Legislation and other policy instruments

All policy instruments concerning the environment are to contribute to sustainable development. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, for example, draws up regulations, develops economic policy instruments, and distributes grants. We also provide guidance in environmental management systems and develop such systems.

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  • The Environmental Code

    The Environmental Code came into force on 1 January 1999. It replaced fifteen previous environmental acts which were amalgamated into the Code.

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  • Environmental quality standards

    Environmental quality standards are a type of legally binding policy instrument introduced by the Swedish Environmental Code of 1999 (details in Chapter 5 of the Code).

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  • Environmental instruments

    Various environmental instruments have been introduced to encourage people to change their behaviour and lifestyle, thereby speeding up the transition towards sustainable development.

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  • Economic instruments

    The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) obtains funding primarily through fees and taxes. We allocate these funds to support such things as research and investments aimed at minimising the release of greenhouse gases.

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  • Environmental economics

    Good environmental quality is a part of society’s wellbeing. Environmental economics is a way of incorporating the value of nature into society's decisions and, thus, encouraging the development of greater wellbeing.

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  • Licensing system for environmentally hazardous activities

    In order to ensure compliance with the rules of consideration in the Environmental Code, a large number of environmentally hazardous activities and operations are subject to licensing.

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  • Inspection, enforcement and operator self monitoring

    It is mandatory for operators to have a self-monitoring system. Inspection should primarily be concentrated on such activities that are important for meeting the environmental quality objectives, and where inspection can be expected to improve conditions.

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  • Research

    The new knowledge generated by the research programmes that we fund help us achieve our mission and environmental quality objectives.

• • Permits and notifications covered by the Services Directive

    In order to sell services you may require different types of permits, exemptions or certificates. You may also have to submit a notification. Here we list the permits and exemptions that the Swedish EPA issues and the notifications that we deal with.