Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (Swedish: Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap, MSB) is a Swedish administrative authority, organised under the Ministry of Defence. The agency is responsible for issues concerning civil protection, public safety, emergency management and civil defence. Responsibility refers to measures taken before, during and after an emergency or crisis. MSB work in close cooperation with the municipalities, the county councils, other authorities, organisations and the private sector to achieve increased safety and security at all levels of society. This is done through education, support, training exercises, regulation and supervision.^[1]

Front page of the 2018 edition of If crisis or war comes published by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency

Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency

Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap
Agency overview
Formed	1 January, 2009
Preceding agencies	Swedish Emergency Management Agency Swedish National Board of Psychological Defence Swedish Rescue Services Agency
Headquarters	Karlstad
Employees	1,000
Annual budget	SEK 1.2 billion (2019)
Minister responsible	Carl-Oskar Bohlin, (Minister for Civil Defence)
Agency executives	Mikael Frisell, (Director-General) Anna Starbrink, (Overdirectorl)
Parent agency	Ministry of Defence
Website	www.msb.se

The agency covers the whole spectrum of contingencies; from everyday road traffic accidents and fires, up to chemical emergencies, power cuts and other technical failures. Additionally, more serious emergencies, such as bomb threats and other antagonistic attacks, epidemics, natural disasters and war. In most cases, the responsibility for on-scene action does not lie with the Civil Contingencies Agency but with municipal rescue services, law enforcement agencies or other agencies.^[1]

History

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency was established 1 January 2009, when Swedish Rescue Services Agency (Swedish: Räddningsverket), the Swedish Emergency Management Agency (Swedish: Krisberedskapsmyndigheten) and the Swedish National Board of Psychological Defence (Swedish: Styrelsen för psykologiskt försvar) were merged into one body.^[2] In 2022 the Agency for Psychological Defence was established as a separate agency.^[3]

During the 2018 Sweden wildfires, Sweden requested help from European Union through the Emergency Response Coordination Centre at the European Commission's Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department. Sweden received help from Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland and Portugal. The help included firefighters, equipment and water bombing aircraft.^[4][5][6][7]

From 1 January 2026 the agency will be renamed as the Agency for Civil Defence.^[8]

Organisation

The MSB is based in Stockholm, Karlstad, Kristinehamn and Ljung. The MSB also has some colleges in Sandö, Revinge and Rosersberg. The agency has about 850 employees, led by Director-General Charlotte Petri Gornitzka. It's organised into five departments: Risk & Vulnerability Reduction Department, Emergency Management Development Department, Coordination and Operations Department, Evaluation and Monitoring Department and the Administration Department.^[9][10]

Directors-General

• 2009–2017: Helena Lindberg^[11]
• 2018–2021: Dan Eliasson
• 2021: Camilla Asp (acting)^[12]
• 2021–2024: Charlotte Petri Gornitzka^[13]
• 2024–: Mikael Frisell^[14]

Overdirector

• 2025–: Anna Starbrink^[15]

See also

• Ministry of Justice (Sweden)