many forest types

is still inadequate and many forest species are

threatened.

The latest Red List

of Sweden (2015) shows that the

rate of biodiversity loss has neither increased nor

decreased over the past 15 years. Logging in old-growth

forests and overgrowth of habitats including meadows,

pastures forests and wetlands pose a threat to majority

of the species. However, positive trends can be seen e.g.

with large carnivores.

By early 2016, 13.3% of the Swedish national territory

was covered by Natura 2000 (EU average 18.1%), with

Birds Directive SPAs covering 6.1% (EU average 12.3%)

and Habitats Directive SCIs covering 13.2% (EU average

13.8%). There are altogether 4,082 Natura 2000 sites in

Sweden.

Assessment of the SCI part of the Natura 2000 network

shows that there are insufficiencies in designation,

especially for the marine components of the network

(see Figure 5

Figure 5: Sufficiency assessment of SCI networks in

Sweden based on the situation until December 2013

(%)

The process for the designation of the sites as special

areas of conservation (SAC) is complete and all sites have

a management plan.

Organisation of the Natura 2000 network in Sweden is

good and their funding is not currently a critical issue.

Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) are designated pursuant to the

Habitats Directive whereas Special Areas of Protection (SPAs) are

designated pursuant to the Birds Directive; figures of coverage do

not add up due to the fact that some SCIs and SPAs overlap. Special

Areas of Conservation (SACs) means a SCI designated by the Member

States.

SLU,

Red List.

For each Member State, the Commission assesses whether the

species and habitat types on Annexes I and II of the Habitats

Directive, are sufficiently represented by the sites designated to

date. This is expressed as a percentage of species and habitats for

which further areas need to be designated in order to complete the

network in that country. A scientific reserve is given when further

research is needed to identify the most appropriate sites to be added

for a species or habitat.

The current data,

which were assessed in

2014-2015, reflect the situation up until December 2013.

The percentages in Figure 5 refer to percentages of the total number

of assessments (one assessment covering 1 species or 1 habitat in a

given biographical region with the Member State); if a habitat type or

a species occurs in more than 1 Biogeographic region within a given

Member State, there will be as many individual assessments as there

are Biogeographic regions with an occurrence of that species or

habitat in this Member State.

European Commission, internal assessment.

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Sweden has good expertise on restoration of habitats

and various restoration activities show good results e.g.

on grasslands, bogs and sand dunes.

The level of nature-related complaints and infringements

in Sweden is not very high. Main topics are about hunting

of wolves (use of derogations), wind farms and other

land use activities e.g. quarries and access to justice.

According to the Swedish report

under Article 17

Habitats Directive, based on expert assessment, 26% of

habitat assessments show favourable status (16% at

EU27-level)

. Furthermore, 25% are considered to be

unfavourable–inadequate

(EU27: 47%) and 48% are

unfavourable – bad (EU27 is 30%). Alarming is that 70-

80% of forest, grassland and dune habitats' assessments

are Unfavourable-Bad.

Figure 6: Conservation status of habitats and species in

Sweden in 2007/2013 (%)

unfavourable-bad status (EU27: 18%). This is depicted in

Figure 6

In addition, considerable part of the unfavourable

assessments for species and habitats are reported to

have further declining trend. Agriculture, natural systems

modification, forestry (birds) and natural biotic/abiotic

processes are the most frequently reported pressure

categories of high importance. The same main pressure

categories apply also for birds. However, animal farming

is a necessary main factor when protecting grasslands

and birds nesting in well grazed wetlands.

The results from the Article 12 report

under Birds

Directive show that short-term trends of breeding birds

are improving for 22% of the species and stable for 26%,

however decreasing even for 48% of the species. This is

depicted in Figure 7. The same categories for long-term

trends are 33%, 28% and 38%.

Figure 7: Short-term population trend of breeding and

wintering bird species in Sweden in 2012 (%)

Concerning species assessments (other than birds) 45%

are at favourable status (EU27: 23%), 14% at

unfavourable-inadequate (EU27: 42%) and 41%

All grassland habitats and many of their associated

species suffer from an unfavourable conservation status

which indicates a substantial need for management and

restoration of those habitats as well as a need to enlarge

nationally protected areas.

Although Sweden has substantially invested in land

purchase and compensation payments over the years to

protect its forests (including use of LIFE funding), mainly

in high latitude and high-altitude areas in Sweden, the

The core of the ‘Article 17’ report is assessment of conservation

status of the habitats and species targeted by the Habitats Directive.

Article 17 of the Habitats Directive reporting -

national summary of

Sweden

Conservation status is assessed using a standard methodology as

being either ‘favourable’, ‘unfavourable-inadequate’ and

‘unfavourable-bad’, based on four parameters as defined in Article 1

of the Habitats Directive.

These figures show the percentage of biogeographical assessments in

each category of conservation status for habitats and species (one

assessment covering 1 species or 1 habitat in a given biographical

region with the Member State), respectively. The information is

based on Article 17 of the Habitats Directive reporting -

national

summary of Sweden - expert-based assessment.

Please note that a direct comparison between 2007 and 2013 data is

complicated by the fact that Bulgaria and Romania were not covered

by the 2007 reporting cycle, that the ‘unknown’ assessments have

strongly diminished particularly for species, and that some reported

changes are not genuine as they result from improved data /

monitoring methods.

Article 12 of the Birds Directive requires Member States to report

about the progress made with the implementation of the Birds

Directive.

Article 12 of the Birds Directive reporting -

national summary of

Sweden

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expert based assessment of the Article 17 reporting

clearly recognises further need to increase protection of

the various forest habitats, if to achieve targets related to

a favourable conservation status.

Suggested action



Complete the SAC designation process especially the

marine component and put in place clearly defined

conservation

objectives

and

the

necessary

conservation measures for the sites and provide

adequate resources for their implementation in order

to maintain/restore species and habitats of community

interest to a favourable conservation status across

their natural range.



Improve the conservation status of forest, grassland

and dune habitats.

Green Infrastructure

The EU strategy on green infrastructure

promotes the

incorporation of green infrastructure into related plans

and programmes to help overcome fragmentation of

habitats and preserve or restore ecological connectivity,

enhance ecosystem resilience and thereby ensure the

continued provision of ecosystem services.

Green Infrastructure provides ecological, economic and

social benefits through natural solutions. It helps to

understand the value of the benefits that nature provides

to human society and to mobilise investments to sustain

and enhance them.

A planned national strategy for the building of a green

infrastructure will constitute a tool for a more detailed

identification of ecosystem services

, and for the

management of landscape structure and function that

will promote the continued delivery of ecosystem

services. The proposed strategy includes a landscape

analysis of the spatial distribution and connectivity of

important habitats, with the aim to maintain and restore

sufficient natural habitats for the conservation of

biodiversity and ecosystem services.

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (together

with other government agencies) performed a review of

policy instruments in the context of the preparation of

the national strategy for the building of a green

infrastructure. The report reviewed about a hundred

different relevant existing policy instruments. There is a

need to revise some instruments, as well as to create

new instruments. Policy instruments that regulate the

current use of land and water bodies need to be

strengthened to achieve sustainable use in a landscape

perspective

Estimating natural capital

The EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 calls on the Member

States to map and asses the state of ecosystems and

their services in their national territory by 2014, assess

the economic value of such services, and promote the

integration of these values into accounting and reporting

systems at EU and national level by 2020.

Sweden has produced a preliminary report on its most

important ecosystem services

. The inventory also

considered pressures and driving forces that have an

impact on the ecosystem services. Sweden will

incorporate the ecosystem services assessments within

the regional action plans for Green Infrastructure. There

are ongoing projects on capacity building and awareness

raising about the value of ecosystem services, and a

research programme “The value of ecosystems and their

services”. Statistics Sweden has been assigned to develop

methods for including the value of ecosystem services in

environmental accounting. These projects aim to

contribute to one of the milestone targets of Sweden’s

system of environmental objectives: "by 2018, the

importance of biodiversity and the value of ecosystem

services are to be generally known and integrated into

economic positions, political considerations and other

decisions in society where it is relevant and reasonable to

do so".

Suggested action

Continue support to the mapping and assessment of

ecosystems and their services, valuation and

development of natural capital accounting systems.

Soil protection

Ecosystem services are benefits provided by nature such as food,

clean water and pollination on which human society depends.

European Union, Green Infrastructure — Enhancing Europe’s Natural

Capital,

COM/2013/0249

Ecosystem services are benefits provided by nature such as food,

clean water and pollination on which human society depends.

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The EU Soil Thematic Strategy highlights the need to

ensure a sustainable use of soils. This requires the

prevention of further soil degradation and the

preservation of its functions, as well as the restoration of

degraded soils. The 2011 Road Map for Resource-

Efficient Europe, part of Europe 2020 Strategy provides

that by 2020, EU policies take into account their direct

and indirect impact on land use in the EU and globally,

and the rate of land take is on track with an aim to

achieve no net land take by 2050.

SDG 15 requires countries to combat desertification,

restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by

desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve

a land-degradation-neutral world by 2030.

Soil is an important resource for life and the economy. It

provides key ecosystem services including the provision

of food, fibre and biomass for renewable energy, carbon

sequestration, water purification and flood regulation,

the provision of raw and building material. Soil is a finite

and extremely fragile resource and increasingly

degrading in the EU. Land taken by urban development

and infrastructure is highly unlikely to be reverted to its

natural state; it consumes mostly agricultural land and

increases fragmentation of habitats. Soil protection is

indirectly addressed in existing EU policies in areas such

as agriculture, water, waste, chemicals, and prevention

of industrial pollution.

The annual land take rate (growth of artificial areas) as

provided by CORINE Land Cover was 0.36% in Sweden

over the period 2006-12, well below the EU average

(0.41%). It represented 2328 hectares per year mainly

driven by housing, services and recreation as well as

transport and infrastructures

Artificial land cover is used for settlements, production

systems and infrastructure. It may itself be split between

built-up areas (buildings) and non-built-up areas (such as

linear transport networks and associated areas). The

percentage of built up land in 2009 was 0.48%, well

below the EU average (3.23%)

The soil water erosion rate in 2010 was 0.41 tonnes per

ha per year, well below EU28 average (2.46 tonnes)

Figure 8 shows the different land cover types in Sweden

in 2012.

Figure 8: Land Cover types in Sweden in 2012

There are still not EU-wide datasets enabling the

provision of benchmark indicators for soil organic matter

decline, contaminated sites, pressures on soil biology and

diffuse pollution. An updated inventory and assessment

of soil protection policy instruments in Sweden and other

EU Member States is being performed by the EU Expert

Group on Soil Protection.

Marine protection

The EU Coastal and Marine Policy and legislation require

that by 2020 the impact of pressures on marine waters is

reduced to achieve or maintain good environmental

status and coastal zones are managed sustainably.

SDG 14 requires countries to conserve and sustainably

use the oceans, seas and marine resources for

sustainable development.

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)

aims

to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) of the EU's

marine waters by 2020 by providing an ecosystem

approach to the management of human activities with

impact on the marine environment. The Directive

requires Member States to develop and implement a

marine strategy for their marine waters, and cooperate

with Member States sharing the same marine region or

subregion.

European Environment Agency

Draft results of CORINE Land Cover

(CLC) inventory 2012;

mean annual land take 2006-12 as a % of 2006

artificial land.

European Environment Agency, 2016.

Imperviousness and

imperviousness change

Eurostat,

Soil water erosion rate,

Figure 2, accessed November 2016

European Environment Agency. Land cover 2012 and changes country

analysis [publication forthcoming]

European Union,

Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC

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As part of their marine strategies, Member States had to

make an initial assessment of their marine waters,

determine GES

and establish environmental targets by

July 2012. They also had to establish monitoring

programmes for the on-going assessment of their marine

waters by July 2014. The next element of their marine

strategy is to establish a Programme of Measures (2016).

The Commission assesses whether these elements

constitute an appropriate framework to meet the

requirements of the MSFD.

working both at a national and at a regional level to

develop the GES. For example, the GES is currently being

reviewed by the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water

Management and Sweden participates in regional

cooperation under both HELCOM and OSPAR with a view

to improve the GES definition.

Sweden established a monitoring programme of its

marine waters in 2014, however it seems that its

monitoring programme needs further refinement except

for commercial fisheries and eutrophication, to

constitute an appropriate framework to monitor progress

towards GES and targets

In its reports on the implementation of the MSFD, the

Commission provided guidance to assist Sweden in its

implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework

Directive.

In 2012, Swedish marine protected areas covered

12,710.4 square kilometers of its marine waters, with

9,644.6 square kilometers in the Baltic Sea and 3,065.8

square kilometers in the North Sea

Suggested action

The Swedish marine waters are part of two marine

regions, the North-East Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea.

Sweden is therefore party to both the Convention for the

protection of the marine environment of the North-East

Atlantic (OSPAR Convention) and the Convention on the

Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea

(HELCOM). The North Sea is one of the busiest maritime

areas, also subject to eutrophication, and the coastal

zone is used intensively for recreation. In addition, there

is extensive fishing by bottom trawling which causes

damage to the sea-floor and is a threat to its biodiversity,

particularly in open sea areas. In the Baltic Sea, the main

risks for biodiversity relate to eutrophication, fishing

pressure, pollution by contaminants and oil, and

introduction of non-indigenous species

With regard to the implementation of the MSFD, Sweden

has given a robust legal status to its GES definition by

incorporating it in legislation, which is a good practice.

Sweden’s GES are set in comprehensive manner, covering

all descriptors, and taking into account existing EU law

and other standards from the relevant Regional Sea

Conventions.

However,

despite

ambitious

determination of the GES, all too often, the GES set

remain difficult to measure

. Sweden is currently



Continue work to improve the definitions of GES in

particular for biodiversity descriptors, including

through regional cooperation by using the work of the

relevant Regional Sea Conventions.



Further develop approaches assessing (and

quantifying) impacts from the main pressures in order

to lead to improved and more conclusive assessment

results for 2018 reporting.



Continue to integrate already existing monitoring

programmes under EU legislation and continue to

implement, where they exist, coordinated and joint

monitoring programmes developed at subregional

level, for instance by OSPAR and HELCOM.



Continue to enhance comparability and consistency of

monitoring methods within the country's marine

regions.



Ensure that all of its monitoring programme is

implemented without delay, and is appropriate to

monitor progress towards its GES.

The MSFD defines Good Environmental Status (GES) in Article 3 as:

“The environmental status of marine waters where these provide

ecologically diverse and dynamic oceans and seas which are clean,

healthy and productive”.

EEA, 2016,

The Baltic Sea.

Commission Staff Working Document Accompanying the Commission

Report on "The first phase of implementation of the Marine Strategy

Commission Staff Working Document Accompanying the Commission

Report assessing Member States' monitoring programmes under the

Marine Strategy Framework Directive (COM(2017)3 and SWD(2017)1

final)Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) - The European

Commission's assessment and guidance" (SWD(21014) 049 final and

COM(2014)097

final)

2012 Data provided by the European Environmental Agency– Not

published

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3. Ensuring citizens' health and quality of life

Air quality

The EU Clean Air Policy and legislation require that air

quality in the Union is significantly improved, moving

closer to the WHO recommended levels. Air pollution

and its impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity should be

further reduced with the long-term aim of not exceeding

critical loads and levels. This requires strengthening

efforts to reach full compliance with Union air quality

legislation and defining strategic targets and actions

beyond 2020.

The EU has developed a comprehensive suite of air

quality legislation

, which establishes health-based

ceilings

At the same time, air quality in Sweden continues to give

cause for concern. For the year 2013, the European

Environment Agency estimated that about 3 020

premature deaths were attributable to fine particulate

matter

concentrations, 160 to ozone

concentration

and less than five to nitrogen dioxide

concentrations

This is due also to exceedances above the EU air quality

standards such as shown in Figure 9

For 2014, exceedances above the EU air quality standards

have been registered related to annual mean

concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO

) in two air quality

Figure 9: Attainment situation for PM10, NO2 and O3 in 2014 in Sweden

standards and objectives for a number of air pollutants.

As part of this, Member States are also required to

ensure that up-to-date information on ambient

concentrations of different air pollutants is routinely

made available to the public. In addition, the National

Emission Ceilings Directive provides for emission

reductions at national level that should be achieved for

main pollutants.

The emission of several air pollutants has decreased

significantly in Sweden

. Reductions between 1990 and

2014 for sulphur oxides (-77%), nitrogen oxides (-51%),

ammonia (-5%) as well as volatile organic compounds

(-50%) ensure air emissions for these pollutants are

within the currently applicable national emission

zones (Gothenburg, and Stockholm) and related to daily

European Commission, 2016.

Air Quality Standards

See

EIONET Central Data Repository

and

Air pollutant emissions data

viewer (NEC Directive)

The current national emission ceilings apply since 2010 (Directive

2001/81/EC);

revised ceilings for 2020 and 2030 have been set by

Directive (EU) 2016/2284

on the reduction of national emissions of

certain atmospheric pollutants, amending Directive 2003/35/EC and

repealing Directive 2001/81/EC.

Particulate matter (PM) is a mixture of aerosol particles (solid and

liquid) covering a wide range of sizes and chemical compositions.

PM10 (PM2.5) refers to particles with a diameter of 10 (2.5)

micrometres or less. PM is emitted from many anthropogenic

sources, including combustion.

Low level ozone is produced by photochemical action on pollution

and it is also a greenhouse gas.

NOx is emitted during fuel combustion e.g. from industrial facilities

and the road transport sector. NOx is a group of gases comprising

nitrogen monoxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

European Environment Agency, 2016.

Air Quality in Europe – 2016

Report.

(Table 10.2, please see details in this report as regards the

underpinning methodology)

Based on European Environment Agency, 2016.

Air Quality in Europe

– 2016 Report.

(Figures 4.1, 5.1 and 6.1)

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concentration of particulate matter (PM

) in two air

quality zones (Stockholm, and Middle Sweden).

Furthermore, for several air quality zones the long-term

objectives regarding ozone concentration are not being

met

The persistent breaches of air quality requirements (for

and NO

), which have severe negative effects on

health and environment, are being followed up by the

European Commission through infringement procedures

covering all the Member States concerned, including

Sweden. The aim is that adequate measures are put in

place to bring all zones into compliance.

It is estimated that the health-related external costs from

air pollution in Sweden are above EUR 3 billion/year

(income adjusted, 2010), which include not only the

intrinsic value of living a full health life but also direct

costs to the economy. These direct economic costs relate

to 803 thousand workdays lost each year due to sickness

related to air pollution, with associated costs for

employers of EUR 111 million/year (income adjusted,

2010), for healthcare of above EUR 11 million/year

(income adjusted, 2010), and for agriculture (crop losses)

of EUR 48 million/year (2010)

issues

. To alleviate this, the EU

acquis

sets out several

requirements, including assessing the exposure to

environmental noise through noise mapping, ensuring

that information on environmental noise and its effects is

made available to the public, and adopting action plans

with a view to preventing and reducing environmental

noise where necessary and to preserving the acoustic

environment quality where it is good.

Swedish authorities have fulfilled all their obligations

with regards to noise mapping for the most recent

reporting round, for the reference year 2011 in the

Environmental Noise Directive

. Action plans for noise

management in the current period have been adopted

for all major roads, major railways and major airports.

For agglomerations, the action plan for one

agglomeration is still outstanding.

Suggested action



Complete action plan for noise management for the

last outstanding agglomeration.

Water quality and management

The EU water policy and legislation require that the

impact of pressures on transitional, coastal and fresh

waters (including surface and ground waters) is

significantly reduced to achieve, maintain or enhance

good status of water bodies, as defined by the Water

Framework Directive; that citizens throughout the Union

benefit from high standards for safe drinking and bathing

water; and that the nutrient cycle (nitrogen and

phosphorus) is managed in a more sustainable and

resource-efficient way.

SDG 6 encourages countries to ensure availability and

sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

The main overall objective of EU water policy and

legislation is to ensure access to good quality water in

sufficient quantity for all Europeans. The EU water

acquis

seeks to ensure good status of all water bodies

across Europe by addressing pollution sources (from e.g.

agriculture, urban areas and industrial activities), physical

Suggested action



Maintain downward emissions trends of air pollutants

in order to achieve full compliance with air quality limit

values - and reduce adverse air pollution impacts on

health, environment and economy.



Reduce nitrogen oxide (NO

) emissions to comply with

currently applicable national emission ceilings

and/or

to reduce nitrogen dioxide (NO

) (and ozone

concentrations), inter alia, by reducing transport

related emissions - in particular in urban areas.



Reduce PM

emission and concentration, inter alia, by

reducing emissions related to energy and heat

generation using solid fuels, to transport and to

agriculture.

Noise

The Environmental Noise Directive provides for a

common approach for the avoidance, prevention and

reduction of harmful effects due to exposure to

environmental noise.

Excessive noise is one of the main causes of health

See

The EEA/Eionet Air Quality Portal

and the related Central Data

Repository

These figures are based on the

Impact Assessment

for the European

Commission Integrated Clean Air Package (2013)

Under the provisions of the revised National Emission Ceilings

Directive Member States now may apply for emission inventory

adjustments. Pending evaluation of any adjustment application,

Member States should keep emissions under close control with a

view to further reductions.

Burden of disease from environmental noise;

WHO/JRC, 2011, Burden

of disease from environmental noise, Fritschi, L., Brown, A.L., Kim, R.,

Schwela, D., Kephalopoulos, S. (eds), World Health Organization,

Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark

The Noise Directive requires Member States to prepare and publish,

every 5 years, noise maps and noise management action plans for

agglomerations with more than 100,000 inhabitants, and for major

roads, railways and airports.

This includes the

Bathing Waters Directive (2006/7/EC);

the

Urban

Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC)

concerning

discharges of municipal and some industrial waste waters; the

Drinking Water Directive (98/83/EC)

concerning potable water

quality; the

Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC)

concerning

water resources management; the

Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC)

and the

Floods Directive (2007/60/EC)

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and hydrological modifications to water bodies) and the

management of risks of flooding.

River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) are a

requirement of the Water Framework Directive and a

means of achieving the protection, improvement and

sustainable use of the water environment across Europe.

This includes surface freshwaters such as lakes and rivers,

groundwater, estuaries and coastal waters up to one

nautical mile.

In its first generation of RBMPs Sweden reported the

status of 15,563 rivers, 7,232 lakes, 21 transitional, 602

coastal and 3,021 groundwater bodies. 58% of natural

surface water bodies achieve a good or high ecological

status

and only 2% of heavily modified or artificial

water bodies achieve a good or high ecological potential

(while the status of 20% is unknown). None of surface

water bodies, none of heavily modified and artificial

water bodies

and 98% of groundwater bodies achieve

good chemical status

. 87% of groundwater bodies are

in good quantitative status.

The main pressure on Swedish surface waters is diffuse

pollution

, especially long range transported mercury,

which affects 100% of water bodies. Flow regulation and

morphological alterations affect 29% and river

management affects negatively 8% of water bodies.

There are some regional differences, e.g. low regulation

and morphological alterations affect 42% in the North

Baltic river basin district but much smaller proportion of

water bodies in the North and West of the country.

The Swedish River Basin Management Plans have some

deficiencies that result in uncertainties about the status

and effectiveness of Programmes of Measures. In

particular there are weaknesses in monitoring. A number

of exemptions were applied. The planned measures are

expected to result in improvement of ecological status of

surface water bodies by 6%

. The measures should also

bring improvement of ecological potential of artificial and

heavily modified water bodies by 4%

The Nitrates Directive 2008-2011 reporting showed

positive results in terms of nitrates concentrations;

however data on eutrophication of inland waters showed

the need for further improvements. Additionally, Sweden

is one of the countries bordering the Baltic Sea, which is

heavily affected by nutrients pollution.

As regards drinking water, Sweden reaches very high

compliance rates of 99-100% for microbiological,

chemical and indicator parameters laid down in the

Drinking Water Directive

As shown in Figure 10, in 2015, in Sweden, out of 445

bathing waters, 62.2% were of excellent quality, 17.3% of

good quality, 3.6% of sufficient quality. 10 bathing waters

were of poor quality or non-compliant while it was not

possible to assess the remaining 64 bathing waters

Overall, Sweden's bathing water quality has improved

since 2014.

Figure 10: Bathing water quality 2012 – 2015

With regard to the implementation of the Urban Waste

Water Treatment Directive, in the latest reporting

exercise (data from 2012)

Sweden reported 367

relevant agglomerations which represents an increase

from 327 agglomerations in the year 2010.Following

information by Swedish authorities, the generated waste

water load changed due to a new calculation

methodology. This reporting and calculation issue needs

to be resolved by the Swedish authorities to ensure

certainty in the figures that are communicated to the

Commission.

Sweden also reported that in 2012, 88.9% of the waste

water load collected is subject to more stringent

Good ecological status is defined in the Water Framework Directive,

referring to the quality of the biological community, the hydrological

characteristics and the chemical characteristics.

Many European river basins and waters have been altered by human

activities, such as land drainage, flood protection and, building of

dams to create reservoirs.

Good chemical status is defined in the Water Framework Directive

referring to compliance with all the quality standards established for

chemical substances at European level.

Diffuse pollution comes from widespread activities with no one

discrete source.

See tables 6.8 and 6.12 from the COM working staff document (SE)

accompanying the report from the Commission on the

implementation of the WFD RBMPs (2012).

Commission's

Synthesis Report on the Quality of Drinking Water in

the Union examining Member States' reports for the 2011-2013

period, foreseen under Article 13(5) of Directive 98/83/EC;

COM(2016)666.

European Environment Agency, 2016.

European bathing water quality

in 2015, p. 26

European Environment Agency,

State of bathing water,

2016

European Commission, Eighth Report on the Implementation Status

and the Programmes for Implementation of the Urban Waste Water

Directive

(COM (2016)105 final)

and Commission Staff Working

Document accompanying the report

(SWD(2016)45 final).

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treatment in accordance with Article 5 of the Urban

Waste Treatment Directive – amounting to 116

agglomerations out of 155 subject to those obligations

The Commission is following-up on a number of issues in

Sweden, as regards the urban waste water treatment in

both small and large agglomerations, by means of

infringements.

Sweden undertook a preliminary assessment of the risk

of flooding from rivers and lakes only as the majority of

historical floods are of this type

. Sweden has up to now

been relatively spared from serious flooding. However,

with increasing temperatures above global average, and

changing precipitation patterns the risk of flooding in

parts of the country will increase.

Between 2002 and 2013, for the one flood recorded the

total direct costs were EUR 320 million. The average cost

per flood was EUR 320 million, close to the EU average of

EUR 370 million. Between 2002 and 2013, EUR 289

million was invested in flood risk management measures,

equivalent to EUR 26 million per year on average. EUR

183 million was from EU funds (but not all of this total

may have been used for flood risk management)

EU population are living in urban areas

. The urban

environment poses particular challenges for the

environment and human health, whilst also providing

opportunities and efficiency gains in the use of resources.

The Member States, European institutions, cities and

stakeholders have prepared a new Urban Agenda for the

EU (incorporating the Smart Cities initiative) to tackle

these issues in a comprehensive way, including their

connections with social and economic challenges. At the

heart of this Urban Agenda will be the development of

twelve partnerships on the identified urban challenges,

including air quality and housing

The European Commission will launch a new EU

benchmark system in 2017

The EU stimulates green cities through awards and

funding, such as the EU Green Capital Award aimed at

cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants and the EU

Green Leaf initiative aimed at cities and towns, with

between 20,000 and 100,000 inhabitants.

Stockholm was the first winner of the European Green

Capital Award in 2010. Stockholm introduced a number

of measures to make local transport more sustainable,

including the promotion of bicycle lanes and public

transport, use of alternative fuels and road pricing. Road

pricing was introduced in 2006 in the form of a

congestion tax. The tax is imposed on Swedish registered

vehicles driving in and out of the Stockholm inner city

zone on weekdays. Consequently, traffic work and

emissions in the city centre are down by 10-15%

. The

city has taken action to reduce traffic noise: Proactive

actions, regulations, planning and reduction of noise at

the source

. Furthermore, Stockholm has adopted an

ambitious planning strategy, aimed at building the city

inwards

In Malmö, the SYSAV Waste to Energy plant in Malmö is

the most energy efficient plant in Sweden producing

district heating

. The Traffic Environment Programme

aims to foresee Malmö to become quieter, more

efficient, cleaner, as well as to reduce its impact on the

health of Malmö inhabitants

. Measures aim to: reduce

Suggested action



Improve the water monitoring system and status

assessment.



Cover all identified pressures and implementation gaps

with Programmes of Measures that should be

adequately funded.



Review and improve measures to reduce

hydromorphological pressure in river basins. Also,

licencing policy to allow or maintain hydropower plants

should be reviewed and updated.

Enhancing the sustainability of cities

The EU Policy on the urban environment encourages

cities to implement policies for sustainable urban

planning and design, including innovative approaches for

urban public transport and mobility, sustainable

buildings, energy efficiency and urban biodiversity

conservation.

SDG11 aims at making cities and human settlements

inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Europe is a Union of cities and towns; around 75% of the

European Commission, Eighth Report on the Implementation Status

and the Programmes for Implementation of the Urban Waste Water

Directive

(COM (2016)105 final)

and Commission Staff Working

Document accompanying the report

(SWD(2016)45 final).

Commission Staff Working Document, report on the progress in

implementation of the Floods Directive

SDG(2015)51

final p. 55

RPA, 2014. Study on Economic and Social Benefits of Environmental

Protection and Resource Efficiency Related to the European

Semester. Study for the European Commission,

Annex 1: Country

fiches

European Environment Agency,

Urban environment

http://urbanagendaforthe.eu/

The Commission is developing an

Urban Benchmarking and

Monitoring ('UBaM') tool

to be launched in 2017. Best practices

emerge and these will be better disseminated via the app featuring

the UBaM tool, and increasingly via e.g. EUROCITIES, ICLEI, CEMR,

Committee of the Regions, Covenant of Mayors and others.

80 European Commission,

European Green Capital Award 2010 & 2011,

Catalogue of Best Practice,

p.10

81 European Commission,

European Green Capital Award 2010 & 2011,

Catalogue of Best Practice,

p.1

82 European Commission,

European Green Capital Award 2010 & 2011,

Catalogue of Best Practicep.30

83 European Commission,

Good Practice & Benchmarking Report

European Green Capital Award 2012 & 2013,

p.16

84 European Commission,

Good Practice & Benchmarking Report

European Green Capital Award 2012 & 2013,

p.44

Environmental Implementation Report – Sweden

kom (2017) 0063 - Ingen titel

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fossil fuels; improve air quality; reduce noise; and

increase cycling, walking and public transport. Malmö’s

large‐scale new development area, the Western Harbour

(or Västra Hamnen), since initial planning stages,

transport strategies were incorporated to prioritise

collective transport, cycles and pedestrians ahead of cars

to reduce the environmental impact. The world’s first

botanical roof garden was launched in 1999 in Malmo co-

financed by the LIFE programme. It cover almost one

hectare, and is a unique attraction for Malmö and

Sweden

contribution towards the achievement of the SDGs,

which Member States committed to in 2015 and include

many commitments contained already in legally binding

agreements.

The fact that some Member States did not sign and/or

ratify a number of MEAs compromises environmental

implementation, including within the Union, as well as

the Union’s credibility in related negotiations and

international

meetings

where

supporting

the

participation of third countries to such agreements is an

established EU policy objective. In agreements where

voting takes place it has a direct impact on the number of

votes to be cast by the EU.

Sweden has signed and ratified almost all MEAs.

Umea has developed an impressive tool called the ‘Green

Target’ that is used as a quality control in the planning

process

. It is the objective of Umea to ensure that all

citizens have access to facilities including playgrounds,

small groves, lawns etc. within 250m of their homes. In

2015 approximately 89% of citizens were living within

300m of green urban areas larger than 5,000m

in inner

city. The town is pioneering the use of ultra-fast charged

electric full-size urban buses with hybrid back-up with

benefit for air quality, noise and climate

International agreements

The EU Treaties require that the Union policy on the

environment promotes measures at the international

level to deal with regional or worldwide environmental

problems.

Most environmental problems have a transboundary

nature and often a global scope and they can only be

addressed effectively through international co-operation.

International environmental agreements concluded by

the Union are binding upon the institutions of the Union

and on its Member States. This requires the EU and the

Member States to sign, ratify and effectively implement

all relevant multilateral environmental agreements

(MEAs) in a timely manner. This will also be an important

85 European Commission,

Good Practice & Benchmarking Report

European Green Capital Award 2012 & 2013,

p.22

86 European Commission,

Urban Environment Good Practice &

Benchmarking Report European Green Capital Award 2017,

p.18

87 European Commission,

Urban Environment Good Practice &

Benchmarking Report European Green Capital Award 2017,

p.60

Environmental Implementation Report – Sweden

kom (2017) 0063 - Ingen titel

Sweden

Part II: Enabling Framework: Implementation Tools

4. Market based instruments and investment

indexation of the CO2 tax.

Green taxation and environmentally harmful

subsidies

The Circular Economy Action Plan encourages the use of

financial incentives and economic instruments, such as

taxation to ensure that product prices better reflect

environmental costs. The phasing out of environmentally

harmful subsidies is monitored in the context of the

European Semester and in national reform programmes

submitted by Member States.

Taxing pollution and resource use can generate increased

revenue and bring important social and environmental

benefits.

Expressed in terms of percentage share of GDP, Sweden’s

environmental tax revenue for 2014 was below the EU28

average of 2.46% with 2.21%. In the same year

environmental tax revenues accounted for 5.18% of total

revenues from taxes and social-security contributions

(EU28 average: 6.35%). As shown in Figure 11, Sweden is

among the countries with the least environmental tax

revenues as a percentage of total tax revenues.

A 2016 study

based on levels of environmental taxes

that already exist in similar countries, shows there might

be considerable potential for shifting taxes from labour

to environmental taxes in Sweden, which could be used

to increase revenues or reduce other taxes. Under a good

practice scenario

, these taxes could generate an

additional SEK 30.84 billion (EUR 3.36 billion) in 2018,

rising to SEK 79.34 billion (EUR 8.64 billion) in 2030 (both

in real 2015 terms). This is equivalent to an increase by

0.68% and 1.26% of GDP in 2018 and 2030,

respectively

The largest additional contribution would come from the

amendments to vehicle taxes generating SEK 68.51 billion

in 2030 (EUR 7.46 billion) (real 2015 terms), equivalent to

1.09% of GDP

, although this might imply a different tax

structure in SE and does not take into account the

From 2001 to 2006 a Green Tax Shift reform programme

was undertaken to reallocate taxes from labour to

environmentally harmful activities. The main change as

regards environmental taxes was that the carbon tax was

increased, but other taxes were adjusted too, including

those for vehicles, waste and pesticides. Despite the

ambitious reform programme, revenues from

environmentally-related taxes have not kept pace with

increases in GDP. Hence, since 2001, in Sweden,

environment-related taxes as a share of GDP have not

increased. Partly this has been due to the intended

behavioral impacts of taxes, and an increased

substitution to biofuels in the transport sector. Also the

relative advantage for diesel vehicles has eroded

revenues from the higher-taxed petrol vehicles as the

vehicle stock changed.

Figure 11: Environmental tax revenues as a share of

total revenues from taxes and social contributions

(excluding imputed social contributions) in 2014

Eunomia Research and Consulting, IEEP, Aarhus University, ENT,

2016.

Study on Assessing the Environmental Fiscal Reform Potential

for the EU28

N.B. National governments are responsible for setting

tax rates within the EU Single Market rules and this report is not

suggesting concrete changes as to the level of environmental

taxation. It merely presents the findings of the 2016 study by

Eunomia

et al

on the potential benefits various environmental taxes

could bring. It is then for the national authorities to assess this study

and their concrete impacts in the national context. A first step in this

respect, already done by a number of Member States, is to set up

expert groups to assess these and make specific proposals.

The good practice scenario means benchmarking to a successful

taxation practice in another Member State.

Eunomia Research and Consulting, IEEP, Aarhus University, ENT,

2016.

Study on Assessing the Environmental Fiscal Reform Potential

for the EU28

There has been a focus on removing, or limiting,

exemptions, and reductions in tax rates for carbon and

energy. A package agreed in 2009 aims at limiting these,

Eurostat,

Environmental tax revenues,

accessed October 2016

Environmental Implementation Report – Sweden

kom (2017) 0063 - Ingen titel

Sweden

stepwise, up to 2015, with the biggest reductions to

materialize in the final year. Further, discounts in carbon

tax on heating fuels in the non-ETS sectors have been

progressively reduced and will be totally abolished in

2018. From 2017 an additional annual appreciation rule

for taxes on petrol and diesel is has been introduced. The

energy and carbon taxes on fossil fuels have been

adjusted annually in line with the consumer price index

since the 1990’s, and for taxes on petrol and diesel a link

to GDP growth has been introduced from 2017 by an

annual adjustment at the rate of GDP growth plus two

percentage points.

Sweden’s move towards environmental taxes seems to

have lost some momentum, since the end of the Green

Tax Shift in 2006. The shares of taxes related to transport

remain fairly modest and so are the taxes related to

pollution and resources.

increased.

In September 2016 the Swedish National Agency for

Public Procurement (UHM) was founded. The agency has

an overall responsibility for developing and supporting

the procurement carried out by the contracting

authorities and entities. Sweden has adopted a voluntary

GPP approach and UHM’s criteria library consists of a

comprehensive database of sustainability standards.

With the help of an online wizard, contracting authorities

are guided through the different environmental criteria

available for a number of products. The wizard allows the

selection of three levels of criteria: basic, advanced and

frontrunner.

In addition to the ready-to-use criteria, contracting

authorities are able to ‘design’ their own GPP criteria

with the support available on the website of the UHM. In

this case, criteria consist predominantly of Eco-labels and

environmental management systems

According to a GPP monitoring survey from 2013 carried

out by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

53% of organisations have internal environmental

objectives and/or internal GPP policies, in case internal

environmental objectives are set up, these are monitored

in 56% of cases, environmental requirements are applied

by respondents in transportation: 74%, energy: 69%, IT

equipment: 66%, food products: 58%, and construction:

52%

Green Public Procurement

The EU green public procurement policies encourage

Member States to take further steps to reach the target

of applying green procurement criteria to at least 50% of

public tenders.

Green Public Procurement (GPP) is a process whereby

public authorities seek to procure goods, services and

works with a reduced environmental impact throughout

their life-cycle when compared to goods, services and

works with the same primary function that would

otherwise be procured.

The purchasing power of public procurement equals to

approximately 14% of GDP

. A substantial part of this

money is spent on sectors with high environmental

impact such as construction or transport, so GPP can help

to significantly lower the impact of public spending and

foster

sustainable

innovative

businesses.

The

Commission has proposed EU GPP criteria .

Sweden is one of the forerunners on GPP. A national

strategy on public procurement, including GPP, was

endorsed by government on 30 June 2016 GPP criteria

are developed at the national level for construction and

real estate, cleaning and chemicals, vehicles and

transportation, office and textiles, electricity and lighting,

food, health and care, services, and toxic free child care.

Since 2013, green and sustainable public procurement

have been at the forefront of government initiatives to

strengthen public procurement. To this end, the financial

envelope dedicated to GPP support actions was

Investments: the contribution of EU funds

European Structural and Investment Funds Regulations

provide that Member States promote environment and

climate objectives in their funding strategies and

programmes for economic, social and territorial

cohesion, rural development and maritime policy, and

reinforce the capacity of implementing bodies to deliver

cost-effective and sustainable investments in these areas.

Making good use of the European Structural and

Investment Funds (ESIF)

is essential to achieve the

environmental goals and integrate these into other policy

areas. Other instruments such as the Horizon 2020, the

LIFE programme and European Fund for Strategic

Investment

(EFSI) may also support implementation

and spread of best practice.

European Commission, 2015.

Public Procurement

In the Communication “Public procurement for a better environment”

(COM /2008/400)

the Commission recommended the creation of a

process for setting common GPP criteria. The basic concept of GPP

relies on having clear, verifiable, justifiable and ambitious

environmental criteria for products and services, based on a life-cycle

approach and scientific evidence base.

PwC, 2015.

Strategic use of public procurement in promoting green,

social and innovative policies,

study for the European Commission

PwC, 2015.

Strategic use of public procurement in promoting green,

social and innovative policies,

study for the European Commission

ESIF comprises five funds – the European Regional Development

Funds (ERDF), the Cohesion Fund (CF), the European Social Fund

(ESF), the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development

(EAFRD), and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). The

ERDF, the CF and the ESF together form the Cohesion Policy funds.

EIB:

European Fund for Strategic Investments

Environmental Implementation Report – Sweden

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Sweden has ERDF funding of EUR 945m over the 2014-

2020 programming period (see Figure 12), and focuses

this limited allocation on smart and sustainable growth

areas which explicitly or not – contribute to the

improvement of the environment or address climate

change.

The Swedish priorities in EAFRD where SE has EUR 1

764m European funding over the 2014-2020

programming period are 63% for measures that support

environment and climate (including investments).

Figure 12: European Structural and Investment Funds

2014-2020: Budget Sweden by theme, EUR billion

It is too early to draw conclusions as regards the use and

results of ESIF funds for the period 2014-2020, as the

relevant programmes are still in an early stage of their

implementation.

To address the venture capital gap in the green sector, a

Green fund with a total budget of SEK 1 300m has been

set up within the National ERDF programme. The green

sector is a high risk market as there is a long time to

market and large investments required in the early

stages. The managing authority is therefore setting up a

Green fund to provide venture capital to companies in

the clean energy sector (50% ERDF and 50% financial

intermediary) which will then co-finance (pari-passu with

private capital) portfolio companies.

European Commission,

European Structural and Investment Funds

Data By Country

Environmental Implementation Report – Sweden

kom (2017) 0063 - Ingen titel

Sweden

5. Effective governance and knowledge

SDG 16 aims at providing access to justice and building

effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all

levels. SDG 17 aims at better implementation, improving

policy coordination and policy coherence, stimulating

science, technology and innovation, establishing

partnerships and developing measurements of progress.

Effective governance of EU environmental legislation and

policies requires having an appropriate institutional

framework, policy coherence and coordination, applying

legal and non-legal instruments, engaging with non-

governmental stakeholders, and having adequate levels

of knowledge and skills

. Successful implementation

depends, to a large extent, on central, regional and local

government fulfilling key legislative and administrative

tasks, notably adoption of sound implementing

legislation, co-ordinated action to meet environmental

objectives and correct decision-making on matters such

as industrial permits. Beyond fulfilment of these tasks,

government must intervene to ensure day-to-day

compliance by economic operators, utilities and

individuals ("compliance assurance"). Civil society also

has a role to play, including through legal action. To

underpin the roles of all actors, it is crucial to collect and

share knowledge and evidence on the state of the

environment and on environmental pressures, drivers

and impacts.

Equally, effective governance of EU environmental

legislation and policies benefits from a dialogue within

Member States and between Member States and the

Commission on whether the current EU environmental

legislation is fit for purpose. Legislation can only be

properly implemented when it takes into account

experiences at Member State level with putting EU

commitments into effect. The Make it Work initiative, a

Member State driven project, established in 2014,

organizes a discussion on how the clarity, coherence and

structure of EU environmental legislation can be

improved without lowering existing protection standards.

Capacity to implement rules

It is crucial that central, regional and local

administrations have the necessary capacities and skills

and training to carry out their own tasks and co-operate

and co-ordinate effectively with each other, within a

system of multi-level governance.

While environmental policy is highly integrated in other

policy areas and in the work of sectoral policy areas, it is

the Ministry of the Environment and Energy that is

responsible for establishing environmental policies

regarding chemicals, natural environment and biological

diversity. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

founded in 1967 reports to the Ministry. There is also IVL

the Swedish Environmental Research Institute which is an

independent, non-profit research institute, owned by a

foundation jointly established by the Swedish

Government and Swedish industry. The 2013 European

Quality of Government Index puts Sweden in third place

out of the 28 Member States

100

Transposition and implementation of EU environmental

legislation by Sweden has traditionally been good. In

general, Sweden communicates the transposition

legislation fast and the overall conformity of Swedish

environmental legislation with the EU legislation is good.

The number of infringements and complaints is low.

However, lodged complaints are often very well-

reasoned and serious.

The implementation of the urban waste water treatment

Directive is currently the issue of with two ongoing

infringement cases related to agglomerations which do

not meet the EU law standards. Licensed wolf hunting,

initiated in 2010 and still pursued, is also a major issue of

implementation of the nature protection legislation.

Coordination and integration

It is crucial that the Ministry of Environment and the

Agency have the necessary capacities and skills and

training to carry out their own tasks and co-operate and

co-ordinate effectively with each other, within a system

of multi-level governance.

Impact assessments are important tools to ensure

environmental integration in all government policies

101

The Commission issued a guidance document in 2016

102

Effective governance within central, regional

and local government

Those involved in implementing environment legislation

at Union, national, regional and local levels need to be

equipped with the knowledge, tools and capacity to

improve the delivery of benefits from that legislation,

and the governance of the enforcement process.

100

101

The Commission has work ongoing to improve the country-specific

knowledge about quality and functioning of the administrative

systems of Member States.

Charron N., 2013.

European Quality of Government Index (EQI)

Article 11 of the TFEU provides that "Environmental protection

requirements must be integrated into the definition and

implementation of the Union's policies and activities, in particular

with a view to promoting sustainable development."

102

European Commission, 2016. Commission notice —

Commission

guidance document on streamlining environmental assessments

conducted under Article 2(3) of the Environmental Impact

Environmental Implementation Report – Sweden

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Sweden

regarding the setting up of coordinated and/or joint

procedures that are simultaneously subject to

assessments under the EIA Directive, Habitats Directive,

Water Framework Directive, and the Industrial Emissions

Directive

103

is a valuable tool for sharing experience and good

practices.

Figure 13: Environmental compliance assurance

Compliance assurance

EU law generally and specific provisions on inspections,

other checks, penalties and environmental liability help

lay the basis for the systems Member States need to

have in place to secure compliance with EU

environmental rules.

Public authorities help ensure accountability of duty-

holders by monitoring and promoting compliance and by

taking credible follow-up action (i.e. enforcement) when

breaches occur or liabilities arise. Compliance monitoring

can be done both on the initiative of authorities

themselves and in response to citizen complaints. It can

involve using various kinds of checks, including

inspections for permitted activities, surveillance for

possible illegal activities, investigations for crimes and

audits for systemic weaknesses. Similarly, there is a range

of means to promote compliance, including awareness-

raising campaigns and use of guidance documents and

online information tools. Follow-up to breaches and

liabilities can include administrative action (e.g.

withdrawal of a permit), use of criminal law

104

and action

under liability law (e.g. required remediation after

damage from an accident using liability rules) and

contractual law (e.g. measures to require compliance

with nature conservation contracts). Taken together, all

of these interventions represent "compliance assurance"

as shown in Figure 13.

Best practice has moved towards a risk-based approach

at strategic and operational levels in which the best mix

of compliance monitoring, promotion and enforcement is

directed at the most serious problems. Best practice also

recognises the need for coordination and cooperation

between different authorities to ensure consistency,

avoid duplication of work and reduce administrative

burden. Active participation in established pan-European

networks of inspectors, police, prosecutors and judges,

such as

IMPEL

105

, EUFJE

106

, ENPE

107

and EnviCrimeNet

108

Assessment Directive

(Directive 2011/92/EU of the European

Parliament and of the Council, as amended by Directive 2014/52/EU).

103

European Commission, 2016. Commission notice —

Commission

guidance document on streamlining environmental assessments

conducted under Article 2(3) of the Environmental Impact

Assessment Directive (Directive

2011/92/EU of the European

Parliament and of the Council, as amended by Directive 2014/52/EU).

104

European Union,

Environmental Crime Directive 2008/99/EC

105

European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement

of Environmental Law

106

European Union Forum of judges for the environment

107

The European Network of Prosecutors for the Environment

108

EnviCrimeNet

Currently, there exist a number of sectoral obligations on

inspections and the EU directive on environmental

liability (ELD)

109

provides a means of ensuring that the

"polluter-pays principle" is applied when there are

accidents and incidents that harm the environment.

There is also publically available information giving

insights into existing strengths and weaknesses in each

Member State.

For each Member State, the following were therefore

reviewed: use of risk-based compliance assurance;

coordination and co-operation between authorities and

participation in pan-European networks; and key aspects

of implementation of the ELD based on the Commission's

recently published implementation report and REFIT

evaluation

110

In Sweden, compliance promotion activities are

conducted at regional and local level but there is

evidence that these could be improved

111

. Planning of

environmental compliance monitoring based on risk-

based approaches is widely used in Sweden and thematic

inspection campaigns based on standard inspection

manuals and checklists are regularly conducted in

attempts to establish a tailored approach to individual

economic sectors

112

. However, variations still exist,

reflecting factors such as resource constraints

113

. As

109

110

European Union,

Environmental Liability Directive 2004/35/CE

COM(2016)204 final

and

COM(2016)121 final

of 14.4.2016. This

highlighted the need for better evidence on how the directive is used

in practice; for tools to support its implementation, such as guidance,

training and ELD registers; and for financial security to be available in

case events or incidents generate remediation costs.

111

OECD,

Environmental Performance Reviews: Sweden 2014,

p. 53f. It

notes that practices vary significantly and the perception of

businesses seems to be that it is difficult to find information on new

regulatory requirements and how at best to comply with them

112

Mazur E., 2011.

Environmental Enforcement in Decentralised

Governance Systems: Towards a Nationwide Level Playing Field,

OECD Environment Working Papers,

No 34, p. 19.

113

OECD,

Environmental Performance Reviews: Sweden 2014,

p. 54-55.

Environmental Implementation Report – Sweden

kom (2017) 0063 - Ingen titel

Sweden

regards enforcement, , the use of conditional fines (that

are linked to compliance order and determined on the

basis of the estimated costs for the prescribed corrective

actions) seems to be a useful tool for bringing duty-

holders back to compliance

114

. However, the set of

sanctions applicable to environmental offences is not

flexible enough to respond to different types of non-

compliance behaviour

115

, there are significant differences

in sanctions application across the country have been

observed

116

, and there is evidence of scope for

improvement in how inspectors and prosecutors work

together

117

, given low prosecution rates in serious

cases

118

Since 2011, the Swedish Environmental Protection

Agency (SEPA) has produced annual compliance

monitoring and enforcement reports which include in-

and output statistics and SEPA has commissioned a big

research project to explore tools for more effective

inspection work and better performance evaluation and

to tackle the problem of insufficient data on compliance

assurance

119

Up-to-date information is lacking in relation to the

following:



data-collection arrangements to track the use and

effectiveness of different compliance assurance

interventions, in particular the results of the SEPA

research project;



the extent to which risk-based methods are used to

direct compliance assurance at the strategic level

and in relation to specific problem-areas highlighted

elsewhere in this Country Report, i.e. the threats to

protected habitat types and species, air quality

breaches and the pressures on water quality from

diffuse pollution.

Sweden reported five incidents of environmental damage

in the period 2007 – 2013, of which two were initiated by

requests for action. One of the five involved remediation

costs exceeding EUR 1 million. There is a lack of

information on the take-up of financial security provided

by the insurance industry (to cover remediation costs

where the operator cannot pay) following Sweden's

abolition in 2010 of mandatory financial security.

Suggested action



Improve transparency on the organisation and

functioning of compliance assurance and on how

significant risks are addressed, as outlined above.



Encourage greater participation of competent

authorities in the activities of the European

environmental enforcement networks.



Step up efforts in the implementation of the

Environmental Liability Directive (ELD) with proactive

initiatives, in particular by setting up a national register

of ELD incidents. It should moreover take further steps

to ensure an effective system of financial security for

environmental liabilities (so that operators not only

have insurance cover available to them but actually

take it up). The Swedish government has already

started to investigate if actions or measures need to be

taken in order to improve the current system for

financial securities to ensure sufficient financial

security when needed.

Mazur E., 2011.

Environmental Enforcement in Decentralised

Governance Systems: Towards a Nationwide Level Playing Field,

OECD Environment Working Papers,

No 34, p. 19; Study on

'Information collection and impact assessment of possible

requirements for environmental inspections in the area of EU

legislation on water, nature protection and trade in certain

environmentally sensitive goods', 2013 IEEP/BioIntelligence/Ecologic,

p. 292 (referring to a 2013 study examining effectiveness of

environmental inspection authorities - Holstein, F. and Gren, I. 2013,

Violation of environmental regulations in Sweden: Economic motives,

environmental attitudes, and social capital, Swedish University of

Agricultural Sciences, Department of Economics, Working Paper

03/2013).

114

Mazur E., 2011.

Environmental Enforcement in Decentralised

Governance Systems: Towards a Nationwide Level Playing Field,

OECD Environment Working Papers,

No 34, p. 22; OECD,

Environmental Performance Reviews: Sweden 2014,

p. 56.

115

According to the OECD,

Environmental Performance Reviews:

Sweden 2014,

p. 56, inspection authorities do not have discretion in

determining monetary sanctions and the administrative fines

imposed do not take sufficient account of the causes for the occurred

breaches and the environmental damage caused.

116

Sjoberg E., 2013.

Decentralized enforcement of national legislation:

Political influence on environmental fines in Swedish municipalities

117

Sweden has indicated that a government committee was established

(Dir. 2016:32) with the task of exploring, among other things, ways of

improving the cooperation between inspectors on one hand and

police and prosecutors on the other. This committee will also analyse

the system for financing of inspections and compliance assurance as

well as the system for compliance assurance cooperation at national,

regional and the municipality level. The committee will present the

outcome of its work in April 2017.

118

OECD,

Environmental Performance Reviews: Sweden 2014,

p. 56.

119

See Study on 'Information collection and impact assessment of

possible requirements for environmental inspections in the area of

EU legislation on water, nature protection and trade in certain

environmentally sensitive goods', 2013 IEEP/BioIntelligence/Ecologic,

p. 293; OECD Environmental Performance Reviews: Sweden 2014, p.

48, 55.

Public participation and access to justice

The Aarhus Convention, related EU legislation on public

participation and environmental impact assessment, and

the case-law of the Court of Justice require that citizens

and their associations should be able to participate in

decision-making on projects and plans and should enjoy

effective environmental access to justice.

Citizens can more effectively protect the environment if

they can rely on the three "pillars" of the Convention on

Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-

making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters

("the Aarhus Convention"). Public participation in the

administrative decision making process is an important

element to ensure that the authority takes its decision on

the best possible basis. The Commission intends to

Environmental Implementation Report – Sweden

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Sweden

examine compliance with mandatory public participation

requirements more systematically at a later stage.

Access to justice in environmental matters is a set of

guarantees that allows citizens and their associations to

challenge acts or omissions of the public administration

before a court. It is a tool for decentralised

implementation of EU environmental law.

For each Member State, two crucial elements for

effective access to justice have been systematically

reviewed: the legal standing for the public, including

NGOs and the extent to which prohibitive costs represent

a barrier.

In general, the existing rules and provisions in Sweden

concerning access to administrative appeal and to judicial

review are predictable and transparent. However,

environmental NGOs still do not have legal standing in all

environmental sectors. Also the conditions to be

recognised as an environmental NGOs are partly too

restricted. The costs of administrative court procedure,

however, are not considered as being prohibitively

high

120

The Swedish government has assigned a government

committee (Dir. 2015:121) with the task of investigating,

among other things, whether further measures are

necessary in order for Sweden to comply with the Aarhus

Convention with regard to legal standing for

environmental NGOs in the forestry sector

121

and business that environmental information is shared in

an efficient and effective way. This covers reporting by

businesses and public authorities and active

dissemination to the public, increasingly through

electronic means.

The Aarhus Convention

122

, the Access to Environmental

Information Directive

123

and the INSPIRE Directive

124

together create a legal foundation for the sharing of

environmental information between public authorities

and with the public. They also represent the green part of

the ongoing EU e-Government Action Plan

125

. The first

two instruments create obligations to provide

information to the public, both on request and actively.

The INSPIRE Directive is a pioneering instrument for

electronic data-sharing between public authorities who

can vary in their data-sharing policies, e.g. on whether

access to data is for free. The INSPIRE Directive sets up a

geoportal which indicates the level of shared spatial data

in each Member State – i.e. data related to specific

locations, such as air quality monitoring data. Amongst

other benefits it facilitates the public authorities'

reporting obligations.

For each Member State, the accessibility of

environmental data (based on what the INSPIRE Directive

envisages) as well as data-sharing policies ('open data')

have been systematically reviewed.

Sweden's performance on the implementation of the

INSPIRE Directive as enabling framework to actively

disseminate environmental information to the public is

good, but leaves room for improvement. Sweden has

indicated in the 3-yearly INSPIRE implementation

report

126

that the necessary data-sharing policies

allowing access and use of spatial data by national

administrations, other Member States' administrations

and EU institutions without procedural obstacles are

available and implemented. Sweden has currently no

common digital licence administration regarding access

to data and services infrastructure, but the data-sharing

policies in place provide the essential conditions

necessary for sharing spatial data sets and services. It is

still common that the access to spatial data requires

registration and that fees are asked for downloading

data. The general trend towards open and free data in

Sweden will in the long term remove the need to register

and the payment of fees.

Assessments of monitoring reports

127

issued by Sweden

122

120

Suggested action



Take the necessary measures to ensure standing of

environmental NGOs to challenge acts or omissions of

a public authority in all sectoral EU environmental laws,

in full compliance with EU law as well as the

Convention on Access to Information, Public

Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice

in environmental matters (Aarhus Convention).

Access to

evidence

information,

knowledge

and

The Aarhus Convention and related EU legislation on

access to information and the sharing of spatial data

require that the public has access to clear information on

the environment, including on how Union environmental

law is being implemented.

It is of crucial importance to public authorities, the public

European Commission,

2012/2013 access to justice in environmental

matters

121

The committee will present the investigation 31 March 2017.

Regarding the conditions for being recognised as an environmental

NGO, a proposal by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy to

change the conditions, including the removal of the condition which

only grants NGOs that have been active for at least three years in

Sweden legal standing, is currently being circulated for referral.

European Commission,

The Aarhus Convention

European Union,

Directive 2003/4/EC on public access to

environmental information

124

European Commission, 2016.

INSPIRE Directive

125

European Union, EU eGovernment Action Plan 2016-2020 -

Accelerating the digital transformation of government

COM(2016)

179

final

126

European Commission, 2016.

Inspire – Monitoring and Reporting

127

Inspire indicator trends

123

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Sweden

and the spatial information that Sweden has published

on the INSPIRE geoportal

128

indicate that not all spatial

information needed for the evaluation and

implementation of EU environmental law has been made

available or is accessible. Some of this missing spatial

information consists of the environmental data required

to be made available under the existing reporting and

monitoring regulations of EU environmental law.

Suggested action



Identify and document all spatial data sets required for

the implementation of environmental law, and make

the data and documentation at least accessible 'as is'

to other public authorities and the public through the

digital services foreseen in the INSPIRE Directive.

128

Inspire Resources Summary Report

Environmental Implementation Report – Sweden