The Swedish government announced on Thursday that it will double its civil defence budget over the next three years to strengthen the country’s resilience in terms of infrastructure, relief and health services in the event of war.
“The lessons learned from (the war in) Ukraine show that it is important to ensure the functioning of key sectors of society”the government said in a statement. “Russia has actively sought to disrupt Ukraine’s energy infrastructure… which has affected many sectors of Ukrainian society”.
Sweden will therefore add two billion crowns to its civil defence budget this year, bringing it to 8.5 billion crowns (740 million euros), with an annual budget of 15 billion crowns in sight by 2028, Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin explained at a press conference. The funds will go towards strengthening health and rescue services, providing food and drinking water, and improving transport and energy infrastructure.
Sweden in NATO
In mid-April, the government announced that it would spend an additional 385 million crowns on this expenditure item in 2024. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) estimated last year that an annual budget of 20 billion crowns was needed to meet the country’s defence needs.
Sweden, which joined NATO in early March, is investing heavily in its defence. The country had cut military spending after the end of the Cold War but reversed course after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
In January, Carl-Oskar Bohlin sparked controversy when he said at a defence conference that:“There could be a war in Sweden”. Shortly afterwards, the commander-in-chief of the Swedish armed forces, Michael Biden, said that the Swedes should “prepare mentally for war”In 2024, Sweden crossed the threshold of 2% of GDP devoted to defense spending, a target set by NATO, reaching the threshold of 2.2%.
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