The Swedish government has proposed a law that would increase the powers of the coast guard in sea surveillance, in order to strengthen security in the Baltic Sea, the defense ministry of this Nordic country said on Friday.
The Baltic Sea region has for some time been in a state of heightened alert after a series of incidents with underwater cables and gas pipelines that were damaged in the years following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Additional concern was caused by recent drone and airspace violations in the region.
“We did not choose our external situation, but we must face the reality we are facing,” said Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin.
In the meantime, NATO, of which Sweden is a member, announced on Saturday that it is upgrading its mission in the Baltic Sea by deploying an air defense frigate and additional resources, after drone incidents in Denmark.
The proposed measures aim to increase Sweden’s capacity to protect critical infrastructure and navigation security, at a time when security challenges in the Baltic Sea are further deepening.
