Background & Purpose
In recent years, there has been a trend in the EU where legal processes are used to silence or intimidate people from participating in public debate. To protect freedom of speech and information, Sweden is implementing new EU-wide rules against these strategic lawsuits.
The Decision
The parliament decided to strengthen the protection for those participating in public debate and introduced a new rule allowing courts to rule against parties who refuse to cooperate or follow court instructions in civil cases.
Does this affect you?
- Journalists and activists: They gain stronger legal protection against expensive and time-consuming lawsuits intended to silence their reporting or public engagement.
- Parties in civil disputes: They will experience faster court proceedings because the new sanction prevents the other side from intentionally delaying or ignoring the court's instructions.
In Practice
- Courts can dismiss lawsuits that are clearly designed to harass or silence critics.
- If a party refuses to answer the court or tries to delay the process on purpose, the court can now issue a default judgment (tredskodom).
- The new rules ensure that legal processes remain fair and focused on the actual dispute rather than intimidation.
- These changes will be applied by the courts starting in May 2026.