[Excerpt] This updated and fourth edition of Breaking New Ground in Sweden is an introduction to the main legal issues that arise when doing business in Sweden. Sweden has been a member of the European Union (EU) since 1 January 1995, and Swedish business law has since then been successively conformed to the standards of the EU. Many changes were already made under the European Economic Area, i.e., the European Union as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, (“EEA”) agreement, which came into force on 1 January 1994. The legislation accounted for in this booklet is current as of 1 March, 2006. This booklet does not purport to be an exhaustive description; local legal advice should always be obtained before entering into any business transaction.