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POLITICS

Ten new laws that came into force in Sweden at the start of July 2024

A series of new laws came into force in Sweden on July 1st. Here's a roundup of some of the most important ones.

Published: 1 July 2024 15:36 CEST
Ten new laws that came into force in Sweden at the start of July 2024
A new law aims to minimise waste caused by stray plastic caps. Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT

Temporary increase in ROT and RUT deductions

From July 1st until December 31st, the cap on so-called ROT deductions is higher than normal and instead of a combined cap of 75,000 kronor for RUT and ROT together, individual caps are in place. This means that taxpayers are able to deduct a maximum of 75,000 kronor for RUT and a further 75,000 kronor for ROT work for 2024 as a whole.

Sweden’s so-called ROT deduction offers tax reductions for the labour cost of repairs, conversion or extension work. It is closely linked to the RUT deduction, which offers similar discounts for domestic work, like cleaning, garden work, childminding or laundry services.

Increased powers to locate people evading prosecution

This new law makes it possible for authorities to secretly monitor electronic communication and data if it is deemed necessary in order to find a wanted individual, as well as making it easier for authorities to find foreigners who they deem to be a risk to Swedish security.

It can only be used to aid the enforcement of sentences for people who have been sentenced to prison, forensic psychiatric care or closed youth care.

Landlords’ power to evict tenants

Building owners as of July 1st have increased powers to terminate the leases of tenants who have committed crimes in their apartment or the surrounding residential area.

Denying the Holocaust becomes illegal

Sweden’s hate crimes laws have been tightened up to specifically include Holocaust denial among the offences as of July 1st. The country’s freedom of press constitution is also set to undergo the same changes, but they won’t come into effect until January 1st, 2027.

Abolishing requirement for business owners to keep original accounting records

Businesses are no longer required to keep the originals of any paper accounting documents, if documents have been digitalised.

Changes to Sweden’s parental leave laws

The number of days on which both parents are allowed to take parental leave at the same time (so-called dubbeldagar, “double days”) is now 60 days rather than 30. Parents may claim these days by the 15th month of the child’s life.

Mums or dads may now also give some of their parental leave days to, for example, a grandparent. That applies to a maximum of 45 days, or 90 days for single parents.

Students’ own choice of subject scrapped in shools

The subject elevens val (“student’s choice” – a lesson where students are free to choose which subject to study) has been scrapped, with the hours instead used on subjects covering science and society.

Better information for car buyers

When selling new passenger cars, information on fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions must be clearly visible at or near the point of sale. New car adverts also have to contain this information.

Pensioners born 1957 to get their money back

Pensioners born in 1957 will be compensated for a law change that meant their age group lost out on tax cuts, thanks to a campaign by one of The Local’s readers, Hugh O’Brian.

People entitled to the money should receive it in early July without applying.

Plastic caps directive comes into force

A new EU directive comes into force in Sweden from July 2nd, which states that plastic caps must be attached to their bottles or cartons so that they can’t be screwed off. This applies to containers under three litres, but not to plastic caps on glass or metal bottles.

Member comments

  1. hello,
    I am an Indian working in a software company here in sweden.
    I am fade up due bike theft cases. I stay in rental apartment where thieves are stealing bike from locked bike room.
    Neither police nor landlord helping in such cases. no cctv either. Someone stole my bike from locked bike room again. I got a penny of SEK from home insurance company.
    now I am afraid to buy another bike in such a bike friendly country because of bike thieves.
    regards
    om

  2. I liked the milk and yoghurt containers a lot more when they had no plastic parts at all. Is the plastic required as part of a (badly written) EU directive, or could we decide to go back to old containers?

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For members

NORTHVOLT

Northvolt warns work permit salary threshold could jeopardise Sweden’s green transition

Sweden’s minimum salary threshold for work permits has increased by almost 120 percent in less than a year, and there are plans to increase it again to the median salary next summer. Battery manufacturers Northvolt warns that this could stop the company from hiring and retaining key workers.

Published: 3 July 2024 12:32 CEST
Northvolt warns work permit salary threshold could jeopardise Sweden's green transition

“Northvolt’s extensive labour requirements in northern Sweden cannot currently be met by permanently established workers in Sweden or within the EU,” the company wrote in a response to the government’s proposal to raise the salary threshold to the median salary, currently 35,600 kronor.

“This applies in particular to machine operators and technicians, whose minimum wages under collective bargaining agreements are lower than the median wage, and therefore are particularly vulnerable in this context.”

The EU has highlighted qualified machine operators and technicians as professions which are particularly hard to source within the bloc, meaning companies often have no choice but to source these workers from non-EU countries.

Northvolt has the added complication of being located in northern Sweden, an area which in general often struggles to find key workers in a number of industries, and the company isn’t convinced that enough is being done to fix this.

“Northvolt does not believe that the government and the Public Employment Service’s measures to promote geographic mobility in the Swedish labour market is going to be able to cover the company’s need for labour,” it wrote, while adding that it believes the proposed hike to the work permit salary threshold could have “significant consequences” for its facility in Skellefteå.

“Aside from the direct effects on the company, Northvolt sees a risk that staffing in healthcare, services and infrastructure in northern Sweden could be negatively affected by the salary threshold, which would indirectly affect Northvolt’s expansion.”

In addition to this, the company deems the proposed exemptions to the salary threshold – these would be put forward by the Migration Agency and the Public Employment Service based on professions where there’s a labour shortage – to be insufficient and unpredictable.

Northvolt’s criticism highlighted the fact that the exemptions are based on a model which is currently under development and which may not be ready by the time the law is due to come into force, as well as the fact that professions with a labour shortage will be defined using a so-called SSYK code.

Some key roles for Northvolt to do with battery production do not have one of these codes, as they are relatively new roles.

“It remains to be seen how the proposed model would effectively be able to identify professions with a labour shortage when they don’t have an SSYK code,” the company wrote, adding that this all makes it harder for the company to plan, for example, will an employee who is granted a work permit once be eligible for renewal two years later?

“The employee in that situation would risk being deported from Sweden. If that were to happen, it would be deeply unfair for the employee who has contributed to supporting Swedish society in a role where there is a shortage, and a catastrophe for the employer who has invested years of education and talent in the employee.”

“This lack of predictability can be compared to earlier notorious so-called kompetensutvisningar (talent deportations), and will further complicate the recruitment or necessary talent,” it wrote.

TALENT DEPORTATIONS:

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