Gå direkt till innehållet
Europeiska kommissionens logotyp
svsv

Sweden

Details of Sweden's support measures to help citizens and companies during the significant economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Commission has adopted support measures under the state aid Temporary Framework and EU state aid rules. These measures aim to help citizens and companies and mitigate the significant economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic:

  • On 7 December 2021, the Commission approved a €133 million scheme to support the rail freight and passenger sector in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The assistance, in the form of a reduction of charges due by railway companies to access rail infrastructure in both sectors, aims to help maintain the competitiveness of rail compared to other modes of transport, in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal. 

  • On 27 July 2021, the Commission confirmed that the modification of an existing compensation scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak was in line with the EU state aid rules. The Commission approved the original scheme in June 2020 and its subsequent amendments, in October 2020 and March 2021. The latest amendments include an overall estimated budget increase by €224 million, an extension of the aid-granting period, a new round of aid for the period between August 2020  and April 2021, as well as a modification of the eligibility criteria, in particular the ranges of turnover decline for aid eligibility. The beneficiaries are entitled to receive support amounting to a maximum of 75% (100% in case of no turnover) of the uncovered fixed costs incurred in the eligible period, up to €4 million monthly per beneficiary.

  • On 12 July 2021, the Commission approved an approximately €150 million aid measure to support Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) aviation company in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. Under the state aid Temporary Framework, the aid, in the form of direct loans, aims to provide SAS with liquidity support due to the new travel restrictions and containment measures imposed to limit the spread of the virus.

  • On 2 July 2021, the Commission approved a €297 million scheme to support organisers of events. Under the state aid Temporary Framework, the support, in the form of direct grants, aims to compensate organisers for potential losses incurred in case of cancellation of severe restrictions of events scheduled to take place between 1 June and 31 December 2021.
  • On 18 June 2021, the Commission approved the modification of an existing scheme to support companies active in air ambulance services in the context of the coronavirus outbreak to be in line with the state aid Temporary Framework. The scheme was extended until August 2021, with a budgetary increase from €5 million to €6.2 million. The support, in the form of direct grants, aims to restore the liquidity of air ambulance companies and ensure the continuation of their activity during and after the outbreak.
  • On 17 June 2021, the Commission approved the modification of an existing rent abatement scheme, initially approved in April 2020 and subsequently modified in February and April 2021, aimed at supporting tenants operating in several sectors that have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Under the state aid Temporary Framework, the budget was increased from the initial €453 million to €795 million, and subsequently to €1.38 billion.The duration of the scheme was extended to  September 2021.
  • On 11 March 2021, the Commission approved a scheme of approximately €16.3 million to support air traffic control services affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Under the state aid Temporary Framework, the scheme, in the form of loans, aims to cover the losses for 2020 and 2021 incurred by small and medium sized companies active that have suffered significant losses in revenues due to the drop in the number of flights.
  • On 15 February 2021, the Commission approved a scheme of around €1.4 billion to support the uncovered fixed costs of companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Under the state aid Temporary Framework, the public support, in the form of direct grants, is open to companies active in all sectors except the financial one. The purpose of the scheme is to mitigate the economic difficulties and the sudden liquidity shortages the beneficiaries are facing due to the restrictive measures imposed by the Swedish government to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
  • On 5 February 2021, the Commission found an aid scheme to support the economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak to be in line with the state aid Temporary Framework. The previous scheme, approved in April 2020 and first extended until end December 2020, consists of guarantees on new loans granted by commercial banks to support companies, mainly small and medium-sized enterprises affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The re-introduction of the scheme until end December 2021, with a budget of around €4.9 billion, aims to limit the risk associated with issuing loans to those companies most severely affected by the economic impact of the current crisis, facilitating their access to liquidity and ensuring the continuation of their activity.
  • On 29 January 2021, the Commission approved an aid scheme worth around €66.9 million, to support package travel organisers affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Under the state aid Temporary Framework, the measure aims to support organisers of package travel that have not yet refunded travellers after cancellations of bookings due to the coronavirus outbreak. The support, in the form of subsidised interest rates for loans, aims to facilitate access to finance and mitigate the sudden liquidity shortages that beneficiaries are facing as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
  • On 13 October, under EU State aid rules, two schemes to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak and related restrictive measures implemented to limit the spread of the coronavirus in May, June and July 2020. The first scheme, a prolongation of an existing scheme, aims to compensate companies for damages suffered due to the coronavirus outbreak by earmarking €3.7 billion in support for companies that have experienced a net turnover decline. The second scheme, approved under the State aid Temporary Framework, opens an estimated budget of approximately €239 million to Swedish companies that were able to resume their operations in June and July 2020 but still faced a turnover decline due to the economic situation and general safety and health measures limiting customer access. 
  • On 8 October, the prolongation of the tax exemption measure for biofuels in Sweden until 31 December 2020. The objective of the measure was to increase the use of biofuels and reduce the use of fossil fuels in transport. The Commission assessed the measures under EU State aid rules, in particular the Guidelines on State Aid for environmental protection and energy 2014-2020. The Commission found that such tax exemptions are necessary and appropriate for stimulating the production and consumption of domestic and imported biofuels. In addition, the scheme will contribute to the efforts of both Sweden and the EU as a whole to deliver on the Paris agreement and move towards the 2030 renewables and CO₂ targets.
  • on 17 August 2020, Danish and Swedish plans to contribute up to SEK 11 billion (approximately €1 billion) to the recapitalisation of SAS, of which about SEK 6 billion (approximately €583 million) will be provided by Denmark and SEK 5 billion (approximately €486 million) by Sweden. The recapitalisation measure is part of a larger recapitalisation package, which also foresees a significant participation of private investors, including the conversion of outstanding privately-held debt instruments into equity.
  • on 6 July 2020, under EU State aid rules, a schemeof around €9.5 million to compensate passenger ferry companies for damages suffered due to the coronavirus outbreak. Since mid-March 2020, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has put in place travel restriction measure necessary to limit the spread of the virus. Borders with several neighbouring countries were closed, including Denmark, Finland, Poland, and Norway. All these events severely affected ferry companies having traffic to and from Sweden. These passenger ferry companies have been particularly affected by the outbreak as they were forced to reduce traffic, cancel lines and take vessels out of traffic, experiencing a dramatic decline in passenger numbers. In addition, all crew members of affected vessels have been placed on short-term lay-off. Under the scheme, the ferry companies will be entitled to compensation for damages incurred between 24 March and 31 July 2020, in the form of tax deductions on wage-related costs for seafarers. The compensation will cover the damages calculated as the difference between the lost revenues from the ships lying at quay and the savings in their variable costs for the period when they were prevented from operating, compared to the same period in 2019. Sweden will compensate damages only in relation to the period for which the travel restrictions and borders closures are still effectively in place, while ensuring that damages can no longer be considered to be incurred when the ferry companies can operate again (i.e. when borders are reopened and/or the strict travel restrictions are lifted). The Commission found that the scheme is in line with Article 107(2)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which enables the Commission to approve State aid measures granted by Member States to compensate specific companies or specific sectors for the damages directly caused by exceptional occurrences, such as the coronavirus outbreak.
  • on 29 June 2020, under EU State aid rule, the prolongation of tax exemption measures for non food-based biogas and bio propane used for heating or as motor fuel in Sweden. Under two separate schemes, Sweden exempts from energy and CO₂ taxation (i) biogas that is used in heat generation (former scheme last prolonged in 2018) and (ii) biogas that is used as motor fuel (former scheme last prolonged in 2015). With today's decisions, the Commission approves for both schemes a 10-year prolongation of the tax exemption (2021-2030), with two modifications: i) limiting the tax exemption to only non-food based biogas and ii) extending the tax exemption to non-food based bio-propane. The objective of the tax exemption is to increase the use of biogas and bio-propane and to reduce the use of fossil fuels and their greenhouse gas emissions, while facilitating the transition towards advanced biofuels. The Commission assessed the measures under EU State aid rules, in particular the Guidelines on State Aid for environmental protection and energy 2014-2020. The Commission found that the tax exemptions were necessary and appropriate for stimulating the production and consumption of domestic and imported biogas and bio propane, without unduly distorting competition in the Single Market. In addition, the schemes will contribute to the efforts of both Sweden and the EU as a whole to deliver on the Paris agreement and move towards the 2030 renewables and CO₂ targets.
  • on 24 April 2020, a Swedish State guarantee in favour of Scandinavian airline SAS to be in line with EU State aid rules (Article 107(2)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union). The measure aims at partly compensating the airline for the damage suffered due to the coronavirus outbreak. SAS is a major network airline operating in Sweden, Denmark and Norway. On 11 April 2020 the Commission approved a State guarantee scheme for airlines notified by Sweden. This new measure complements the existing scheme. It will partly compensate SAS for the damage suffered due to the cancellation or re-scheduling of its flights as a result of the imposition of travel restrictions linked to the coronavirus. The support will take the form of a State guarantee on a revolving credit facility in favour of SAS. Sweden will guarantee up to approximately €137 million of such revolving credit facility.
  • on 22 April under EU State aid rules, a scheme of approximately €38 million that compensates companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak for the loss of revenue or additional costs related to the cancellation or postponement of cultural events. Under the scheme, those operators will be entitled to compensation for the damages suffered, in the form of direct grants covering 75% of their loss of revenue or additional costs up to SEK 1 million (approx. €90,600), and 50% for the part of the losses above SEK 1 million. Aid may be granted up to a maximum amount of SEK 10 million (approx. €906,000) per beneficiary. The Commission assessed the measure under Article 107(2)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which enables the Commission to approve State aid measures granted by Member States to compensate specific companies or specific sectors (in the form of schemes) for the damages directly caused by exceptional occurrences.
  • a Swedish loan guarantee scheme to support airlines affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework adopted by the Commission on 19 March 2020, as amended on 3 April 2020.
  • on 2 April 2020, under the Temporary Framework, an aid scheme to support the economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. This is a guarantee scheme for new loans granted by commercial banks to support companies, mainly SMEs, affected by the coronavirus outbreak. It aims at limiting the risk associated with issuing loans to those companies most severely affected by the economic impact of the current crisis, thus ensuring the continuation of their activity.