Sweden’s membership is governed by the Act of Accession negotiated by Sweden and the Member States of the EU at the time. The Swedish Riksdag approved the Act of Accession following the public ‘yes’ vote in the referendum of November 1994. The Act contained provisions on how the EU would adapt its institutions to create space for Swedish representatives and on the various transitional rules for the application of EU legislation in Sweden.
Membership of the EU also required amendments to some aspects of the Swedish Constitution. Sweden has amended its Constitution several times due to its membership of the EU. An example of this is the possibility for the Riksdag to transfer decision-making rights to the EU as a whole.
As well as the referendum on EU membership in 1994, in 2003 Sweden held a referendum on whether to join the European monetary union. The vote resulted in a ‘no’ to Sweden introducing the euro as its currency.
The Swedish Riksdag and Government participate in EU cooperation at several different levels. The Government represents Sweden in EU contexts, but both the Government and the Riksdag participate in the process that leads up to EU legislative decisions.
Sweden has 10 votes in the Council of the European Union and 19 seats in the European Parliament. Sweden also participates in Schengen cooperation as a member of the EU passport union.