As a result of Sweden's membership of the European Union, the EU, the Riksdag is no longer the only body with the authority to decide what laws will apply in Sweden. This role is now shared with the EU institutions. When the EU Council of Ministers takes decisions, Sweden is represented by the Government. The Riksdag therefore exercises its influence on EU matters through the Government.
As Sweden is a member of the EU, it takes part in, and is obliged to implement, the decisions taken by the various EU institutions. Many of the decisions taken in the EU are supranational. This means that the EU member states have transferred their decision-making powers to the EU.
While the EU institutions are busy preparing decisions, the same issues are also dealt with by each EU country. The Riksdag must play an active role in this task. When the EU Council of Ministers then takes a decision, it is the Government that represents Sweden. Together with the Council of Ministers, the elected representatives of each country in the European Parliament adopt new laws in the EU.
The Riksdag exercises its influence in the EU through the Government. The Government is answerable to the Riksdag for the way it deals with EU matters.
The Government is obliged to inform the Riksdag of what is happening in cooperation between the EU member states. The Riksdag's and Government's work with EU matters is conducted in various ways in the Chamber of the Riksdag, in the parliamentary committees and in the Committee on EU Affairs.
The Riksdag also takes part in various forms of cooperation with the national parliaments of the EU countries. This cooperation involves the exchange of both experience and information.
When the Lisbon Treaty came into force on 1 December 2009, certain changes were introduced in the work of the Riksdag.The Lisbon Treaty in the Riksdag
Sweden held the Presidency of the EU in the last six months of 2009. Formally, it was the Government that held the Presidency, but the Riksdag was also affected and hosted a number of conferences. The EU member states take turns to hold the EU Presidency. On 1 January 2010, Spain took over the Presidency from Sweden.EU Presidency 2009