Question Time
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
1 S argues that the government has created a national healthcare crisis by prioritizing tax cuts 1 and that promises regarding staff have not been kept. 2 3 4 5 V considers the government's investments to be non-existent, that they are starving public care, and that the budget leads to cuts and staff layoffs 2 3 4 5. 6 7 8 9 10 M argues that the government is providing extra money to healthcare 6 8 9, that inflation is the main cause of the regions' situation 7 11 10 and that they are making large investments to maintain care and school 10. 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 M wants to promote highly qualified labor immigration 14 16, reduce asylum immigration 17, build new nuclear power, stop gambling on credit 26 and combat organized crime 21 22. 27 28 29 30 KD argues that wind power requires incentives 27, that there are good jobs within the energy sector 30 and that the public sector must not compete with private companies. 31 MP argues that the Eurasian lynx needs strengthened protection 31. 32 S argues that the energy supply is a priority target for an enemy 32.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Speakers (72)
- ANDRE VICE TALMANNEN
- Mikael Damberg (S)
- Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
- Mikael Damberg (S)
- Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
- Carita Boulwén (SD)
- Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
- Carita Boulwén (SD)
- Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
- Karin Rågsjö (V)
- Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
- Karin Rågsjö (V)
- Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
- Rickard Nordin (C)
- Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
- Rickard Nordin (C)
- Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
- Linus Lakso (MP)
- Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
- Linus Lakso (MP)
- Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
- Edward Riedl (M)
- Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
- Edward Riedl (M)
- Camilla Rinaldo Miller (KD)
- Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
- Camilla Rinaldo Miller (KD)
- Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
- Patrik Karlson (L)
- Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
- Patrik Karlson (L)
- Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
- Hanna Westerén (S)
- Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
- Mikael Eskilandersson (SD)
- Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
- Samuel Gonzalez Westling (V)
- Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
- Emelie Nyman (C)
- Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
- Annika Hirvonen (MP)
- Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
- Caroline Högström (M)
- Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
- Torsten Elofsson (KD)
- Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
- Patrik Björck (S)
- Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
- Bo Broman (SD)
- Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
- Isabell Mixter (V)
- Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
- Rebecka Le Moine (MP)
- Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
- Jan Ericson (M)
- Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
- Cecilia Engström (KD)
- Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
- Marianne Fundahn (S)
- Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
- Eric Westroth (SD)
- Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
- Ida Drougge (M)
- Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
- Johnny Svedin (SD)
- Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
- Crister Carlsson (M)
- Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
- Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)
- Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
- Emma Ahlström Köster (M)
- Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
ANDRE VICE TALMANNEN
I would like to welcome the ministers. Questions today will be answered by Minister Niklas Wykman, Minister for Energy and Business Ebba Busch, Minister for Finance Elisabeth Svantesson, and Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard.
A question must be of an overarching and general political nature or concern a subject that falls within the minister's area of responsibility and concerns his performance of duties. The question shall therefore not concern, for example, conditions within political parties. Minister for Financial Markets Niklas Wykman answers both general political questions and questions within his own area of responsibility.
Mikael Damberg (S)
Madam Speaker! I would like to direct my question to Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson.
Sweden is in a national healthcare crisis and is facing the largest cuts in healthcare since the 90s. Over the last two years, the regions have been brought to their knees as a result of large price increases, which have affected both ordinary people and the Swedish healthcare system. The government, with the Finance Minister at the helm, has refused to recognize the gravity of the situation and has created today's situation by prioritizing tax cuts over healthcare, over healthcare staff, and over patients.
Now reality has caught up with the SD government. The regions have budgeted for staggering deficits. The results are visible in drastic cuts. Staff are being laid off, health centers are closing, and tough cuts continue. After harsh criticism, the government has finally admitted that they prioritized incorrectly and now promises to inject extra funds.
My direct question is: Is the Minister for Finance satisfied with the outcome of his new budget announcement? It seems that the transfers and the cuts continue all around in Sjukvårdssverige. Was this how it was intended to be?
Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
Madam Speaker! I thank Mikael Damberg for a very important question.
I am very satisfied and happy that we have been able to announce an additional reinforcement for healthcare during the current year with 6 billion. Even before the announcement, the absolute largest item from the reform space was to reinforce precisely the situation of municipalities and regions.
Now the situation has worsened in the regions regarding the inflation issue, that is to say that the costs for pensions have risen even more. In that case, it is important to strengthen and reinforce healthcare so that more employees and more patients can feel secure that the state will do its part. We have constantly said that we do not leave the regions in the lurch. And of course, many regions are also doing their part right now to retain as many staff members as possible and a healthcare as good as is possible, even though we find ourselves in a very tough situation.
Mikael Damberg (S)
Madam Speaker! First, the Minister for Finance said, and repeated it today, that the government would not abandon healthcare. Then they did exactly that and created the national healthcare crisis. Then the Prime Minister promised on TV that no employees would be laid off in Swedish healthcare. But this promise was not real either. The cuts continue, and staff are forced to leave Swedish healthcare.
Madam Speaker! It only shows that it is difficult to take this government's word seriously. We Social Democrats have shown that it is possible to choose a different path for Swedish healthcare, where one prioritizes healthcare, the staff, and the patients.
Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
Madam Speaker! It is important to remember the reason for the very difficult situation that Sweden's regions are in, and it is inflation. Therefore, our task as a government and my task as Finance Minister from day one has been to fight it. Therefore, it is very pleasing that it is now on its way down and that we will soon reach the goal. It will affect the situation for the regions in the years ahead.
With this said: These are historical investments being made in a difficult time, when there are many priorities to be made. We have prioritized the regions and the municipalities and are now providing a special supplement to the country's regions, so that healthcare can continue to deliver in the very best way also in a tough time.
Carita Boulwén (SD)
Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for Finance.
In the Social Affairs Committee, a proposal for a new gender identity law is now being processed, which is intended to make it easier to change legal gender and obtain a new personal identity number without medical investigation or diagnosis—something that we strongly oppose and which major referral bodies strongly criticize.
Svenska Bankföreningen has, among other things, warned that it creates an opportunity for criminals to exploit the situation and that it risks becoming a tool for organized crime to evade money laundering and terrorism financing controls by changing personal identity numbers multiple times.
We know that the issue is not owned by the government but is being handled in the Riksdag's Committee on Social Affairs. But that should not prevent the minister from having an opinion on how this legislation would affect the minister's area of responsibility and the banks' ability to maintain their statutory customer knowledge and prevent over-indebtedness, money laundering, and crime financing.
Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
Madam Speaker! I thank you for a good question that brings together two things that may appear to be very far apart: people's right to define themselves and feel a sense of security in their own lives, and society's need for order, clarity, and statistics.
It is easy to understand those who sympathize with arguments on both of these sides. And just as the questioner points out, this is an issue that the government does not have a position on, but it is handled, as the questioner says, here in Sweden's Riksdag.
If that happens, one must adapt the statistical tools and monitoring mechanisms that exist to meet the situation. It is certainly not impossible.
Carita Boulwén (SD)
Madam Speaker! Banks have been imposed with extensive requirements to keep information on individuals' assets in accounts available to a number of authorities for the purpose of specifically preventing money laundering and financing of terrorism. But the traceability in Spar, where banks retrieve information, is limited.
The bill is expected to come up for a decision in the chamber as early as next month. Since only SD and KD oppose the bill, we can unfortunately expect the bill to be passed and thus land on the government's desk. Does the minister intend to take any measures in the matter?
Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
Madam Speaker! If such a change becomes relevant, it is clear that one needs to review statistical data and controls so that they harmonize. That is how it should always be in a well-functioning country, and that is how it should also be in Sweden. Laws and rules must be able to function together.
If the Riksdag chooses this change, we will, of course, have to examine the other rules and follow-ups that exist in the state so that we have order and clarity. I am convinced that it is a difficult task but also a task that can be accomplished.
Karin Rågsjö (V)
Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Finance Minister Svantesson.
SD and the government are now directing 6 billion extra to healthcare in the regions. It is 280 million per region, roughly calculated. It is approximately like a bandage on a broken leg, because it is still 6,000 people within healthcare who will be laid off or given notice. It is very clear. It would have needed about 15 billion to fix healthcare and reach a level that is acceptable.
We therefore have a national healthcare crisis with more and more elderly people, expensive medicines, treatments that cost money but allow people to survive, inflation, and pensions that are hitting the ceiling. It is clear that the costs are increasing in the regions.
60 percent receive their operation or other treatment in time according to the healthcare guarantee. It is worse than before the pandemic, and the deterioration has accelerated during your time in power.
We believe that you, with bold courage, are actually starving out parts of the public healthcare. What does the plan look like moving forward?
Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
Madam Speaker! I thank Karin Rågsjö for an important question. It is a question that affects employees and patients.
Right now we are in a very tough situation with an, as we have said many times, inflation crisis and a recession. That is why I am extra happy that the government, together with the Sweden Democrats, has been able to prioritize and actually use 40 percent of the reform space this year for precisely healthcare and the municipalities. Furthermore, it will now be an additional 6 billion.
In this there is also, as the member knows, a great responsibility for the regions to work in the best way. I can give an example from Region Skåne, which imposed a hiring freeze for nurses in the autumn. Now the nurses are starting to come back to the region. It pressures costs.
There are ways to work and learn from each other so that the money benefits the patients. I know that many are now working on this and will need to do more.
With that said: Inflation is A and O. When it comes down, it will facilitate things for the regions and healthcare next year.
Karin Rågsjö (V)
Madam Speaker! The fact is that staff are more or less fleeing healthcare today because they have an extremely poor working environment.
Your initiatives are non-existent, I believe. Much more was needed. It is a matter of getting people to want to work in healthcare. We do not see that now, instead, we see a flight from healthcare. It is not a system that will make our healthcare reach its peak. On the contrary, Sweden will regress in various ways when it comes to healthcare.
Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
Madam Speaker! The Member highlights a very important issue regarding the supply of skills.
My view is that there are many all around Sweden who are training to become nurses, doctors, and nursing assistants. I think that is very good. Even here, the regions have a great responsibility to ensure that workplaces become attractive.
Let me return to inflation, Madam Speaker! The fact is that if the Left Party's budget had won here in the Riksdag, we would have had large deficits and borrowed, and inflation would have been significantly higher. It would have meant that the regions would have had it even worse next year.
Rickard Nordin (C)
Madam Speaker! Sweden's electricity production needs to increase radically. That is where we in the Center Party and the government are in complete agreement.
We also know that an incredible amount is needed now in the near term. Despite that, I see that very many projects for new electricity production are being rejected in the municipalities. Last year, 86 percent of new wind power projects in southern Sweden were rejected and 56 percent in northern Sweden. To that, of course, came the Armed Forces and other things.
Almost a year ago, an investigation was presented that was to provide clear compensations to neighbors and municipalities. There was talk of direct support to neighbors, and there were proposals regarding compensations for the municipalities.
Statements have been made by a number of ministers. Ulf Kristersson said: "One must ensure that the municipalities receive sensible incentives." Ebba Busch said: "We will look further into whether we can find incentives that make it possible to say yes." Romina Pourmokhtari said: "I share the investigation's conclusion that it is both urgent and important to decide on a wise model for increased incentives."
The investigation has been fully referred and is complete, so my question to the government is: When will the proposals arrive?
Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
Madam Speaker! Over the last ten years, Sweden's electricity system has been expanded. Today it is 10,000 megawatts larger than in 2013. That means a significantly larger amount of power production has entered the system.
Still, we see that the system is more fragile than ever. Why? Well, because base power—that is, nuclear power—has been phased out and only weather-dependent power production has been pushed in, which means we do not have enough power for the municipalities to be able to say yes to the business establishments that are needed. Therefore, we must remember that only more wind power in the coming years will not solve the acute problems we have.
With that said: The Government Offices are actively working to pave the way for all types of power and thereby increase the incentives for the local level to say yes to more wind power production without removing the municipal veto.
Rickard Nordin (C)
Madam Speaker! Yes, we have seen that Svenska kraftnät, in its long-term forecast, identifies precisely new electricity production that can be built quickly, including wind power, as something entirely essential.
SKR, the energy industry and the business community are in agreement. All political parties in the Swedish Riksdag have said that these incentives are needed. The respective ministers have made a number of statements where they say that these are good things.
Why then are the proposals not being implemented? Can we get a timetable for when we can expect to see these incentives? It is urgent - the industry needs the electricity now.
Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
Madam Speaker! We are actively working on this. As Minister for Enterprise and Minister for Energy, I fully share the picture of what we have the possibility of releasing in the near term. The alternative is fossil power production. Just look at Karlshamn plant, which has had to be shut down to compensate for the previously pursued policy.
We need to find ways to increase the number of yeses to wind power locally. But one must not make the mistake of believing that more wind power alone will solve this. It must be 1 megawatt in, 1 megawatt out.
Linus Lakso (MP)
Madam Speaker! My question is on the same theme as the previous questioner's and is also addressed to Minister for Energy and Business Ebba Busch.
We are facing a comprehensive electrification. Sweden's electricity demand is expected to double already by 2035, so we need to enable a substantial expansion of the electricity system.
The government has now, this morning, at least if one is to believe the agenda for the government meeting, decided on the long-term direction of energy policy. A bill in which long-term planning goals are to be established is imminent.
Miljöpartiet has pointed out that a goal for 2030 is needed so that companies can be assured that there is electricity available for the large industrial establishments that are in the pipeline. We are far from alone in this; many have pointed out that need.
My question is actually quite simple. Will there also be a quantified planning goal for 2030?
Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
Madam Speaker! I thank you for the question.
The energy policy direction bill is something that we have discussed in many different contexts and for a long time. We look forward to presenting this bill in its entirety and to the Riksdag's consideration of it beginning.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for the great commitment that has been shown by all parties. I have been active politically for so long that I remember how it was during the previous energy policy agreement, when one did not speak with all parties in the Swedish Riksdag. It feels like a bygone era.
I am also grateful, Madam Speaker, for the Green Party's input in this matter. We look forward to presenting the energy policy direction proposal in its entirety. We completely share the view that we need to focus more on the short term, that is, on 2030 and not just on 2045.
Linus Lakso (MP)
Madam Speaker! I thank you very much for the answer. I still wonder whether there will be a quantified target for 2030.
It is indeed very many who have highlighted this. A broad palette of everything from Energiföretagen, Energimyndigheten and SKR to Naturskyddsföreningen and Svenskt Näringsliv have pressed that it is absolutely crucial to meet the climate transition but also to meet our green industrial transition.
If the Minister cannot answer that specific question until it is presented, I would like to ask how she views the risks of not being able to show that clarity from the government towards the business community.
Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
Madam Speaker! I perceive that there is broad support for the fact that we need to ensure that we have a realistic plan to be able to reach net-zero emissions by 2045 and combine it with strong economic growth so that we also have popular support for the green transition that we are now making.
Furthermore, I am very pleased that we have also received greater focus on the short-term view, because that is where we have many of the possible heavy corporate investments in the near future.
Edward Riedl (M)
Madam Speaker! My question is to Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson.
The Nordic Council has during the day presented a new report, where it among other things recommends that the Nordic countries shall jointly introduce a tax on meat and sugar.
Madam Speaker! I can reveal that for my part, I like both meat and sugar. However, I am less fond of new meddlesome taxes.
Food and particularly individual foodstuffs are not to be equated with other goods that are subject to specific taxation, for example tobacco and alcohol. Whether the introduction of this type of tax even leads to the effects one wants to achieve is also debated.
My question to the Minister for Finance is simple and straightforward. Is this a proposal that the Minister for Finance intends for this government to present at the request of the Council of Ministers? Yes or no, that is what I am thinking.
Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Edward Riedl, for the question! I was somewhat surprised when I saw that the Secretary General of the Nordic Council promoted this proposal. The short answer to the question is no. There is no proposal from ministers - finance ministers and finance ministers - in the Nordic region. This is a report that the Secretary General has written about in today's DN. But the answer is no.
Edward Riedl (M)
Madam Speaker! It will be difficult with a follow-up question. I can only say that I am glad that this government does not intend to present that type of proposal. One had hoped that such proposals would be where they belong, that is, in the wastebasket, and not out for public debate.
Camilla Rinaldo Miller (KD)
Madam Speaker! It has now been four months since the major changes regarding the maintenance requirements for labor migrants entered into force. At that time, we in the Christian Democrats flagged that this could create problems because no valves or exceptions were in place.
I asked the Minister on October 5 about exactly this. The answer then was that the government in the first step has chosen to settle at a lower level - 80 percent of the median wage - because it is a reasonable level that will not hit any industries hard.
It is nevertheless emerging that this has affected certain industries. The next step in the change of AKI and the legislation is proposed to enter into force on 1 June 2025, still without any safety valves or exceptions in place.
My question to Minister Malmer Stenergard is: Will the government, given that it is now emerging that this has hit industries hard, decide on waivers and exemptions before the second step in the legislation enters into force?
Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you very much, Camilla Rinaldo Miller, for the question! This government has received a clear mandate to get immigration in order. This also applies to the labor immigration. We want to see a clear shift from a large proportion of low-skilled to a significantly larger proportion of high-skilled. Therefore, it is important that we now also promote labor immigration for high-skilled individuals and create a completely new organization for it.
We did indeed introduce a higher maintenance requirement when it comes to coming here from the other side of the world to work, from the then 13,000 kronor per month to over 27,000 kronor. It is still a limited number of people who are affected. We believe that we have settled on a reasonable level.
I have just received an investigation where a more refined regulatory framework is proposed. This has been sent out for consultation. There are also proposals there on how exceptions can be made so that it does not hit in an unreasonable way. I cannot anticipate this. But there is an investigation basis that we will have the opportunity to proceed with. I look forward to continuing to discuss the details of the proposals.
Camilla Rinaldo Miller (KD)
Madam Speaker! I thank you for the answer. I naturally understand that a holistic assessment of the systems needs to be made. The Government is in the process of preparing this. However, there will not be enough people for the jobs where there is a labor shortage.
I wonder when the Minister believes the necessary changes to the social insurance system can be completed and ready to be decided upon.
Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! I also thank you for this question. It is incredibly important that the changes being made regarding labor immigration in the future are followed by changed incentives for people to move from benefits to work. An investigation regarding this will be presented this autumn. After that, we from the government will, of course, continue to work on legislation also in this area. It is, just as the member emphasizes, important that the incentives are increased.
Patrik Karlson (L)
Madam Speaker! My question is directed to Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson. The latest figures presented by SCB show that GDP decreased by 0.1 percent during the fourth quarter. This is the third consecutive decrease for Sweden. The country's economy is shrinking. We believe this should be taken very seriously.
However, news arrived today showing that the work to bring down inflation has worked. Just as the Finance Minister mentioned earlier from the rostrum, it shall be taken all the way to the goal, but we must already now start looking forward and start acting to get momentum back into the growth.
The Liberals want us to come forward with reforms for growth policy in the future. Among other things, we want to expand and increase the growth support, a support that was introduced so that the very smallest companies would find it easier to hire.
My question to the Minister for Finance is: Do you see this proposal regarding expanded and increased growth support as part of getting growth started again?
Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Patrik Karlson, for the question! This year, growth is weighed down by the fact that it is interest-rate sensitive. We have interest-rate sensitive households and interest-rate sensitive companies, and there are short binding periods. We see that it turns in the years ahead, and the spring and summer will come a little further forward.
The long-term growth issues are very important and central for us four coalition parties. If the economy does not grow in the long run, we will not be able to do everything that really needs to be done. Therefore, we have together in the Tidö Agreement a number of different proposals that we are now working on. But I naturally do not rule out that we need to do more. The question that Patrik Karlson is now raising may very well be a question that we have to discuss between our parties in the negotiations ahead regarding how Swedish growth should be strengthened.
Patrik Karlson (L)
Madam Speaker! I thank you very much for the answer. I certainly agree that a broad palette of measures - different forms of reforms and other interventions - will be required to strengthen the Swedish economy and get it moving again.
I have no follow-up question, but I look forward with hope that we will investigate this further. Hopefully, we will also reach a conclusion on this issue.
Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
Madam Speaker! I thank Patrik Karlson again for the question, for it is important and central for all of us who want Sweden to become a wealthier country in the years ahead.
We have great needs. In the autumn, we will present an infrastructure bill. In the autumn, we will also present a research bill. We need to make the energy systems grow, as State Secretary Busch pointed out earlier. We simply need more electricity. These are large investments that also Swedish companies, small as well as large, are requesting.
We have a major task ahead of us when it comes to strengthening growth. It is about what I have just mentioned but also, of course, about facilitating things for every individual company.
Hanna Westerén (S)
Madam Speaker! Last Friday was International Women's Day. Some bought roses and congratulated. Others took stock of what has been achieved through the decades and what still remains.
Much has been achieved, but we also know that there is an enormous amount left to do to achieve equal conditions between women and men as well as girls and boys.
Sweden is in a deep economic crisis. Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson has declared inflation to be its worst enemy. That is true. But there is more that can be done to ease the burden on hard-pressed households. This applies in particular to single parents and poor pensioners - in both cases, a majority are women. We also know that over-indebtedness is increasing at a rapid pace, not least among older women.
More needs to be done so that the economic inequality between women and men does not increase further during the ongoing crisis. What does Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson intend to do instead of lowering the tax and raising the deduction ceiling for the well-off, preferably men, so that the crisis does not exacerbate the economic inequality between women and men?
Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Hanna Westerén, for a very important question! Inflation is not only my worst enemy but also the worst enemy of very many other women. This applies especially to those with small margins, for it is they who have been hit hardest. It applies especially to those women who work but who do not have high incomes. Others have benefits that have been indexed. But the one who goes to work every day, and who perhaps does not always have a high salary, has seen their purchasing power eroded. Therefore, it is now important that inflation is on its way down.
We have during this year lowered the tax on work, not to be forgotten, for both the nursing assistant and the bus driver. It is an important part. We also ensure to lower the fuel tax and change the reduction obligation. Many single women consider this to be an incredibly important issue. Finally, we have the housing allowance, which we have both extended and increased. That also makes a very big difference. The vast majority who have that allowance are single women.
Overall, we are supporting households in the midst of these difficult times.
Mikael Eskilandersson (SD)
Madam Speaker! When Minister Niklas Wykman meets with the big banks, I do not doubt that they have good arguments for why they did not intervene when Gun, 86, who had never ever traded either shares or securities, suddenly bought bitcoin for her entire fortune via bank-id, or when Göran, 76, suddenly sent all his money to a person completely unknown to him abroad. The big banks certainly have good arguments for why they choose not to act when the unemployed guy in the suburbs receives large sums into his bank accounts.
But more than talk is needed. I, who want to see action and not just beautiful words, want to ask Minister Niklas Wykman if he is prepared to review the legislation so that the banks receive a clearer financial responsibility when they fail in their customer knowledge.
Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
Madam Speaker! Tougher measures against banks to stop fraud are not excluded at all.
If you look up a little, you can see that two things have happened in Sweden. One is that, due to too lax politics and changes in the world, we have ended up with a level of crime that few other countries have and that we have not historically had. The criminals commit horrific crimes, including fraud against many of society's most vulnerable.
The second thing is that we have had a long trend of digitalization. Previously, when you were a customer of a bank, there was a personal acquaintance by going to the local bank branch. This has more or less been replaced by a fully digital relationship, where one does not know each other on a personal level.
These two things together have created a weakness. The banks have not really replaced the local office, the local presence, and the knowledge with anything in connection with this digitalization. Now the banks are to return to the government with their proposals. If the proposals are not sufficient, we will come back to them.
Samuel Gonzalez Westling (V)
Madam Speaker! Elisabeth Svantesson seems to think the crisis in Swedish healthcare is funny. She thinks it is funny when she talks about the Left Party's budget, which would ensure that one does not need to lay off staff in Swedish healthcare. She refers to the fact that the Left Party's budget would also lead to increased inflation, even though the National Institute of Economic Research has stated that more money for welfare does not lead to increased inflation.
She also speaks warmly about the government having allocated 40 percent of the reform space to welfare, despite the fact that we all know that the money in the reform space comes from the fact that the funds have not been increased for municipalities and regions.
Why does this government seem to want to slaughter Swedish healthcare and welfare?
Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
Madam Speaker! I am responsible for general policy, and since this is a healthcare issue, I shall provide the answer.
It is a bit difficult to understand the mocking tone in the question. It is particularly ill-suited against the background of the situation that prevails, with patients who need care, people who are struggling in the healthcare system day in and day out, and the dialogue that exists between the government and Sweden's municipalities and regions and operators on how to best support through a very difficult time.
The government made major investments in regions and municipalities in the budget; it added 16 billion kronor. Now, additional investments in the sector of 6 billion kronor have been presented. In addition, broad work is underway to improve the quality of healthcare, ensure greater equality and equity across the country, and review how the state in its role can strengthen healthcare.
Point by point, a very serious work is being undertaken to ensure equality, equity and, not least, high quality in Swedish healthcare. This work deserves better than to be met with jeers.
Emelie Nyman (C)
Madam Speaker! On several occasions, the Minister for Migration and the government have said that the requirement for a median wage is not a problem because there is a large European labor market to recruit from. But the report from the European Labour Authority shows something else, namely that occupations that are shortage occupations in Sweden are also so across the entire union.
For example, sheet metal worker is a shortage occupation in Sweden. It is also a shortage occupation in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Finland. It is only in Hungary that sheet metal worker is not a shortage occupation. Furthermore, there are other examples. There is, for example, a shortage of vehicle operators in agriculture in Sweden and five other countries, while there is no surplus in other countries.
Maria Malmer Stenergard, does the government believe that the European labor market will be able to offer structural relief for shortage occupations when the government has stopped a large part of the labor immigration to Sweden?
Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Emelie Nyman, for the question! The Government is not stopping a large proportion of labor immigration to Sweden. We are primarily shifting the focus from an excessively large proportion of low-skilled to a larger proportion of high-skilled labor immigration. This is because we observe that we have 400,000 unemployed in Sweden, who to a greater extent should be taking jobs that today go to people coming from the other side of the world.
In connection with this, we note that we have a large labor market available in the EU, where there is free movement of labor. But as has been said, there is also labor in Sweden.
To put the figures into some proportion, one can look at the investigation I have just received, with proposals for a new regulatory framework for labor immigration. It is stated there that 22,800 permits were granted in 2022. If berry pickers are excluded, 16,500 remain, and of those, there were only 2,500 in total that were below the wage requirement we have just introduced. I believe, therefore, that one should have some proportion in the debate.
Annika Hirvonen (MP)
Madam Speaker! Today is the third day we have had climate demonstrations outside the Riksdag. But this week is not the first time we have witnessed the despair and anxiety that young people, researchers, and other citizens feel regarding the fact that the government's policy increases climate emissions, when they should instead be decreasing – and at a much faster pace.
My question to Niklas Wykman is what answer he has for those young people who now see risks that their future opportunities and their opportunities to live safe and secure lives are being shattered because Sweden's government is showing an incredibly problematic example to the world by pursuing a policy that now increases climate emissions.
Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Annika Hirvonen, for the question!
First and foremost: When one portrays Sweden as the problem in the world, I would say that one is not fully aware of what it looks like in countries that are truly problematic when it comes to environmental and climate work.
Secondly: For the first time, Sweden has an action plan for how we are to reach net-zero emissions by 2045. A central part of this is that we must be able to produce electricity without emitting carbon dioxide.
I welcome the young people's commitment to a better future, with a better climate and fewer emissions. But I am completely convinced that the same generation wants to be able to continue charging their mobile phones, travel by car or bus, and otherwise participate in the world. We can achieve both by building new nuclear power in Sweden.
Caroline Högström (M)
Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard, who held a press briefing yesterday regarding statistics on migration for 2023. It was stated there that the number of asylum seekers is at one of the lowest levels during the 2000s. My question to the Minister is what the situation looks like so far during 2024.
Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Caroline Högström, for the question! We see a development that we must see in Sweden. We must see a reduced asylum migration in order for us to manage to reverse the development towards an all-too-deep exclusion where many, not least young people, are faring poorly. Yesterday, I could present figures for the full year 2023 which show that we have the lowest number of granted asylum-related residence permits during the entire 2000s. It is, as said, a development that must continue and which involves a reduction of 32 percent compared to the previous year.
Speaking of Caroline Högströms question, it is good that we now see that the development continues. So far this year, we have seen a decrease in the number of asylum seekers of 26 percent compared to the same period last year.
Torsten Elofsson (KD)
Madam Speaker! My question is directed to Minister Wykman and is somewhat a continuation of Member Eskilandersson's question. It concerns the banks.
In line with the banks having largely closed their offices, abandoned cash, and transitioned to digital management, the risk and security for the savings that customers have in their bank accounts has shifted from the bank to the customer.
As has been observed during recent years, primarily the elderly but also small business owners have been hit hard by an increased number of frauds, and many have lost their savings. It can be said, to some extent, that bank robberies, which have practically ceased, have now been replaced by robberies against elderly and vulnerable customers.
It has been established that there are security risks, and State Secretary Wykman touched upon the idea of tightening the requirements for the banks. The question is what the banks' response will be to the requirements that are now being set. Can we expect an improvement in this regard in the near future?
Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
Madam Speaker! Let us establish some important points. It is clear that each of us has a responsibility for how we act and what information we disclose. The banks have a significant responsibility to deliver secure and good products, services, and bank accounts to us as consumers.
However, one must not forget the criminals in this and where the guilt actually lies, namely with the ruthless, despicable individuals who commit these crimes, many times against society's most vulnerable. We shall hunt them down with the police and the justice system and lock them up. This is nevertheless important to emphasize in this context.
Furthermore, the banks need to address their product range and services. The Prime Minister invited them, and I and other ministers were present at the meeting. They will get back in the near future with which measures they intend to take. If that is not enough, we will return to them with more types of measures.
Patrik Björck (S)
Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for Finance. The work of providing the customs with new and powerful tools is proceeding slowly. A government bill is now finally on its way and is promised for March 19.
My question is: Can the Minister for Finance promise here and now that the bill on the customs will really arrive on March 19? If the bill arrives then, can the Minister for Finance promise here and now that money will be provided to the customs so that they can perform their important work and use their new powers and tools?
Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Patrik Björck, for an important question!
I usually say that it is a state of emergency in Sweden regarding crime. I cannot call it anything else when children are found dead in a grove outside Stockholm city because they did not want to be part of a gang. When it has gone this far, we must do everything we can to stop it.
One way is to stop the money, because it is money that it is about. It is a matter of stopping the drugs and the weapons. This is one of the government's most important tasks, and there the customs has a very important function. We are now ensuring that the customs gets tools. We are gathering everything into a piece of legislation - just this is unique. We are therefore providing tools, and of course we will also ensure that they have the resources to perform their work.
Even in opposition, several of us in here were involved in strengthening the customs, when our budgets went through the Riksdag and the Social Democrats did not have a majority for theirs. We will continue. We have strengthened the customs so far, and we will continue to do what is required so that the customs can do what is required.
Bo Broman (SD)
Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for Finance. The Swedish population registration is essential to ensure that tax revenues reach the state.
It is pleasing that the Swedish Tax Agency now has the opportunity to check the biometric data stored in the documents to be presented in connection with the implementation of the strengthened control of the population register. However, they have no possibility of saving the data.
The Biometrics Inquiry has recently submitted its report, where it is among other things proposed that the pass register should become a biometric register that may be used by the police for crime-fighting purposes.
There is a great need for effective tools in crime fighting to deal with the serious crime that has developed in Sweden, but there is also a great need for the population register to be correct.
Will the Minister for Finance work to ensure that the Swedish Tax Agency is given the same opportunities as the police to store and use biometric data?
Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Bo Broman, for the question!
Skatteverket is working actively together with both Tullverket and Kronofogden to choke the source in different ways, that is, the money for the criminal economy. They have requested even more tools, including being able to save biometric data. Now we are going to work with the investigation, but my starting point is that it should be so because they must get the tools needed to stop the crime.
Speaking of population registration, the Swedish Tax Agency reported just this week that they have now decommissioned 60,000 different personal identity numbers and coordination numbers. It is actually about people having left the country and the numbers being taken back. It is therefore not just about a figure, but also about people having left the country or previously having cheated.
The Swedish Tax Agency works broadly with population registration in different ways. They work on deregistering people who are no longer here. We will, of course, continue to provide the Swedish Tax Agency with the tools needed to choke the criminal economy. That is the only way we can tackle the serious crime.
Isabell Mixter (V)
Madam Speaker! I have a question for the Minister for Finance. Healthcare is now undergoing a steel bath. The government's and the Sweden Democrats' budget leads to large cuts. Several regions have been forced to lay off healthcare staff. The government's announcement that 6 billion shall be added is not enough to prevent the large cuts that are now occurring, perhaps to cover the reddest figures in the results.
The regions are now taking various types of drastic measures to lower their costs or increase their revenues. Region Västernorrland, where I live, now has the highest patient fee for emergency visits. It costs 600 kronor to visit the emergency room there.
According to the law, care must be equal. Despite this, the differences are increasing ever more. The tax rate in Region Västernorrland is also very high. My question to the Minister of Finance therefore becomes: Does the Minister of Finance think it is reasonable that the government's budget leads to increased differences between the regions in the country?
Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
Madam Speaker! We have been on this issue several times during this question period. For me and us, it is incredibly important to now ensure that we strengthen the regions and healthcare, just as we have done. We did this in the budget for this year, and we are doing it further. We do it to facilitate during this year, which is the toughest year for Swedish healthcare. There we take a great responsibility. Whether it is the time before or after the pandemic we are talking about, these are historical investments.
With this said, it is tough out there, very tough. That is why what we sent along with the party leaders' latest press conference is so important, namely to work on finding the best way, such as how to use the staff in the best way.
I gave an example just now, namely the rent freeze in the Moderate-led Region Skåne, where they have ensured to bring down costs and get the nurses into the region. One can work in different such ways and learn from each other. There is a learning, but let us also remember that fundamentally it is about the fact that inflation has been brutally high. Now it is coming down, and the investments – the 6 billion given in addition to the previous 16 billion – make a difference. It will be tough, but they will make a difference.
Rebecka Le Moine (MP)
Madam Speaker! I want to pose my question to Minister Wykman. It is a question that has been formulated by my student Noam Petrisson, who is listening to us from the gallery, and it concerns the threatened and protected lynx. It is Sweden's most beloved animal, which needs strengthened protection but is now being hunted for its fur.
Madam Speaker! Both I and a large majority of the Swedish people would rather see wild lynxes living in peace in nature than see their fur mounted on the wall. Now, however, the government seems, in contrast to the will of the Swedish people, to be working to reduce the protection of the lynx throughout the EU.
My question is: What does the Minister think about trophy hunting of endangered animals?
Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
Madam Speaker! I thank Rebecka Le Moine for the question. It lies a bit away from my ordinary area of responsibility as Minister for Finance, but now I am answering questions in a general political capacity.
The general starting point for the government's policy is that people should be able to live and work in the entire country and that we shall stand guard over animals and nature, but that it shall be done in such a way that there are good conditions to conduct activities, live and reside across the entire country. We shall, of course, work to ensure that we have good animal welfare internationally and that we have a sustainable development when it comes to animals and nature.
Different types of trade-offs also need to be made. To unequivocally condemn hunting as something that would be bad for biodiversity or for animal populations simply lacks a basis. On the other hand, one must, of course, constantly weigh different interests against each other. Here, the government has landed on the conclusion that is described.
Jan Ericson (M)
Madam Speaker! The work against organized crime is a high priority for our government. An important prerequisite for organized crime is their ability to convert profits from criminal activities and to launder black money white. Counteracting the possibility of money laundering is therefore a very important measure.
We also know that organized crime does not care about national borders. They often work with branches in different countries, and international cooperation is therefore necessary if we are to be able to counter this crime.
I would therefore like to ask Minister for Finance Niklas Wykman how the government is working with these issues.
Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
Madam Speaker! As the Minister for Finance was pointing out earlier, we are in a very strained situation when it comes to crime in Sweden. It hits households very hard, both directly by being subjected to crime and indirectly through feeling insecurity and reduced trust.
We need to reduce recruitment through interventions for children at an early age through school, social services, and the police. We need to have visible police, and we need to lock up those who commit villainy against people for longer in prison. But we also need to go after the money. It is the very lifeblood of much of the crime.
Yesterday, I gathered ministers and secretaries of state from all Nordic countries together with the chair of the FATF just so that we can engage better and more in the international work. The criminals launder the profits from their crimes in other countries. But we also need to ensure that the rules being designed internationally help us nationally. We therefore need to address this through increased international cooperation.
Cecilia Engström (KD)
Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson.
For those of us who live in border regions, the tax agreements with our neighboring countries are very important. Complications cost companies in the form of administration and hinder the mobility of the workforce. When companies have to report and pay tax in two countries because one works partly from home and partly at the office, life becomes harder for everyone who commutes across the border.
It is also different rules that apply if one compares the agreements between Norway, Finland and Denmark. Therefore, it is good that the Nordic Council is now trying to find a harmonization between the different agreements and simplifies the rules.
For me as a Christian Democrat and a person from Skåne, the need for a functioning Öresund Agreement is naturally most acute. A new agreement has been negotiated but is still not signed. From what I understand, it is the Danes we are waiting on. We know that they are particularly difficult to negotiate with, and one needs to compromise.
My question to the Minister for Finance is therefore: What is Sweden prepared to do to get the agreement in place as soon as possible?
Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
Madam Speaker! I thank you for an important question. It is, of course, a very important question for the integration in the entire Öresund region.
I will in no way rate or describe these negotiations between the Swedish state and the Danish state. What I can say is that the negotiations are going well. It is time to update this agreement, and I would like to say that we are approaching the end. There are some remaining questions that we are still not finished with. But my ambition is, and I believe and hope that it is also the Danish government's ambition, that we should reach the finish line as soon as possible. This agreement has over 20 years on its back since it was adjusted, and very much has happened in this region since then. It is therefore in progress, but unfortunately, I cannot give Cecilia Engström a date for when this will be finished.
Marianne Fundahn (S)
Madam Speaker! Svenska kraftnät gives a dark picture of the situation within the energy industry. The energy supply is a priority goal for an enemy. Add to that an enormous competence shortage and a business model that leads to higher risks than necessary, both for the electricians in the field and for Sweden as a nation.
Today, it is largely only foreign labor at the new construction of our main grid. This leads, on the one hand, to security problems, as those with evil intentions more easily gain knowledge about the facilities, and on the other hand, to the risk of further delays in the expansion of important electricity infrastructure.
It is also noted that the competence required to ensure Sweden's energy supply in times of crisis will not be found. The industry is far too lean and understaffed. The assessment is that many more high-voltage electricians are needed in normal conditions and at least 6,000 to meet the requirements during high alert.
Which or which initiatives does the government and the Minister for Energy and Business intend to take to secure the electricity grid today and during high alert?
Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
Madam Speaker! Many thanks, Marianne Fundahn, for the question!
We have had reason to discuss the issue of skills supply previously. To those listening to this question period and wondering what they should do with their lives, I can say that there are many and good job opportunities within the energy sector specifically moving forward. We need more Swedes to educate themselves and transition for the energy sector.
We are now undergoing a rather abrupt awakening regarding what is called total defense issues. Both in the Minister for Civil Defence's area and in my own area, several active dialogues are currently underway with our responsible authorities to increase readiness and awareness of the vulnerabilities that exist, but also the work to develop further measures. This is not an issue that we take lightly, and we need to ensure that we reduce the vulnerability even within the energy sector.
Eric Westroth (SD)
Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for Finance.
Regarding the committee initiative on a new gender identity law, which is currently being processed in the Social Affairs Committee, several referral bodies have pointed out problems that can arise when one changes their legal gender and receives a new personal identity number. If the law passes, one can, after a change of legal gender, with a new personal identity number and with a new name, obtain a completely new identity document while simultaneously keeping their old identity document.
The state and its authorities have their registers updated directly, but private actors will not be able to have the same control. In other words, one and the same individual will be able to hold several different identity documents before private actors and foreign authorities.
We know that the issue is not owned by the government and that it is being handled in the Committee on Social Affairs. But what does the Minister for Finance think about the challenges that the work with a coherent identity management and the work against the criminal economy would face if the law passes?
Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
Madam Speaker! I thank Eric Westroth for the question.
As the member himself said, this is not an issue where the government has presented a proposal. But briefly, it is obvious that all legislation that is worked on in the Riksdag shall also be prepared in different ways. There shall be consequence analyses. And I trust that the members in the Committee on Social Affairs and otherwise in the Riksdag work in that manner.
In all new legislation, one must of course have the light on the question of whether something can be misused and how we can ensure that it is not misused. I therefore assume that the work here in the Riksdag also includes these perspectives in the work with a new piece of legislation.
Ida Drougge (M)
Madam Speaker! I have a question for the Minister for Finance.
For those who receive a waiting list instead of care - for the 8,000 children in Sweden who today are so unwell that they would need to meet BUP but instead have to wait without receiving care - it obviously means very much and is extremely valuable that the state is now stepping in and injecting an additional 6 billion kronor into the care budget and taking a responsibility that our regions have not been able to take.
At the same time, I also meet many citizens who express their concern that our tax money in regions and municipalities is not always used entirely efficiently and that state subsidies risk going to something other than healthcare and postponing necessary reforms that would be needed to address systemic errors. My question is what the government will do to follow up that these extra appropriations go to important needs within healthcare.
Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
Madam Speaker! I thank you for a very important question. The Government takes its responsibility. In the previous budget, the grants to municipalities and regions were strengthened. Now, further grants are being made. At the same time, just as the questioner points out, regions and municipalities need to work with their expenditures and ensure that they use the money in the way that provides the greatest benefit for the citizens.
Alongside this, the government is working broadly, including on investigations to review efficiency—what can be done and how it can be measured to get more value for the taxpayers' money. It is a broad and important work that we are doing so that healthcare will achieve increased efficiency over time. Many point out that there is a low efficiency. That is not because the people who work there would not do their absolute best. The question is whether there are better and smarter ways to do things, so that more value is obtained for the taxpayers' money while everyone can get a better working environment.
Johnny Svedin (SD)
Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Ebba Busch. In 2010, a regulatory framework was introduced that was intended to put a stop to the competition between municipalities and authorities with private companies, the so-called KOS rule, which was intended to give the Competition Authority the power to identify and stop distortion of competition. Since the law was introduced in 2010, the Competition Authority has pursued a number of legal cases and lost. This shows that the legislation did not provide the tool that the authority needed.
When the Social Democrats, together with the Green Party, governed the country from 2014-2022, the interest in making necessary adjustments was small. But given the new proposals in the supplementary directive to the investigation on new competition tools, KN 2023:03, I ask: How does the Minister intend to address the challenges and deficiencies that exist in the current regulatory framework for regulating competition between public actors and private companies?
Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
Madam Speaker! I thank Johnny Svedin for the question. It is not every day that one gets to speak about what is called the KOS regulations and which concern competition-restricting public sales activities.
What the hell is this about? Well, it is the case that the public sector many times competes with private operations on truly unfair terms, and that is not allowed. When the business sector is the backbone of the Swedish economy, it becomes quite problematic. This government knows that it is not a single politician who creates jobs; instead, it is the entrepreneurs and the business owners who create jobs, prosperity, and welfare.
A month ago, we decided to review the rules for this, that is, the KOS regulatory framework. There is a long list of such instances where we have reason to assess that it is not functioning as it should. I look forward to receiving a proposal for an updated regulatory framework.
Crister Carlsson (M)
Madam Speaker! I have a question for Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson. Since January 1, 2023, a new agreement for occupational pensions for employees within municipalities, regions, and municipal companies has applied. The costs for the agreement pension have increased by approximately 60 billion SEK during the period 2023-2024. Of this sum, approximately one-fifth, 11 billion, can be attributed to the new pension agreement, of which 8 billion are in the municipalities and 3 billion in the regions. The remaining cost increase, approximately 49 billion, is due to the fact that several parts of the pensions are adjusted with the price base amount, which follows inflation. The new occupational pension system is based on an agreement between SKR, Sobona, and the trade union organizations. The decision is otherwise not anchored in the Riksdag and the government - all this according to the Riksdag's investigation service.
So, in the extension, the government will therefore partially have to take the fall for something that one has not had the opportunity to influence. One may perhaps have to deprioritize or remove other important things that one has planned for, for example within healthcare. How does the Finance Minister view the lack of freedom this entails?
Finansministern Elisabeth Svantesson (M)
Madam Speaker! I thank Crister Carlsson for the question. Fundamentally, it is the case that wages on the Swedish labor market are set by the parties. That is the Swedish model, and that is how it shall continue to be. Here, it is a matter of employers and employee organizations having negotiated this increase in pensions, which of course benefits the employees but also entails costs, primarily for the employers, of course. This is something that is agreed upon, and I have no comments on that.
Something the member highlights, and which has become clear during this year and last year, is that inflation has increased the pressure on pension costs, especially for the regions. That is very much why we see the tough results and the tough situation that many are in. We are doing everything to bring inflation down, and now it is soon down to where we want it to be. We are also strengthening both regions and municipalities in the way we consider reasonable. We are making major investments to maintain the healthcare, school, and elderly care that is needed. But regarding the parties' agreement, I have no comment.
Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)
Madam Speaker! More and more countries in Europe have begun to realize the extent of the problems that follow in the wake of asylum migration. More influential voices are now speaking openly about major changes, for example, outsourcing parts of or the entire asylum process to third countries, which is the solution that we Sverigedemokrater advocate.
Traditionally, the European party group to which the Moderaterna belong has chosen to cooperate with the left-wing groups to get their proposals through, which affects the quality of the proposals. If the opinion polls are correct, however, the conservative groups will move strongly forward in the EU election. Does the Minister for Migration believe that her European party group should seek cooperation with the conservative groups to shape the future migration policy?
Statsrådet Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! I thank Nima Gholam Ali Pour for the question.
It is true that we see a very worrying development in Europe with a large increase in asylum migration. The number of asylum seekers increased last year by nearly 20 percent. In Germany, which for many years has had a very high intake, the number of asylum applications increased by over 50 percent.
That is why it is good that we in Sweden are heading in a different direction and reducing immigration so that we can reverse the development and strengthen integration.
It is naturally important that we also work at the European level to achieve a sustainable regulatory framework. I am very pleased that we, from the government's side, have now reached an agreement with our colleagues in the Council on the direction for a new asylum and migration pact.
I am here to answer how the government acts. It is the council that is our constellation. To answer the member's question generally, I can however say that we are prepared to cooperate with everyone who wants a more sustainable development for Sweden and Europe.
Emma Ahlström Köster (M)
Madam Speaker! Gambling addiction is a growing problem that leads to over-indebtedness, ruined finances, and strain in the families affected. A study from the Public Health Agency shows that approximately 2 percent of the Swedish population are so-called problem gamblers and that an additional 5 percent are in the risk zone.
Gambling problems exist in the entire population, but men between 18 and 24 years of age are overrepresented. Gambling problems are most common among those with the lowest education and lowest socioeconomic status. One-fifth of those who have gambling problems live in households where there are children.
Every year, at least 400 private individuals, companies or organizations are subjected to gambling-related crime. Through the media, we have been able to follow serious legal cases concerning people who have purchased lottery tickets on credit or been enticed to play for larger sums than they wanted to, who have not received the support they needed and have been unable to extricate themselves from a nightmare-like situation.
With this as a background, I wonder what the government and Minister Wykman are doing to improve protection for players and prevent unsustainable gambling in Sweden.
Statsrådet Niklas Wykman (M)
Madam Speaker! I thank Emma Ahlström Köster for the question.
This is a very important issue. For many, gambling is a pastime and something fun that adds a bit of glamour and excitement to life. For many others, however, it is a pure hell, not least when it is combined with borrowing money, taking out expensive credits, and ultimately having very large debts.
The direction must be crystal clear: People must not be allowed to lend money to people who cannot pay it back. People must also not be allowed to play on credit.
The government has presented several proposals, and a good deal of them have already been translated into legislation. This concerns, among other things, duty of care, new rules for how the gambling market should function, how the licensed gambling should become more attractive, and how we should in different ways stop the unlicensed and illegal gambling, including by making transactions there more difficult. There is, therefore, a broad work underway here.
The direction must be crystal clear: One must not be allowed to lend money to those who cannot pay it back, and one must not be allowed to sell games and lotteries on credit.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.