Photo: Martijn Baudoin / Unsplash.
In Sweden, both the governmental initiative Fossil-free Sweden and the Swedish Climate Policy Council argue permitting processes need to become faster in order for Sweden’s industrial transition to be implemented in line with the timeline set by the 2017 Swedish Climate Act. Business representatives and organizations also claim permitting is too slow. Meanwhile, some have criticized the environmental damage done in Sweden that comes from activities conducted in accordance with environmental permits, which could be systemic flaw.
Many permitting processes work well, characterized by cooperation and dialogue among involved actors. By highlighting the factors that characterize well-functioning processes and lessons from positive experiences, best practices can be implemented more broadly. This was the objective of a workshop SEI organized in November 2020.
