Sweden/ 3. Competence, decision-making and administration  

3.3 Inter-ministerial or intergovernmental co-operation

Since implementation of policies is typically a matter for government agencies rather than for the ministries themselves, inter-agency cooperation is much more common than inter-ministerial cooperation.

Several government agencies – but primarily the Swedish Arts Council and the National Heritage Board – are cooperating with and supporting the regional and local levels of government. Cooperation between the national and regional levels in cultural policy is currently being reformed according to the Cultural Cooperation Model (see chapter 4.1). The objective is that the use of nationally supported regional cultural policy should be determined by agreements between the national and the regional governments. This procedure is tested in five regions during 2011. The Swedish Arts Council is responsible for coordinating this process.

In 2009 the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications increased cooperation on issues relating to creative industry. This is currently the main area for inter-ministerial cooperation. This cooperation supported by The Council for Cultural and Creative Industries. The Council is charged with supporting the government in its work with the national work plan on cultural and creative industries, but also with "initiating and stimulating a broader discussion on culture and creativity, what these can mean both for business and for society at large." Both ministries are also financing programmes relating to creative industry.

Since 2009, an increasing number of regional governments are responsible for allocating national government grants to regional institutions and other cultural funding. This funding is subject to agreements with the Swedish Arts Council, acting as a representative of the national government within the framework of the Cultural Cooperation Model introduced in 2009 and now covering all regions except for Stockholm County (see chapter 4.1).

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