Tightening the criteria for the EU's anti-terrorism sanctions regime
What's at stake: Current EU criteria for terrorist listing effectively require a judicial investigation, indictment or conviction, making it hard to sanction state-backed actors such as Iran's Revolutionary Guard or the Wagner Group even though they are seen as security threats. The outcome affects the EU's sanctions toolkit and Sweden's ability to shape it.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether parliament should again press the government to pursue an update of the EU's legal framework for terrorist listing so that state-backed groups can be sanctioned, or whether this is already addressed by an earlier instruction to government and ongoing work.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee reaffirms its earlier instruction that the government should push for an EU review of the legal preconditions for terrorist listing, so the criteria capture today's threats and can be used against state-backed groups such as the Wagner Group and the IRGC, ideally through a model that allows listing without requiring prior judicial action but with strong legal safeguards. For certain other actors, such as the KGB or Gubopik, the committee finds no current legal basis for listing. Since the government is already active on this front — including tougher sanctions on Belarus and an ongoing review of the framework — the committee sees no need for a new initiative, and the motions are rejected.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 6 (S, C)
The Social Democrats and the Centre Party argue that the government should push harder to update the EU's legal framework for terrorism sanctions so that state-backed groups such as the IRGC and the Wagner Group can be listed, pointing out that parliament has already adopted an instruction on the matter which they feel has not been followed through clearly enough.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
V–
S–
MP–
C–
L–
KD–
M–
SD–
YesNoAbstainAbsent
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 6 by S, C.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
The plan's stance / Actual vote
AI
Vote
Confidence
Evidence
V
–
Yes 21/0/0/3
Sown reservation
–
No 0/93/0/13
MP
–
Yes 14/0/0/4
Cown reservation
–
No 0/17/0/7
L
–
Yes 14/0/0/2
KD
–
Yes 15/0/0/4
M
–
Yes 60/0/0/8
SD
–
Abstain 0/0/60/12
Committee proposal
Parliament rejects the motions
2024/25:1432 by Markus Wiechel et al. (SD) motions 1 and 2,
2024/25:1438 by Markus Wiechel et al. (SD) motion 25 and
2024/25:3162 by Kerstin Lundgren et al. (C) motions 23 and 24.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna
2024/25:1432 av Markus Wiechel m.fl. (SD) yrkandena 1 och 2,
2024/25:1438 av Markus Wiechel m.fl. (SD) yrkande 25 och
2024/25:3162 av Kerstin Lundgren m.fl. (C) yrkandena 23 och 24.
Riksdag decision: The Government has reported to Parliament on activities in the EU in 2024. The report addresses decisions and events in the Union and presents the breadth of the Union's matters based on work in the various ministerial councils.
It has been 30 years since Sweden joined the EU. Parliament notes that a strong EU gives Europe strength and Sweden a stronger voice in global matters. The year has been marked by a difficult international situation, with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and an escalated conflict in the Middle East. Continued strong economic, military, political and humanitarian support to Ukraine and expanded sanctions against Russia have permeated the EU's political agenda.
Rule of law matters remain high on the EU's agenda. Parliament emphasizes the importance of prioritizing these matters and that EU cooperation's fundamental values—freedom, democracy, equality and the principles of the rule of law—must be respected by the member states.
Parliament filed the report away, that is, concluded the matter.
Counter-proposals
The counter-proposal wants the EU to introduce a sanctions ladder for countries that undermine democratic values. (S, C) — Reservation 6
Motion 2024/25:1438 — Internationella relationer och mänskliga rättigheter av Markus Wiechel m.fl. (SD)
Motion 2024/25:22 — Befästningsarbeten längs EU:s östra gräns av Magnus Jacobsson (KD)
Motion 2024/25:25 — Fortsatt stöd till Ukraina av Magnus Jacobsson (KD)
Motion 2024/25:3023 — Försvar och samhällets krisberedskap av Peter Hultqvist m.fl. (S)
Motion 2024/25:3030 — Sverigedemokraternas biståndspolitik av Yasmine Eriksson m.fl. (SD)
Motion 2024/25:3038 — Stärkt beredskap och ett robustare samhälle av Daniel Helldén m.fl. (MP)
Motion 2024/25:3107 — Internationell samverkan av Morgan Johansson m.fl. (S)
Motion 2024/25:3162 — Internationellt samarbete i en utmanande tid av Kerstin Lundgren m.fl. (C)
Motion 2024/25:3355 — med anledning av skr. 2024/25:115 Verksamheten i Europeiska unionen under 2024 av Håkan Svenneling m.fl. (V)
Motion 2024/25:387 — Separat avtal mellan EU och de belarusiska demokratiska krafternas institutioner som en del av det förnyade östliga partnerskapet av Björn Söder och Markus Wiechel (båda SD)
Motion 2024/25:395 — EU:s avtal med och finansiering av Kubas regim av Björn Söder och Markus Wiechel (båda SD)
Motion 2024/25:516 — Målsättning att göra EU till renodlad frihandelsunion av Josef Fransson (SD)
Motion 2024/25:522 — Stöd för ett fritt och demokratiskt Belarus av Magnus Berntsson (KD)
Motion 2024/25:524 — Stöd för demokrati och mänskliga rättigheter på Kuba av Magnus Berntsson (KD)
Motion 2024/25:528 — Konfliktmineraler och deras offer av Gudrun Brunegård (KD)
Motion 2024/25:868 — Sveriges stöd för Ukrainas frihet och vägval mot Europa av Magnus Berntsson (KD)