February 2026 saw the Riksdag at full throttle. The government delivered a surge of security and criminal justice legislation while committees processed hundreds of opposition motions across energy, tax, and social policy. With 20 propositions tabled and 20 committee reports published, the month crystallised the Kristersson government's pre-election priorities: harden national security, tighten criminal law, and press ahead with migration reform — all while fending off an increasingly coordinated opposition climate offensive.
February 2026 in Numbers
- 20 government propositions tabled during the period
- 20 committee reports (betänkanden) published
- 19 opposition motions filed in response to government bills
- 364 interpellations lodged this parliamentary session (2025/26)
- 553 written questions submitted to ministers
- Key themes: Security and defence, criminal justice reform, climate policy, migration
Legislative Output
February was one of the busiest legislative months of the 2025/26 session. The government delivered a wave of propositions centred on three pillars: national security, criminal justice, and regulatory modernisation.
Security and Defence
Stronger Civilian Protection During Heightened Preparedness (Prop. 2025/26:142)
Perhaps the most consequential legislation of the month, this proposition from the Defence Ministry overhauls the civil protection framework. Against the backdrop of a deteriorating European security environment, the bill strengthens shelter requirements, evacuation planning, and local government preparedness obligations. What this means: Sweden is systematically reinforcing its total-defence posture, signalling that civil preparedness is no longer an afterthought.
A New Law for Increased Resilience of Critical Infrastructure Operators (FöU14)
The Defence Committee advanced legislation transposing EU resilience requirements into Swedish law. Critical operators in energy, transport, health and digital infrastructure will face binding obligations on risk assessment and continuity planning. What this means: Sweden aligns with EU-wide critical infrastructure protection, broadening the scope well beyond traditional military preparedness.
Explosives — Improved Control Possibilities (Prop. 2025/26:123)
Responding to a surge in bombings linked to organised crime, the Defence Ministry proposed expanded powers for authorities to control explosive materials. What this means: A direct legislative response to Sweden's gang violence crisis, tightening the regulatory net around explosives access.
Emergency Food Supply Stocks (MJU25)
The Environment and Agriculture Committee addressed food security preparedness, advancing legislation on strategic food reserves. What this means: Part of Sweden's broader total-defence reconstruction, ensuring food supply resilience during crises.
Criminal Justice Reform
A New Weapons Law (Prop. 2025/26:141)
The Justice Ministry proposed a comprehensive overhaul of Sweden's weapons legislation — the first full rewrite in decades. The bill modernises the regulatory framework while tightening controls. What this means: A cornerstone of the government's law-and-order agenda, reflecting both public safety concerns and EU harmonisation requirements.
A Special Criminal Provision for Psychological Violence (Prop. 2025/26:138)
The government introduced a standalone criminal offence for psychological violence, a significant step in recognising non-physical abuse. What this means: Fills a notable gap in Swedish criminal law, likely to affect cases of domestic abuse and coercive control.
Custodial Sentences for Children and Young Persons (Prop. 2025/26:132)
Continuing its tough-on-crime trajectory, the government proposed reforms to custodial sentencing for minors. What this means: Reflects a political consensus that the youth justice framework needs updating amid rising juvenile involvement in organised crime.
Protection for Public Debate Participants — Anti-SLAPP (JuU23)
The Justice Committee endorsed legislation implementing the EU directive against strategic lawsuits designed to silence public participation (SLAPP suits), along with a new default judgment mechanism. What this means: Strengthens press freedom and civic participation by providing legal shields against abusive litigation.
Government Performance
The Kristersson government maintained a high legislative tempo in February, tabling 20 propositions across multiple policy domains. The security-and-justice cluster dominated, reflecting the coalition's core priorities ahead of the 2026 election. The government also advanced its migration reform agenda with two new propositions: stricter rules for researchers and doctoral students (Prop. 146) and a new enforcement inhibition framework (Prop. 145).
Financial sector governance received attention with a new crisis management function (Prop. 116) and beneficial ownership disclosure requirements (Prop. 129). Rural policy was addressed through a proposition on employment and housing in the countryside (Prop. 131), while the removal of introduction training for driving practice (Prop. 127) signals continued deregulation.
Coalition Dynamics
The governing coalition of M, KD and L, supported by SD through the Tidö Agreement, showed cohesion on the security and criminal justice agenda. The committee reports reveal a pattern of near-unanimous rejection of opposition motions: the Tax Committee dismissed 49 VAT motions (SkU17) and 120 tax procedure motions (SkU14), while the Industry Committee rejected 197 energy policy motions (NU13). These large-scale rejections indicate disciplined government-bloc voting, with the SD support holding firm.
The Social Affairs Committee's rejection of approximately 130 disability support motions (SoU15) drew cross-party criticism but passed along expected lines. The government's slim parliamentary position — technically a zero-seat majority — continues to demand careful whip management, though no significant defections were recorded this month.
Committee Highlights
Energy Policy (NU13)
The Industry Committee's energy policy report was the month's most sweeping committee action, addressing 197 motions covering nuclear power, wind energy, biofuels, energy efficiency, and combined heat and power. The committee endorsed the government's nuclear-positive direction while rejecting opposition calls for accelerated renewable deployment. Political significance: Crystallises the fundamental policy divide between the government's technology-neutral (but nuclear-favouring) stance and the opposition's push for faster renewable expansion.
EU Sustainability Ratings (FiU32)
The Finance Committee processed complementary regulations for the EU's sustainability ratings framework, reflecting Sweden's ongoing integration into the EU's green finance architecture.
Riksrevisionen Audits
Multiple committee reports processed Riksrevisionen (National Audit Office) findings: Agenda 2030 implementation (FiU19), state office premises (FiU18), fee-based services (FiU15), agricultural climate transition (MJU21), and the climate policy framework (MJU20). The pattern reveals systematic parliamentary scrutiny of government effectiveness across environmental and administrative domains.
Opposition Activity
S (Social Democrats) dominated opposition activity with a stream of interpellations targeting government performance on climate policy (unused funds of nearly SEK 4 billion — Ip 363), poverty levels (increase from 150,000 to 408,000 severely deprived — Ip 358), and EU budget negotiations (Ip 357). The party also filed motions challenging the government on waste legislation reform (Mot. 3906) and public procurement labour conditions (Mot. 3896).
MP (Green Party) focused on renewable energy (motions on the Renewables Directive — Mot. 3913) and waste policy reform (Mot. 3909). C (Centre Party) contributed motions on security detention reform (Mot. 3901) and waste management (Mot. 3907). V (Left Party) challenged the government on humanitarian aid to Islamic Relief (Ip 360) and public procurement conditions (Mot. 3898).
The opposition's climate focus — interpellations on transport targets (Ip 362), biodiversity crisis preparedness (Ip 352), and the Environmental Objectives Council report (Ip 351) — represents a coordinated effort to frame climate as the government's vulnerability ahead of 2026.
Policy Trends
Security hardening accelerates. From civilian protection and critical infrastructure resilience to explosives control and a new weapons law, February's legislative output confirms that Sweden's security transformation extends well beyond NATO membership. The total-defence concept now permeates domestic policy across emergency food reserves, financial crisis management, and strengthened public gathering security.
Climate policy tension intensifies. The government faces mounting opposition scrutiny over unused climate funds and rising transport emissions, while simultaneously advancing nuclear-favourable energy policy. The Riksrevisionen's critical audits of climate policy implementation add institutional weight to opposition arguments.
Migration reform continues. New propositions on researcher residence permits, enforcement inhibition, and committee reports on citizenship requirements and social insurance qualification signal that migration remains a core government priority.
Digital modernisation proceeds. Electronic estate inventories (CU21), MTF platform regulations (Prop. 125), and e-identification requirements (Prop. 126) reflect a steady digitisation agenda that receives less political attention but carries significant administrative impact.
The Month's Most Consequential Development
The civilian protection proposition (Prop. 2025/26:142), combined with the critical infrastructure resilience law (FöU14), represents a watershed in Swedish domestic security policy. Together, these measures transform Sweden's civil preparedness framework from a post-Cold War minimalist model to a comprehensive resilience architecture. The significance extends beyond defence policy: it signals to municipalities, critical operators, and citizens that heightened preparedness is no longer hypothetical but a legislative obligation. With Sweden's NATO membership now operational, this domestic infrastructure hardening completes the country's security-policy transformation.
Looking Ahead
- Constitutional amendments: The constitutional reform on abortion rights and restrictions on association freedom (Prop. 78) will advance through committee, requiring cross-party consensus for the required second parliamentary vote
- Security detention: The proposed new indefinite custodial sentence (Prop. 95) faces continued committee scrutiny and opposition challenges from C and MP
- ILO ratification: Sweden's ratification of ILO conventions on workplace violence and occupational health (Prop. 134) is expected to progress smoothly through the Labour Market Committee
- Energy debate: Following the committee's energy policy report (NU13), chamber debate will test whether the government can maintain its nuclear-positive consensus with SD support
- Budget supplementary: The extra appropriations bill supporting Ukraine and vaccine preparedness (Prop. 143) will be central to March's fiscal debate