Swedish Prime Minister Confirms Support for International Crime of Ecocide
Summary
Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has publicly confirmed government support for establishing ecocide as the fifth core crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, responding to questions from Green Party Member of the Riksdag Rebecka Le Moine during an open EU Committee meeting.
Le Moine, a longtime advocate of ecocide law, highlighted Ukraine's specific request for support on ecocide law, noting that Russian forces have targeted nature itself. Le Moine pressed further on Sweden's potential role, asking whether the government could help build support among other states. "You've previously been good at gathering support (...) and I hope and believe the EU could play a decisive role here," she said.
In response, Prime Minister Kristersson stated: "Sweden has said (...) we want to see it added as a fifth core crime in the Rome Statute to meet Ukraine's wishes in this." The Prime Minister's remarks represent the government's clearest endorsement to date.
Sweden has demonstrated remarkable momentum on ecocide law throughout 2024 and 2025. In November 2024, fourteen Swedish business leaders published an op-ed in Dagens Industri, Sweden's leading business newspaper, encouraging the government to take a pioneering role in supporting ecocide at the ICC. The signatories, including CEOs from SPP, Duni Group, Houdini Sportswear, and Icebug, emphasised that whilst the EU's revised Environmental Crime Directive will criminalise mass environmental destruction by 2026, "the EU covers only 7% of the Earth's land: a law with global reach is needed."
In June 2025, Sweden's Social Democrats, the country's largest political party, formally decided to back ecocide law at their party congress. In October 2025, all Swedish opposition parties - the Social Democrats, Centre Party, Green Party, and Left Party - submitted parliamentary bills calling for ecocide to become an international crime.
Pia Björstrand, President of End Ecocide Sweden, welcomed the Prime Minister's statement:
"This confirmation from the government is significant. Sweden now joins a growing coalition of states who recognise that the most severe environmental destruction deserves criminal accountability at the highest level. Ecocide law represents a foundational piece of international law that should always have been there—it's not a response to the climate and nature crisis, but rather the crisis exists because this legal framework was never established. With Sweden's strong diplomatic tradition and the remarkable consensus we're seeing across parliament and the business community, the country is well-positioned to champion this evolution in international law."
Monica Schüldt, Co-founder of Ecocide Law Alliance, added:
"What we are seeing in Sweden is that ecocide law is now recognised by business, civil society, and government as a practical legal evolution whose time has come. At June's event in Almedalen, representatives from major companies Swedbank, pension giant SPP, Volvo Buses, Scania, and major industry confederations were in full agreement that ecocide should be added to the Rome Statute. Some even said that they had been astonished to find that ecocide law is not yet in place. As far as these business representatives are concerned, ecocide law is foundational and in line with their personal values.
Prime Minister Kristersson's public backing reinforces what the business community has long understood: ecocide law would level the playing field and no longer place sustainable businesses at a competitive disadvantage."
You can find the full video recording of the session here (ecocide law mentioned at 1:27:55) and a full transcription here.