Warning: The parties in the Riksdag are locking Sweden into the EU – for ever

An ongoing constitutional amendment could make it virtually impossible for Sweden to leave the EU – even if a majority of the people and a majority of MPs so wish. If the decision goes ahead, it means that, in matters of constitutional law, Sweden risks being transformed into an undemocratic minority government. Ambition Sverige is now mobilising public opinion to stop this decision.

The first of two parliamentary decisions for this constitutional amendment was made on October 1st. The next and decisive decision is planned to be made immediately after the upcoming parliamentary election.

In 1994, 52.3 % of voters voted in favour of EU membership. In 2010, Sweden’s EU membership was enshrined in the Constitution. To date, such a constitutional amendment has required two simple majority decisions in the Riksdag.

This means that if a majority of the Swedish people later change their minds and wish to leave the EU, this enshrined EU membership must first be voted away. So far, this has been possible with precisely the two simple parliamentary majorities that in 2010 decided to enshrine EU membership in the basic law.

The idea behind constitutional laws is that they should form the backbone of a democratic rule of law. This is now about to change through a government bill in Parliament entitled Enhanced protection for democracy and the independence of the judiciary (2024/25:165). It proposes that a qualified majority should be required for the second and decisive parliamentary decision on a constitutional amendment.

This means that, in future, a parliamentary minority of just 34 % will be able to block such a decision. Even if a majority of the Swedish people and/or a parliamentary majority are in favour. Thus, in Sweden we have moved from democratic majority rule to undemocratic minority rule.

In practice, this means that Sweden's EU membership would likely be cemented forever. Given the current and expected future parliamentary situation, a two-thirds majority for leaving the EU seems unreasonable. Not least when considering the leverage the EU has over Sweden.

Likewise, it ought to be perfectly reasonable that the same simple parliamentary majority that enshrined EU membership in the constitution should also be able to remove it. 

The government's stated reason for this proposal is to prevent ”a suddenly inflamed public opinion from questioning otherwise established fundamental principles.” Critics argue that this reason is difficult to believe, given that a constitutional amendment including two parliamentary votes with a general election in between takes many years to implement, something that can hardly be driven by a ”suddenly inflamed public opinion.”.

This constitutional amendment alone has so far taken five years from directive to the first parliamentary decision. Several critics therefore argue that the proposal is instead intended to protect those currently in power and not the citizens.

The final decision on the bill will be taken after the 2026 election. Ambition Sverige is now mobilising to stop the proposal. We point out that, according to the latest opinion poll by Statistics Sweden (May 2025), up to three million voters are Eurosceptic, and that their ability to influence the outcome could be lost if the electoral threshold is raised. Under the new rules, a third of the Riksdag could thus determine whether Sweden will continue to uphold the constitutional principle of popular sovereignty or not. That is the very crux of the matter.  

Text: Ulf Ström, independent spokesperson on EU affairs, Ambition Sverige | Image: Ulf Ström and the European Parliament in Brussels | Photos: Ambition Sverige and Andrijko Z, CC BY-SA 4.0