On June 26, 2026, Sweden's Landsbygds- och infrastrukturdepartementet published promemoria LI2026/01284, Föroreningar förorsakade av fartyg, amending lagen (1980:424) and förordningen (1980:789) to transpose Directive (EU) 2024/3101, and set the remiss close for October 30, 2026. Swedish shipowners, including Föreningen Svensk Sjöfart, operators of ships calling at Swedish ports that discharge sewage, garbage, packaged harmful substances or exhaust-gas cleaning residues, port waste-reception operators through Avfall Sverige, and ship managers and masters liable for the extended vattenföroreningsavgift must file a remiss response with the ministry by October 30, 2026 on the extended discharge bans and fee, the attempt offence and the aggravated offence, or a later response sits outside the remiss file used before any lagrådsremiss or proposition.
If the draft is later adopted, those discharges can draw the extended vattenföroreningsavgift, and oil or other harmful liquids an aggravated offence of up to six years' imprisonment, from the proposed July 6, 2027 entry into force.
- Deadline : October 30, 2026, consultation closes (remiss response)
- Who : Swedish shipowners and port-call operators, port waste-reception operators, and masters and ship managers exposed to the extended fee
- What : File a remiss response on LI2026/01284 covering the extended discharge bans and vattenföroreningsavgift, attempt criminalisation, and the aggravated offence
- Otherwise : A late response is outside the remiss file. If adopted, the extended fee and up to six years' imprisonment for oil and other harmful liquids apply from July 6, 2027
- Official source : Landsbygds- och infrastrukturdepartementet, promemoria LI2026/01284
What closes on October 30, 2026
Responses on promemoria LI2026/01284 are due by October 30, 2026. The June 26, 2026 text, drafted after the November 18, 2025 mandate to rådman Alexander Nilsson, extends the discharge bans and the vattenföroreningsavgift beyond oil, lets prosecutors seek the fee alongside or after a criminal case, criminalises attempts for oil and other harmful liquids, and adds an aggravated offence of up to six years' imprisonment.
Part of the amending act is proposed for January 1, 2027 and the remainder for July 6, 2027, the transposition deadline for Directive (EU) 2024/3101 (OJ L 2024/3101, December 16, 2024). The dates stand as proposals until the Riksdag adopts a lag and the Government utfärdar it.
| Step | Date |
|---|---|
| Promemoria published, remiss opened | June 26, 2026 |
| Remiss response deadline | October 30, 2026 |
| Proposed partial entry into force | January 1, 2027 |
| Proposed remaining entry into force | July 6, 2027 |
Who should respond
File if you are a Swedish shipowner (Föreningen Svensk Sjöfart), a port waste-reception operator (Avfall Sverige), or a master or ship manager exposed to the extended fee, including a foreign-flag company on a Swedish-water operation or a Swedish port call.
What to prepare before October 30, 2026
- Send the remissyttrande on LI2026/01284 to Landsbygds- och infrastrukturdepartementet by October 30, 2026.
- State a position on extending the discharge bans and the vattenföroreningsavgift beyond oil.
- State a position on attempt criminalisation and on the aggravated offence of up to six years' imprisonment.
- Mark which provisions would apply on January 1, 2027 and which on July 6, 2027.
- Name the master, ship manager or company function liable for the extended fee if the draft is adopted.
What happens otherwise
A response after October 30, 2026 is outside the remiss file used before any lagrådsremiss or proposition. The dossier names no fine for a missed remiss. If the draft is adopted, the extended fee can cover sewage, garbage, packaged harmful substances and exhaust-gas cleaning residues, and oil or other harmful liquids can draw up to six years' imprisonment, from the proposed July 6, 2027 entry into force. Prosecutors could seek the fee alongside or after criminal proceedings. Transportstyrelsen and Kustbevakningen are the agencies named for the existing regime.
