Parliamentary assemblies

Some 100 members of the Riksdag are included in the Riksdag's delegations to nine parliamentary assemblies. The purpose of the assemblies includes building networks between parliamentarians, creating exchange of experience and working for improvements within selected areas.

At the beginning of each electoral period, the Riksdag elects the members who are to make up the various delegations. Members are elected to such delegations as the OSCE delegation and the IPU delegation. The delegation to the Nordic Council is elected at the beginning of every Riksdag session.

The members of the Riksdag who have been appointed participate in regular meetings, called sessions, and discuss current issues. At the sessions, the participants of the meetings finally adopt resolutions. Resolutions are publicly declared political decisions and recommendations directed towards the governments or parliaments of the member states. As a rule, they are non-binding for national governments and parliaments.

The number of member states in the assemblies varies, which means that the sessions are excellent arenas in which members of the Riksdag can meet colleagues from other parts of the world.

The Nordic Council

The parliaments and governments of the Nordic countries cooperate in the Nordic Council. The Council works in the same way as a national parliament – but at the Nordic level.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) works to create a common set of core values founded on human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Sweden was one of the founders of the Council of Europe and its parliamentary assembly in 1949. The Council of Europe has 46 member countries today.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA)

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the OSCE, is an organisation for security policy dialogue and cooperation in Europe. The organisation works to prevent conflicts and to protect human rights. An important task for its parliamentary assembly is to monitor parliamentary elections in different countries.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is a global organisation of parliaments of independent states. It was founded in 1889 with the purpose of working for peace and international cooperation. The organisation has 178 national parliaments as members.

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA)

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is a forum for members of parliament from the NATO member states and associated members. The Assembly works with defence and security policy issues in a broad perspective. Since 2003, the Riksdag has been an associated member and has had full access to the activities of the Assembly since 2022.

Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UfM)

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UfM) is a meeting place for parliamentarians from the EU member states and the Mediterranean countries. The objective of the Assembly is to create a common area around the Mediterranean where there is peace and stability, shared prosperity and strengthened cooperation in social and cultural issues, based on fundamental principles such as respect for human rights and democracy.

The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC)

The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, BSPC, is a forum for political dialogue between parliamentarians in the Baltic Sea region. The purpose of this parliamentary cooperation is to highlight and push issues of importance for the Baltic Sea region and to support various initiatives that promote environmentally and socially sustainable development.

The Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region (CPAR)

The Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region (CPAR) is a forum for political dialogue between parliamentarians, that is, member of national parliaments, in the Arctic region. The purpose of this cooperation is to promote matters of importance for the Arctic region and its population. The focus is on the conditions for addressing the challenges and utilising the opportunities in a changed Arctic.

The Barents Parliamentary Conference

The Barents Parliamentary Conference has the purpose of highlighting and promoting issues of common interest to countries and regions in the Barents region. This includes northern Finland, northern Sweden, northern Norway and north-western Russia.