Sweden: Proposed amendments to Swedish military export control legislation have been published concerning NATO exports, licensing exemptions and more

Swedish Government Official Reports 2024:77 ("Military Equipment Report") proposes important revisions of the Swedish Military Equipment Act, which include export authorization guidelines to NATO allies, licensing requirements for subcontractors, classification, confidentiality and more.

In brief

The Military Equipment Report aims to streamline regulations, clarify reporting issues, and align national export controls with EU and international commitments. The report proposes guidelines for the Inspectorate of Strategic Products (ISP) to authorize exports within NATO and other international cooperative frameworks. Key revisions include easing licensing requirements for subcontractors, updating control lists, increasing penalties for violations, and enhancing secrecy provisions. The report also suggests Sweden's accession to the French, German, and Spanish trilateral Agreement on Export Controls in the Field of Defence.


Contents

Key takeaways

The Military Equipment Report lists the following suggested revisions of the Swedish Military Equipment Act (Sw. lagen (1992:1300) om krigsmateriel):

  • Ease regulatory burdens and harmonize export controls with international commitments, primarily NATO, abolish neutrality principle and simplify exports in international cooperative efforts.
  • Ease licensing requirements for subcontractors and notification obligations are limited to specific transactions.
  • Introduce mandatory "zero-declarations" for marketing, delivery, and ownership information.
  • Update national control lists and increase penalties for serious violations.
  • Introduce secrecy provisions to enhance confidentiality.
  • Sweden is encouraged to join the French, German, and Spanish trilateral Agreement on Export Controls.

The government bill will likely be submitted to Swedish Parliament for consideration in early 2025.

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