On 29 June 2017, the Swedish Government announced that it is proposing the adoption of more comprehensive control of armaments. The announcement said, in pertinent part:
The control of exports of military equipment is necessary to fulfill both the Swedish national objectives and international commitments, and to ensure that the products exported from Sweden go to approved countries.
The Government proposes that the democratic state of the receiving state should be a key condition when considering license applications. The requirements that the recipient country respect human rights will also be tightened. Another factor is whether the exports would discourage sustainable development in the recipient country. The government is also making proposals on improving transparency in the area, as well as rules on increased authorization and control.
The Government proposes that penalties should replace certain criminal sanctions for less serious violations in order to achieve a more effective system of sanctions, however criminal sanctions will be retained for the more serious offenses.
The amendments are proposed to enter into force on 1 April 2018. A report (in Swedish), Tightened export control of military equipment is available.
