Environmental Policy in Sweden

The modern environmental policy
Probably the most effective manner to implement and manage policy is using legislation and acts. The current environmental legislation was enforced in 1999 when all existing environmental acts were united in to one – the Environmental code whose aim is to promote sustainable development. It is the major piece of environmental legislation today and includes all fundamental environmental rules (waste management, permits for hazardous activities and so on) however more sophisticated and detailed resolutions are affirmed by government. Environmental rules that are included in The Environmental Code are the ones that implements basic ideas of the EU’s directives – the precautionary principle, polluter pays principle, product choice principle, principles regarding resource management and recycling regarding activities and measures. These rules have preventive character, i.e., they are created in order to prevent unwelcomed negative effects on environment. In addition, licensing authorities and supervisory bodies have rights to make decisions based on these rules. Another basic ideas and things the Code define are national parks, reserves and other types of area protection, penalties for an environmental crime and it also defines environmental quality standards (EQS). EQS is not only considered as policy instrument, but also as knowledge of what human beings and natural environment can withstand. At the moment, EQS exist in air, noise, fish and other water dwellers waters. EQS are attained using different action programmes which efficiency is regulated by frequent monitoring. In practice the actions programmes manifest themselves as, f.e., for air pollution as a regulation of road traffic and gas emissions. Under normal conditions efficiency of the actions programmes is reassessed in every six years (Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, N/A).
As for today’s environmental policy, its main goal is to pass on to the next generation a society in which all major environmental problems has been solved.
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