Tillsyn

Tillsyn is a Swedish term for supervision or oversight by public authorities. It covers the monitoring, inspection, auditing, and enforcement of compliance with laws and regulations across many sectors, including business, environment, health and safety, finance, and consumer protection. The purpose is to safeguard public interests, ensure safety and quality, protect consumers, and maintain fair competition and trust in institutions.

Practically, tillsyn is usually risk-based: regulators prioritize activities or organizations that pose greater risk of harm or non-compliance and allocate resources accordingly. Methods include on-site inspections, document reviews, interviews with staff, and review of procedures and controls. When gaps are found, authorities may require corrective actions, set deadlines, or issue enforceable orders. In serious or repeated cases, enforcement may include fines, license revocation, or other sanctions.

Legal basis for tillsyn rests in country-specific laws and regulations, and different agencies supervise different areas. In Sweden, for example, Finansinspektionen oversees financial markets; Arbetsmiljöverket enforces occupational safety and the work environment; Läkemedelsverket supervises medicines; other agencies cover environmental, food, and consumer protection. Decisions by these authorities are typically subject to administrative appeals and are implemented through formal regulatory instruments.

Overall, tillsyn serves to uphold legal compliance, public safety, and market integrity by detecting, deterring, and correcting violations while providing predictable rules for actors. The term is used broadly in public administration and is central to regulatory governance in Sweden and other Nordic countries.