Sweden civil preparedness is set to become a stricter legal duty for municipalities and regions, as the government prepares new rules requiring local authorities to keep essential services running for at least two weeks during crises, heightened alert or war.
Sweden civil preparedness will require two weeks of local endurance
The Swedish government has approved a legislative proposal (lagrådsremiss) that would replace parts of the current framework for municipal and regional preparedness, which has been in place since 2006.
The proposal reflects a broader shift in Sweden’s security policy after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the country’s accession to NATO and the renewed focus on total defence. It aims to make local authorities more capable of maintaining schools, healthcare, elderly care and other essential services during serious disruptions.
Minister for Civil Defence (ministern för civilt försvar) Carl-Oskar Bohlin said the government is now setting clearer requirements for local resilience.
“We are now clearly setting the requirement that they must be able to maintain endurance for their own operations for at least two weeks,” Bohlin said.
He added that childcare, elderly care and schools “must be able to function even during disruptions.”
Municipalities may need stocks of food, fuel and medicines
In practical terms, the reform could require municipalities and regions to build up their own stocks or shared reserves. These may include school meals, medicines, emergency power and fuel, depending on local needs.
The government says municipalities and regions should, over time, be able to maintain activities of fundamental importance for life and health for at least two weeks, mainly using their own available resources.
During the five-year period from 2027 to 2032, they should also aim to maintain meal services for two weeks in preschools, schools, after-school centres, elderly care homes, disability care facilities and inpatient healthcare institutions.
The government has allocated around SEK 5.4 billion for the period 2026–2029 to finance the new requirements. Based on the latest European Central Bank reference rate, this corresponds to approximately €490 million.
Local coordination will be central to Sweden’s crisis readiness
The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner, SKR) has welcomed clearer expectations for municipalities and regions. At the same time, it stressed that local conditions vary widely across Sweden.
Erik Hedlund, head of preparedness at SKR, said cooperation between municipalities will be important, especially for food supply and similar tasks.
“For municipalities, it is probably important to find different forms of cooperation, to join forces and solve issues together with food and similar matters,” Hedlund said.
This could be particularly relevant for smaller municipalities, which may not have the same storage capacity, staff or logistics systems as larger urban areas.
New gathering points and public information duties
The proposed law would also require municipalities to have access to special gathering points for residents during peacetime crises and heightened alert.
These places could be used to provide residents with information, basic support or coordination when normal services are disrupted.
Municipalities and regions would also have a clearer duty to keep the public informed during ongoing crises and heightened alert. This duty would apply to information that is essential for life and health, or for limiting major damage to property and the environment.
The government says this obligation should also apply when internet access is unavailable, meaning local authorities would need alternative communication channels.
The reform is part of Sweden’s wider total defence rebuild
The new proposal fits into Sweden’s wider effort to rebuild civil defence and strengthen the country’s total defence system.
In recent years, Stockholm has increased investment in food preparedness, healthcare stocks, protective shelters and local emergency planning. The government has also presented a national strategy for resilience in essential services for 2026–2030, linked partly to the EU’s Critical Entities Resilience Directive.
The proposed legal changes are expected to enter into force on 1 January 2027.
For Sweden, the reform marks a further decentralisation of preparedness responsibilities. It also shows how Nordic countries are adapting welfare services, local government and public communication systems to a security environment increasingly shaped by hybrid threats, supply risks and the possibility of military crisis.
