The State Budget procedure
Twice a year, the Swedish Minister for Finance takes a very public stroll from the Ministry of Finance to the Riksdag, attended by the cameras of the media.
The intense interest is due to the fact that it is on these occasions the Government's economic and budget policy proposals are laid before the Riksdag.
In the spring, the Spring Fiscal Policy Bill is presented and, in the autumn, the Government's Budget Bill.
The two Bills differ in content. The Spring Fiscal Policy Bill contains the Government's proposed guidelines for economic policy over the next few years. In the Budget Bill, these proposals are then turned into a central government budget for the year to come, containing detailed proposals for the distribution of government expenditure between the various expenditure areas.
When the Minister for Finance presents the Spring Fiscal Policy Bill or the Budget Bill to the Riksdag, this represents the culmination of a process ongoing in the Government Offices throughout the year. Before reaching this point, forecasts have to be compiled, expenditure areas calculated and renegotiated and a host of decisions have to be taken.
