Conclusion and thanks

TALMANNEN

Honorable members, current and former! A parliamentary year filled with political activity, debates and decisions is coming to an end. Soon a summer will arrive when I hope you all will have the opportunity to rest and gather strength.

Following this adjournment, however, there will be interpellations debates, and there will also be interpellations debates next week. Certain parliamentary bodies will also convene during the summer, for example, the EU Committee. And even though the opening of the parliamentary session does not occur until the beginning of September, we will resume the chamber's meetings as early as August with further interpellations debates.

In August, the party groups' kick-off meetings also usually take place, and committees usually travel internationally. And you members usually resume the outward-facing constituency work. The Riksdag and its members are therefore active even during the summer.

And you members of the board must, as always, be ready to come to the Riksdag at short notice, even during periods when we have not planned to hold chamber meetings, if situations arise that require urgent parliamentary decisions.

Honorable members! As Speaker, I am keen that you all should have the best possible conditions to carry out your important mission. Therefore, I am pleased that during the spring I received the report from the parliamentary committee which, under the leadership of Berit Högman, has investigated the support for the Riksdag and you members. The committee's proposal aims primarily to strengthen the member perspective within various parts of the Riksdag Administration. This involves both changed ways of working and resource reinforcements.

A starting point for the committee's proposal is that the administrative burden for you members should be reduced so that you get more room to devote yourselves to the task as elected representatives. The committee also considers that the protection against threats and violence must be strengthened and proposes safety- and security-enhancing measures.

Several of the proposals are already being implemented. Others are being referred for consultation. The plan is that during the spring of 2026, you will make decisions on the proposals that require legislative changes so that the majority can enter into force before the next election period.

To give some examples from the Riksdag Administration's horizon regarding the work currently underway, I can mention that this autumn we are rolling out a modernized IT support, carefully calculated in the form of Microsoft 365, with new digital tools and communication and collaboration solutions – I'm just saying Teams.

We have also increased the pace of the renovations of overnight accommodation and are taking measures to increase safety there.

The ambition to provide you with the best possible conditions to carry out your mandate also guides the project Future's Parliament House, where we are carrying out an extensive renovation of the Riksdag's buildings. As you have surely noted, the renovation of the Cephalus block has now begun. The ambition is for the work to be completed towards the end of the next mandate period. After that, Riksdagshuset östra, Riksdagshuset västra, Neptunus, and Merkurius are next in line.

To safeguard your conditions to perform the mandate as a member of Parliament and to renovate our buildings is to care for the Riksdag as an institution. In the same way as the institution of the Riksdag is worthy of being safeguarded, the Riksdag building itself is part of the cultural heritage we care for.

That is why we have noted during the spring that the Riksdag building turns 120 years old this year. It was the theme for the Speaker's spring dinner. In connection with that, I inaugurated the Aron Johansson room, in memory of the building's architect, in the room that was previously called the Housing Committee's session hall. There, one can now, among other things, view the blueprints of the Riksdag building.

Honorable members! To nurture the Riksdag as an institution and safeguard your conditions to carry out your mandate also involves standing guard over the debate climate here in the Riksdag. For me, it is important that we conduct a debate that focuses on the issue and not on the person. It is among other reasons why we in the Speaker's Presidium from time to time remind you that in debates you should address the Speaker and not the opposing debaters.

I know that you share my ambition that we here in the chamber shall have a political debate that is straightforward and honest and truly clarifies the contradictions that exist in substance but which at the same time is characterized by a good tone and respect for each other's opinions. I also think that we, despite a sometimes harsh tone in the public debate, usually succeed in ensuring that the debate here is both objective and constructive.

Recently, however, I have noted that the high tone in the public debate is to some extent also noticeable here in the chamber. I am somewhat concerned about it. I would therefore ask us all to reflect on the consequences if we let this development continue in this direction, especially now as we approach an election year. In a time when democracy is being put to the test, we all need to consider what we can contribute to its defense. For us elected representatives, I believe that part of the answer is that we sometimes need to use our good judgment and exercise restraint.

Dear friends! Our joint efforts to defend democracy do not naturally limit themselves to the Riksdag building itself. It is something we do across the entire country.

In order to win over more people who are for the ideas of democracy and to inform about the Riksdag's role in our system of government, the Riksdag has developed a new traveling exhibition called Democracy Needs You! It is to tour the entire country. I had the pleasure of inaugurating it during my county visit in Kalmar this spring, and it is already traveling across the realm. It is an exhibition that emphasizes that democracy is about much more than just going and voting. In the exhibition, the two sides of democracy are symbolized by the realm's parliament, the Riksdag, and the home's parliament, the kitchen table.

Honorable members! Ten people here today have completed their parliamentary duties. I would therefore like to turn directly to you with a big and warm thank you for your efforts in the service of democracy.

Being an elected member of the Riksdag is one of the finest assignments one can receive in our democracy. With the voters' trust behind you, you represent them, your party, and your constituency here in the chamber, in the committees, and in the parliamentary work as a whole.

For the work here in the heart of democracy and for your efforts, you will now be thanked. Please stand up when you hear your name and remain standing. We applaud the thanked members in groups.

The Riksdag's Gold Needle and Diploma are awarded to Anna Starbrink. You were elected to the Riksdag in 2022 as a representative for the Liberals and Stockholm County. During your time in the Riksdag, you have been a member of the Committee on Defence and in the Swedish delegation to the Nordic Council.

The Riksdag's Golden Needle and Diploma are also awarded to Elin Söderberg. You were elected to the Riksdag in 2022 as a representative for Miljöpartiet and Västerbottens län. During your time in the Riksdag, you have been a member of the Committee on Industry.

Thank you very much for your efforts for the Riksdag, for democracy, and for Sweden!

(Applause)

The Riksdag medal of the eighth size is awarded to Linda S. Snecker. You were elected to the Riksdag in 2014 as a representative for Vänsterpartiet and Östergötlands län. We have therefore spent a number of years together on the Östergötland bench. During your time in the Riksdag, you have been a member of the Committee on Justice and the Committee on Transport.

I believe that from now on we will see each other not only on the streets of Norrköping, where we both live. I saw, in fact, this spring that you returned here in the capacity of a participant at the veteran association's annual meeting of the Riksdag. I also heard rumors that you are considering creating a youth wing within the veteran association.

The Riksdag's medal of the eighth size is also awarded to Rasmus Ling. You were elected to the Riksdag in 2014 as a representative for Miljöpartiet and Malmö municipality. You have been a member of four different committees and have sat on both the Swedish delegation to the Nordic Council and the members' council. But in the long row of assignments you have had during your time here, it is primarily the role as group leader and member of the Riksdag Board that has meant that you and I have had quite a bit to do with one another through the years. Warm thanks for good cooperation in the various contexts!

The Riksdag medal of the eighth size is also awarded to Robert Hannah.

You were elected to the Riksdag in 2014 as a representative for the Liberals and the Gothenburg municipality. During your time in the Riksdag, you have been vice chairman of the Cultural Committee and a member of the Civil Affairs Committee. You have used your experiences from growing up in the Gothenburg suburb Tynnered to passionately drive issues regarding exclusion, gang crime, and honor culture.

Warm thanks to you for your efforts for the Riksdag, for democracy and for Sweden!

(Applause)

So we come to the Riksdag's medal of the twelfth size, which is awarded to Gunilla Svantorp.

You were elected to the Riksdag in 2010 as a representative for the Socialdemokraterna and Värmlands län. Here, you have served as chairman of the Education Committee and as a member of the Transport Committee and the War Delegation. Now, you have been appointed Governor in my dear home county of Östergötland and moved into what is said to be Sweden's oldest secular building that is still in use.

During your years in this building, you have also served as chairman of the Society of Members of Parliament and Researchers and as a member of the board of the Foundation Riksbankens Jubileumsfond. You and I share a commitment to research and have, among other things, organized a Nobel seminar together.

The Riksdag medal of the twelfth size is also awarded to Carina Ståhl Herrstedt.

You were elected to the Riksdag in 2010 as a representative for Sverigedemokraterna and Södermanlands län. Here you have been a member of the Committee on Civil Affairs, the Committee on Education, and the Committee on Social Affairs, where you have passionately championed issues regarding the right to support and service for persons with disabilities. You have also served on the Members' Council and the Riksdag Board.

As a member of Parliament, you have strived to highlight women. Perhaps you will have the opportunity to do so even in your current role as County Governor of Gävleborg County.

The Riksdag's medal of the twelfth size is also awarded to David Lång.

You were elected to the Riksdag in 2010 as a representative for Sverigedemokraterna and Stockholm Municipality. Here, you have been a member of the Committee on Taxation and the Committee on Social Insurance. You were also a member of the Parliamentary Council of the National Audit Office during its entire existence 2011–2019.

You and I share the interest in history and the perception that knowledge of history makes it easier to understand the political developments in our contemporary time.

The Riksdag's medal of the twelfth size is also awarded to Tobias Billström.

You were elected to the Riksdag in 2002 as a representative for Moderaterna and Malmö kommun. Here you have been a member of the Education Committee, the Social Insurance Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee and the War Delegation, as well as vice chairman of the Riksdag's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. You have been both a group leader and a member of the Riksdag Board as well as first deputy speaker. Furthermore, you have been Minister for Migration, acting Minister for Employment and Minister for Foreign Affairs.

We have collaborated a lot over the years in our different roles, but I want to particularly highlight your work during the pandemic, when we had particularly much to do with one another. You were one of those who, through initiative and creativity, ensured that the Riksdag's work functioned despite difficult circumstances. I want to convey a warm thank you for our fine cooperation in many different contexts.

The Riksdag's medal of the twelfth size is finally also awarded to Tomas Eneroth.

You were elected to the Riksdag in 1994 as a representative for the Socialdemokraterna and Kronobergs län. Here you have been chairman of the Social Insurance Committee, vice chairman of the Enterprise Committee, and a member of the Education Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the War Delegation. You have been a group leader as well as a member of the Parliamentary Social Insurance Inquiry and in the Pensions Group. Additionally, you have been Minister for Infrastructure.

Your impressive number of years as a member of Parliament made you the Speaker of the House's age president. In fact, with your 31 years of service, together with the Folkpartiet member Elver Jonsson, you are the member who has served in the unicameral parliament for the second longest time. We all, of course, remember how you transformed the customary thanks to the Speaker at the end of the sessions into a great poetic experience.

A warm thank you to you for your efforts for the Riksdag, for democracy and for Sweden!

(Applause)

Two more members have concluded their mandate. They unfortunately did not have the opportunity to be here today, but I would still like to mention something about their contributions to the Riksdag.

Yasmine Bladelius, who is awarded a medal of the eighth size, was elected to the Riksdag in 2014 as a representative for the Socialdemokraterna and Skåne County's western constituency. Social issues are close to her heart. Throughout her entire time in the Riksdag, she served on the Committee on Social Affairs.

Hans Wallmark, who is being awarded a medal of the twelfth size, was elected to the Riksdag in 2006 as a representative for Moderaterna and Skåne County's northern and eastern constituency. He has been chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, in the joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, and in the EU Committee, a member of the War Delegation and first deputy group leader, and has held a number of assignments within international work. His commitment to Nordic cooperation, including the assignment as vice president of the Nordic Council, will come in handy in his current assignment as Sweden's ambassador in Copenhagen.

We thank these two for their efforts for the Riksdag, for democracy, and for Sweden.

(Applause)

Now your time in the Swedish Riksdag is over. I hope that you, from your years here in the Riksdag, carry with you many fine memories of intense work in this fantastic house, which in itself symbolizes our democracy and which it is a privilege to work in every day, but which also contains so much dynamics, negotiations and processes, all of which ultimately aim to make our country better. Once again: A warm thank you to you all for everything you have done for the Riksdag and for Sweden!

(Applause)

I also want to inform the Chamber that I have awarded the Ukrainian Ambassador to Stockholm, Andrij Plachotnjuk, the Riksdag medal in the eighth size for special contributions to the Riksdag. As you know, for some years now, the Speaker can also award the Riksdag medal to those other than members of parliament if they have made special contributions to the Riksdag. During his years here, the Ambassador has worked intensively to develop the contacts between our countries and our parliaments. The medal was presented at a ceremony last week.

(Applause)

Honorable members! In the name of justice, I also want to extend a warm thank you to all of you who actually remain. Thank you for your efforts in the Riksdag during the past intensive parliamentary year! I also want to thank the deputy speakers, the group leaders, and the members of the Riksdag Board for fine cooperation. I naturally want to thank the Director-General of the Riksdag and all the employees of the Riksdag Administration for their good efforts during the year. I think we also have reason to direct a thought of gratitude to all employees at the party offices for their hard work.

Now I thought I would conclude by reading a summer poem. You might have thought that I would pull out some famous poet from the past. I shall not do that. Tomas Eneroth does not have the chance to compose here today. So I thought I would take the opportunity to do it instead.

Socialists are red, Moderates are blue. Eneroth shall cease – how sad we shall be then! Now we shall never again hear any witty summer verse. What in the world shall we do? The endings will be a torment. One sits there in the chair and wants to hear his words. But rejoice despite everything in the summer sun, which warms our earth so nicely.

Happy summer!

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Anders Ygeman (S)

Mr. Speaker! It is not without feeling the pressure.

On behalf of all members, I would like to thank all the staff of the Riksdag Administration, who, whether they are writing minutes or serving food, guarding, cleaning or renovating the Riksdag building, contribute to a functioning democracy.

I would like to thank the Director General of the Riksdag and the Deputy Speakers and, of course, convey a big thank you to the Speaker for all his work during the year. After all the debates, bills, interpellations, motions and simple questions, a well-deserved summer holiday now awaits.

A piece of advice in all good intentions is to truly utilize the summer for rest and recovery. This applies not least to the Speaker himself, who, in addition to leading the House's work, has compiled his best poems into a lyric canon, published a tomato diary, and is now to be the host of Sommar i P1.

Peace and joy can look many ways. It is as Lars Winnerbäck sings in the song Nåt som verkligen är bra:

It can be a breakfast by the sea It can be a kiss on a train It can be a night at Debaser That one hardly remembers It can be a car towards Halland A wine at Bergamott It can be a sister in the lap It can be spring, short and sweet

It can be the streets in Söder It can be the sound in a song It can be Roma against Juventus It can be drilling on a boat.

With those words, I wish the Speaker and all of you a very happy summer.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)