Authorization under the Paris Agreement
Since 2024, the Swedish Energy Agency's work with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement includes authorization. The Swedish Energy Agency authorizes entities and carbon credits.
Countries wishing to participate in international climate cooperation under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement must meet several requirements. One of these requirements is to have a Designated National Authority and processes for authorizing entities that want to participate in mitigation activities and authorizing carbon credits issued from such activities.
Since 2024, the Swedish Energy Agency has been the Designated National Authority in Sweden for such authorizations. The authorization processes are part of ensuring the quality of carbon credits transferred to Sweden under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
Sweden has implemented the Paris Agreement's rules on authorization in its national legislation. Through changes in national legislation the Swedish Energy Agency was designated the responsible authority for authorizations under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Regulations also govern the documentation that must be submitted to the agency when applying for authorization. Note that according to Swedish law, the Swedish version of the regulations is legally binding, even when there is an official translated version.
Regulation 2020:1180 on certain emissions of greenhouse gases, Chapter 9a (in Swedish, riksdagen.se)
The Swedish Energy Agency has two different mandates under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement
The first mandate involves acting as a buyer of carbon credits on behalf of Sweden. The second mandate designates the agency as the National Authority for approving and authorizing carbon credits and entities that wish to buy or generate these carbon credits. The different missions are handled by separate parts of the agency, under different departments.
