Sweden as a NATO Ally
Sweden is a member of NATO. This means that Sweden is committed to safeguarding the Alliance’s values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law. NATO strengthens Sweden’s security and the stability in our region, in Europe and as well as in the Transatlantic area. As an Ally, Sweden contributes to the security of the whole alliance against all types of threats.
Civil preparedness is a central pillar of Allies’ resilience and therefore a critical enabler for the Alliance’s collective defence. The work aims at strengthen a society’s ability to resist and recover from major disruptions and crises such as armed attack, hybrid attacks and interruptions in critical infrastructure or natural disasters. Fundamentally, it is about ensuring the continuity of critical societal functions, including access to food and water, health care, transport, energy and communication.
The government has tasked the Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency with coordinating Sweden’s participation in NATO’s civil preparedness efforts. The agency also represents Sweden in the Civil Protection Group (CPG) under the Resilience Committee. Additionally, the agency serves as the Swedish Point of Contact for the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response and Coordination Centre (EADRCC), that coordinates disaster response within the Alliance.
The Swedish participation in NATO’s civil preparedness structures
Sweden is represented by a number of authorities in NATO’s civil preparedness work. This work offers opportunities for mutual exchange on how to strengthen societal resilience in relation to the NATO Baseline Requirement for National Resilience (NBR).
According to instructions from the government (Fö 2024/02069) shall the Swedish authorities work from the following starting points in the NATO work:
Contribute to NATO’s policy development and capacity-building in areas of resilience and civil preparedness, as well as share lessons learned from strengthening and developing civil defence within the framework of total defence with NATO and its Allies.
Based on the objectives for civil defence, draw on best practises of other Allies’ in working with NATO Baseline Requirements in order to further develop crisis preparedness and civil defence in Sweden.
Contribute to and benefit from NATO’s knowledge in psychological defence and contribute to the development within NATO in this field.
Work toward enhanced cooperation and synergies between NATO and the EU in the area of resilience and contribute to an increased understanding of how NATO and the EU complement and differ from each other.
Cooperate with the other Allies on the development and planning of crisis preparedness and civil defence in order to facilitate cross-border support and cooperation.
The role of the Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency in NATO civil preparedness work
The agency is tasked with maintaining an overview of Sweden’s participation in NATO’s civil preparedness efforts. This includes, for example, regularly convening Swedish authorities involved in this work. In addition, the Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency participates in the Planning Group for Civil Protection (CPG).
According to government instructions (Fö 2024/02069) the agency is responsible for distributing NATO information to Swedish authorities. The Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency is also responsible to continuously inform the Government Offices about its coordination efforts, and on cross-sectoral aspects from the work in the planning groups.
Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response and Coodination Centre
The Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response and Coordination Centre (EADRCC) is a NATO body that coordinates disaster response and civil reporting. EADRCC brings together staff from several countries and conducts civilian training activities in which Sweden can contribute. The Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency is the national point of contact for EADRCC. The Duty officer at the agency is the main point of contact for inquiries from countries in need of support. In recent years, EADRCC have handled requests related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.