Översvämningsförordningens betydelse för fysisk planering / The impact of the EU Flood Directive on physical planning in Sweden
This paper is about the EU Flood Directive and its implementation in Swedish laws and regulations. The effect of the Directive on flood management in Sweden is analysed with special focus on physical planning. The Swedish Flood Ordinance gives most of the responsibility for flood related actions to national and regional authorities, with the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency representing the national level and the county boards representing the regional level. This means that the role of Swedish municipalities, which have a very strong legal position when it comes to physical planning, is left unclear. This is unfortunate and probably not beneficial for the outcome of the whole process. The two examples of Karlstad and Kristianstad illustrate potential problems.