July first is halfway through the year, which is the traditional time for new laws to take effect in Sweden.
On Thursday, nearly 70 new and revised laws went into action in different areas of Swedish society, from crime and punishment to education and travelling.
The current statute of limitations for murder, manslaughter, serious breeches of international law, genocide and terrorism have been removed, meaning prosecutors now have a free hand to investigate older crimes.
In the past, murder carried a 25-year statute of limitations. This means that the unsolved murder of the late Prime Minister Olof Palme, which happened in 1986, can continue to be investigated.
Meanwhile, people convicted of aggravated assault will serve longer sentences, not less than four years. The sentence times for other violent crimes is also rising.
After a spate of serious accidents involving leisure boats in recent years, the law will make it more difficult to drink and drive boats, lowering the legal alcohol limit for sailors.
College and university students will no longer have to join student unions or pay those compulsory fees.
Newly arrived immigrants and refugees will now get a financial bonus for learning Swedish quickly and the national monopoly for car inspections will also come to an end.
RSS