Martin Johansson, Alva Chambert, Hampus Peterson and Isak Lefvert have authored the Sweden chapter in Foreign Direct Investment Regimes 2026. The chapter provides an overview of Sweden’s foreign direct investment screening regime and its impact on companies, investors and transactions in sensitive sectors.
The screening mechanism under the Foreign Direct Investment Screening Act (the FDI Act), complemented by the framework set out in the Protective Security Act, covers investments in a wide range of sensitive and security-critical sectors. The system applies regardless of the investor’s nationality, meaning that Swedish and other EU-based investors may be subject to the notification requirement. In an international comparison, Sweden stands out as an unusually large number of investments fall within the scope of the Swedish regime.
The relevant authorities may prohibit, or impose conditions on, transactions that have a negative impact on Swedish national security, public order and public safety. Administrative fines may be imposed on an investor who has breached e.g. the notification obligation or who has completed a transaction before the authority's approval. Against this background, companies must carefully assess how their transactions may be affected by the Swedish FDI rules. The Swedish chapter of ICLG’s FDI Guide, authored by Vinge’s experts, provides an updated overview of the regulatory framework.
This year’s chapter builds on an additional year of experience with the FDI Act, which entered into force on 1 December 2023. A steadily increasing number of notifications has been recorded, with a majority of the notified investments being approved within the statutory 25-day review period. Prohibitions, conditions, and sanctions remain rare, although a few cases have occurred during the past year.
Read the full chapter here
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