Sweden & the World — EU, UN, NATO

Sweden in the European Union

Sweden joined the European Union on 1 January 1995, after Swedish voters approved membership in a national referendum in 1994. Since then, EU law has been part of Swedish law, and Sweden takes part in the EU's single market, customs union, and shared decision-making.

Swedish voters elect 21 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) every five years. The Swedish government is also represented in the Council of the European Union, where ministers from member states negotiate EU laws together with the European Parliament.

Sweden uses the Swedish krona (SEK), not the euro. In a 2003 referendum, Swedish voters rejected adopting the euro, and Sweden has not joined the eurozone. The country is, however, part of the EU's Schengen area, which allows passport-free travel between most EU countries.

Sweden in NATO

For most of the 20th century, Sweden followed a policy of military non-alignment. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Sweden applied for NATO membership together with Finland. Finland joined in 2023, and Sweden became a full NATO member in March 2024.

NATO membership means Sweden is part of a collective defense alliance — an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all. This was one of the biggest shifts in Swedish foreign and security policy in decades.

Sweden in the United Nations

Sweden has been a member of the United Nations since 1946, the year after the UN was founded. Swedish governments have historically emphasized the UN as the central forum for international cooperation, peace, and human rights.

Sweden has a strong tradition of UN peacekeeping, contributing troops, police, and civilian experts to UN missions. Sweden also cooperates closely with the UN refugee agency UNHCR on refugee protection and resettlement.

Foreign aid and development cooperation

Sweden is one of the world's most generous donors of foreign aid. The Swedish government has a long-standing target of dedicating around 1% of gross national income (GNI) to international development cooperation — well above the UN target of 0.7%. The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) channels much of this aid.

Swedish foreign policy traditionally emphasizes human rights, democracy, gender equality, and climate. These priorities shape how Sweden votes in international organizations and which projects it funds abroad.

Nordic and regional cooperation

Sweden cooperates closely with its Nordic neighbours — Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway — through the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers. Nordic citizens have long enjoyed the right to live and work freely in each other's countries.

Sweden is also a member of the Council of Europe (which oversees the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights) and the OECD, an economic cooperation forum for developed economies.

Refugees and asylum

Sweden has long been an active receiver of refugees and works with UNHCR on resettlement programs. Asylum and migration are governed both by Swedish law and by EU rules under the Common European Asylum System. Migrationsverket (the Swedish Migration Agency) handles individual applications.

What else is on the test?

Sweden & the World is just one of 20 topic areas covered on the medborgarskapsprovet. The other 19 cover democracy, laws, history, healthcare, education, work, taxes, housing, geography, integration, and Swedish values. See the full topic list →