Laws
“Laws” refer to statutes enacted by the Swedish Riksdag (parliament). Laws are usually publicised in the Swedish Statute Book (SFS). All Swedish laws are posted on the Riksdag’s website.
Ordinances
“Ordinance” refers to a statute enacted by the Swedish Government. Ordinances are also publicised in the Swedish Statute Book and are posted on the Riksdag’s website.
Regulations
“Regulations” refers to statutes enacted by government agencies. Government agencies must be empowered by the Government to issue regulations. The empowerment to issue regulations is thus preceded by an ordinance.
The Swedish Maritime Administration’s regulations are publicised in the Swedish Maritime Administration’s Statutes (SJÖFS), which are available here on the website.
International regulations
The main rule is that internationally drafted regulations become binding upon individual citizens only after they have been incorporated into Swedish law. This is accomplished through the enactment of a law, ordinance and/or regulation. EC regulations, however, have “immediate effect,” meaning they are binding upon the individual immediately without requiring incorporation into national law. An EC regulation has the same status as a law.