On Wednesday 9 February, the European Commission referred Sweden to the European Court of Justice for failing to communicate some of the national measures necessary to transpose the Firearms Directive. In a statement, the Commission said that it had also decided to ask the Court to impose financial penalties on the country.
The Firearms Directive sets minimum standards for the acquisition, possession and commercial exchange in the EU of civilian firearms, such as those used for shooting and hunting for sport.
These provisions allow for the lawful use and circulation of firearms. The revised directive in 2017 had to be transposed by 14 September 2018. The Commission considers that the Swedish transposition is insufficient in particular with regard to rules on the activities of gunsmiths and brokers, firearms with a magazine and a removable high-capacity magazine, semi-automatic firearms and entertainment weapons, which could easily be converted into lethal firearms, the statement adds.
The amount of the fines has not yet been specified by the Commission. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)