Penalty and sanction charges

Some rules within the sphere of activities of the Swedish Chemicals Agency carry the penalty of a criminal offence. This means that non-compliance with applicable provisions may lead to a legal action or the decision to incur an environmental sanction charge.

Infringement of certain rules within the Swedish Chemicals Agency’s sphere of activities is liable to a fine according to Chapter 29 of the Environmental Code. This means that unless the provisions are complied with, this may result in such a fine.

Chapter 26 states that the enforcement authorities are responsible for reporting any suspicion of an offence to the police or prosecutor.

Some infringements are subject to an environmental sanction charge in accordance with Chapter 30 of the Environmental Code. The enforcement authorities responsible decide on the amount of the sanction charge.

Read more in the Environmental Code External link.

Details on the infringements resulting in an environmental sanction charge and the amount are contained in Chapter 7 of the Environmental Sanction Charges Ordinance (2012:259). The charge varies between SEK 5,000–20,000 depending on the nature of the infringement.

Read more in the Environmental Sanction Charges Ordinance (2012:259) External link.

Penalty and sanction charges are decided at national level. This means that each EU member state has its own national penalty and sanction charges which apply to infringements of EU harmonised legislation.

Last published 13 June 2023