Question Time

TREDJE VICE TALMANNEN

I would like to welcome the ministers. Questions will be answered today by Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard, Minister Lotta Edholm, Minister Erik Slottner and Minister Jessica Rosencrantz.

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/her performance of duties. The question shall therefore not concern, for example, conditions within political parties. Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard answers both general political questions and questions within her own area of responsibility.

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Lars Isacsson (S)

Madam Speaker! In a debate with me regarding the state's presence, Minister for Enterprise and Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch said that if she were in charge, there would be more service offices throughout the country. In another debate regarding the closure of service offices, Minister for Civil Affairs Erik Slottner said that there should be at least one service office in every functional labor market region. Only a week after that statement came the decision to close the service office in Ludvika, despite the fact that Ludvika and Smedjebacken together are a functional labor market region and despite the fact that there is an exceptional development of the business sector in just Ludvika.

My question to the Minister for Civil Affairs is: Who actually controls the state's presence throughout the country – is it the government or the authorities? Why do you not follow your own promises in practice, especially when reality, as in Ludvika, goes in the completely opposite direction?

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Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank the member for the question! State presence is a matter for the government, naturally. Then it is the authorities who decide where their activities shall be located, unless the government has made other specific decisions.

Question Time

The localization of the state service centers, which today number 148, is a decision for Statens servicecenter to make. The number of state service centers will need to be reduced due to new budget conditions. It is a prioritization that the government has made.

The number of offices that will need to be closed in the coming years is estimated to be approximately 35. This means we will come down to the same level as in 2019.

One of the guidelines that we have given from the government's side is that there shall be an office in every so-called FA-area. It is the long-term ambition that it shall be so. The closures that now need to be made shall be made based on economic analyses but also based on efficiency and where they provide the greatest operational benefit.

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Lars Isacsson (S)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer! It is precisely this that is the problem. The government promises service throughout the country, but in reality, service offices, police stations, and other state presence are being closed. One minister points to the other minister, who in turn points to an authority – no one takes responsibility, and no one leads.

I ask again: When will the government take a holistic approach and ensure that the government's own ambitions actually become a reality?

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Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! Regarding the state presence as a whole, we can see that it is expanding greatly across Sweden due to increased appropriations to the police force.

It would surprise me very much if the number of police stations generally decreases. The number of police officers is increasing in Sweden, and the number of visible police officers is also increasing. The military is increasing, and the Prison and Probation Service is increasing. This means that the state presence in the country is increasing.

Then a number of physical service offices will be closed, but the agency Statens servicecenter is working in parallel with this to get more ambulatory and mobile offices in order to be able to increase its presence throughout the country.

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Leonid Yurkovskiy (SD)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, who today is responsible for the general policy issues. It concerns welfare crime. It is perhaps the most cynical type of crime that has now eaten its way into Swedish society, and it costs us tens of billions every year. We receive report after report showing that new areas are affected by this, most recently personal assistance.

The Sweden Democrats as a party have warned against this development for as long as we have existed. But only now have we received a government cooperation that actually takes these issues seriously, and that pleases me. However, there are parties outside the Tidö cooperation that claim to safeguard welfare but at the same time have more or less opposed all of our important proposals.

Our parties do, however, manage to achieve very much nonetheless. We have jointly presented proposals, not least regarding personal assistance. But to eradicate the problem, we cannot stop there. Therefore, my question is: Will the government continue to prioritize the fight against welfare crime, and how will you reach the root of the problem?

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Leonid Yurkovskiy, for this incredibly important issue!

This is something that has been at the top of the government's agenda since we took office. Unfortunately, we see how serious organized crime has also penetrated deep into our welfare areas. We have worked intensively on this issue since we took office, but it is a massive undertaking. It involves everything from information sharing between authorities to breaking secrecy. Often, the information exists, but it does not reach the right person so that we can effectively combat this crime.

But we are doing a lot. We are increasing the controls. We are now hiring more people for Försäkringskassan's control unit. We have also very recently commissioned an investigation to address exactly welfare crime within personal assistance.

(Applause)

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Leonid Yurkovskiy (SD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer!

I am completely convinced that the minister and I stand on the same side in the fight against welfare crime and in the fight against unhealthy politics. But I must still be given the opportunity to express both my and many others' frustration regarding the question: Why does it take so long?

We have seen this development for at least 20 years. One might wonder why it takes such a long time. I naturally place great blame on previous left-wing governments and hardly dare to think about what would happen if they were to get power again.

Right now there are many good investigations underway, absolutely, but we also need to act here and now.

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! I can only agree. This crime is an attack on our entire welfare, but it risks ultimately affecting those who need welfare the most. That is why this is so utterly offensive. It is also why this work is so highly prioritized by the government.

(Applause)

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Håkan Svenneling (V)

Madam Speaker! Next week is the day of freedom of the press. Precisely the free word, freedom of expression and journalism are under great pressure globally.

More journalists are dying in Gaza than anywhere else in the world, and those who try to spread the word about the ongoing genocide become targets themselves. Last week, the journalist and filmmaker Fatima Hassouna was killed after it became clear that her film would be shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

Even for Swedish journalists, the vulnerability is great. Yesterday, relatives spoke to the journalist Dawit Isaak at a seminar in the Swedish Riksdag. His daughters have grown up for 24 years without contact with their father. In China, the Swedish book publisher Gui Minhai is imprisoned without contact with the outside world and his family. And most recently, it is the journalist Joakim Medin, whose trial begins in Turkey next week.

I wonder what the Foreign Minister is doing to stand up for freedom of speech and for the journalists who are oppressed, arrested, and in the worst cases killed by regimes that want to silence their voices.

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Håkan Svenneling, for raising this incredibly important issue!

It is always extremely serious when journalists are arrested for their journalistic work, regardless of where in the world it happens. The work to free those whom Håkan Svenneling mentioned is ongoing with undiminished strength. But it is clear that it is not an easy task, and every case is unique. The government can, for obvious reasons, also not tell about everything it does. Even I find it very frustrating at times. But I can assure Håkan Svenneling and the Riksdag that we truly, in every individual situation, do everything we can to achieve results as soon as we can.

(Applause)

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Håkan Svenneling (V)

Madam Speaker! Thank you very much for the answer, Minister for Foreign Affairs!

It is with great concern that we follow the developments in the case of Joakim Medin. Yesterday, the news regarding his trial arrived. He risks up to twelve years in prison. Now his wife demands that the government and the Foreign Minister raise the tone to get him freed. I wonder if the Foreign Minister will do it: raise the tone.

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs himself be present or ensure a Swedish presence on site at the trial next week?

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! As I have said before, the process is now entering a different stage with the filing of charges. This also means that our work is partially changing. I cannot, due to the complexity and confidentiality, go into exactly what is being done. But I really want to assure the Riksdag that we are doing what we can do.

The embassy will also seek permission to be present at the trial, as it is naturally extremely important.

(Applause)

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Helena Vilhelmsson (C)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Lotta Edholm.

Some time ago, the Public Health Agency's report on young people's sexual health was released. It contains many alarming facts, including that 24 percent of girls have experienced sexual coercion or violence against their will. Sexual education in schools, which is supposed to cover consent, seems to be functioning poorly.

Another issue in the report concerns menstrual health. Knowledge about menstruation and its side effects is very low, even though this affects half of our population. Many girls know where they can seek help for feeling unwell during menstruation, but quite few do so. There is still a taboo surrounding girls' menstruation – we must do something about that. Furthermore, many girls stay home due to menstrual issues and thus miss school lessons.

School is the source of information about sex, relationships and health that most young people report. In what way does the Minister think the school's teaching today meets the problems that I describe?

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Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for the very important question.

It is quite obvious that the teaching in these subjects in school is not functioning well enough. We know that there are great differences in how it functions. The Swedish Schools Inspectorate has also shown this in a report. For me, it is completely obvious that the teaching in sex and coexistence and consent must be improved. We must get clearer curricula regarding this, so that it becomes more equitable.

I would also like to say that we need to strengthen and change the mandate of school health in Sweden. We have appointed an inquiry, which has submitted a partial report. But the part that concerns exactly school health is not finished yet. These are incredibly important issues.

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Helena Vilhelmsson (C)

Madam Speaker! That is a good point. Another point, which I would like to include, concerns access to free menstrual products. I think that one should be able to have them in all schools.

The most important thing, when it comes to why we should address this, is that many girls stay home some day every time they have their period. It is many days they miss school instruction. Furthermore, they refrain from physical activity.

Is this included in the work that the Minister mentioned in the previous statement?

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Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)

Madam Speaker! We now have a curriculum investigation out for consultation. When it then becomes a proposal to the Riksdag, there will also be a mandate to Skolverket to produce syllabi. But I believe that in parallel with that, it is also required that we change the mandate of student health so that they once again work closer to the students out in the schools. It is a part of this work.

(Applause)

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Jacob Risberg (MP)

Madam Speaker! For a couple of decades, the EU has had an association agreement with Israel that gives Israel the right to trade duty-free with the EU. In Article 2 of that association agreement, it states that the parties shall respect human rights.

Since March 2 of this year, Israel has stopped all deliveries of food, medicine, and water to Gaza. But hunger must not be used as a weapon in a conflict. It violates international law and definitely against respecting human rights.

I actually wonder: What will be required regarding MR-crimes for the Swedish government and the Foreign Minister to be prepared to push for a suspension of the association agreement with Israel?

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Jacob Risberg, for the question!

We are of the opinion that we have greater opportunities for dialogue and for influence when we also have cooperation and trade with Israel. I have explained this several times in this chamber, also to Jacob Risberg.

I have recently been on a trip to among other places Israel and had a bilateral meeting with my counterpart and was very clear that Israel has an obligation to ensure humanitarian access to Gaza, where the situation is extremely difficult.

We also have a ruling from the International Court of Justice stating that Israel must do more to protect the civilian population, and that is something we take note of in the dialogue with Israel. It is an incredibly difficult situation we are seeing. The hostages must be released. We must achieve a lasting ceasefire.

(Applause)

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Jacob Risberg (MP)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister for Foreign Affairs, for the answer!

This week, Ahmad Manasra was released after ten years in an Israeli prison. He was imprisoned when he was 13 years old – he was only a young boy. He has endured both physical and psychological torture in Israeli captivity.

It is definitely a human rights violation, so the question remains: What will be required regarding violations of human rights for the government to be prepared to pause the agreement with Israel? If one is not prepared to do so, Article 2 plays no role at all.

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! The government does in every case what the government believes has the greatest possibility of influencing. I believe that a dialogue with Israel is what has the greatest chance of achieving success in this situation – not to cut ties with Israel and to stop trading with them. On the other hand, we are very clear in our messages, and we will continue to be as well. But from both sides, horrific atrocities have been committed. We must also dare to raise that – on both sides.

(Applause)

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Ann-Sofie Alm (M)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard.

Recently, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs assisted with trips when about twenty Swedes left Gaza. In total, approximately 600 Swedes have left Gaza since the war broke out. A few days ago, we were able to read about a family who chose not to leave Gaza because everyone except the father was on the evacuation list. The family therefore chose to stay.

I understand, of course, that the Foreign Minister cannot comment on that specific case. But can the Minister clarify, in general terms, how the government works with family situations like this?

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Ann-Sofie Alm, for the very important question!

It is, as is known, an incredibly difficult situation in Gaza. It is also very, very difficult for Sweden to assist those who are in Gaza. We have had a travel advisory for more than ten years now regarding all travel there. A very great responsibility rests on the individual who, in defiance of that advisory, chooses to nevertheless travel to Gaza.

Generally speaking, it is the local authorities who make decisions about who is allowed to leave Gaza. Exactly how that assessment is made is difficult to account for. We naturally try to be helpful to the extent that we can, but as said, it is very, very difficult.

If one is given the opportunity to leave Gaza, one should do so. When Swedish authorities stand ready to help, one should take that help. That is my absolute view. Everything else is actually irresponsible, especially when it concerns children.

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Ann-Sofie Alm (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the clarification!

My follow-up question concerns the message that the Minister wishes to send to the Swedish citizens who remain in Gaza. The Minister answered that half-way, but does the Minister have anything further to add?

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! To begin with, one should always follow the travel recommendations of the EU and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Therefore, do not travel to Gaza or any other place where it is advised against, and do not expose yourself or others, especially not children, to danger. There is a reason why we have a system of travel warnings.

As I said: If one is given the opportunity, one must leave immediately. One also cannot count on receiving financial support or being able to get help when there is a recommendation against it.

(Applause)

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Magnus Jacobsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! My question is directed to Minister Jessica Rosen… Now I have lost the surname – Jessica!

We have different directives that we follow, EU directives and the like. At the same time, one notices that there is a rather large difference between how Sweden acts and how other countries act.

One such example concerns the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, which warns of floods due to climate change. At the same time, we are sitting with a water directive that we interpret in such a way that one removes dams, for example around Karlstad and Vänern, which in the long run carries a risk of flooding in Gothenburg, while other countries, including Norway, which are part of these agreements, choose to build more dams to cope with environmental changes.

Is it us who are over-implementing, or is it other countries that are under-implementing? Why do EU countries do so differently in these types of issues?

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Statsrådet Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Madam Speaker! Warm thanks to the member for an important question! When it comes to EU ministers, it is usually enough to say Jessica – then someone answers!

Our starting point in these issues is that it is very important to have a strong environmental and climate work but at the same time very clearly safeguard our important Swedish interests, which can be about Swedish forestry but also about Swedish hydropower.

It is clear that when we now implement different forms of legislation, for example in the water area, it is important, on the one hand, that we take measures that actually ensure that we achieve good water quality, reduce acidification and the spread of pharmaceutical residues, and also take climate change into account, and on the other hand, that we carry out the implementation in as well-balanced a way as possible.

Sweden's general approach is that we should not over-implement EU directives but rather look at the appropriate options for exemptions that exist. This also applies to this area.

(Applause)

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Magnus Jacobsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! My second question concerns the EU's nature restoration regulation and the deforestation regulation. Here we have the interesting situation that these two regulations collide with each other. In one case, we are to, so to speak, restore the environment to a specific year; in the other case, we are to protect forests and not deforest.

Then the question arises: How is a simple farmer or forest owner supposed to handle regulations that the EU develops in negotiations with governments when the regulations conflict with one another?

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Statsrådet Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Madam Speaker! We are very proud of Swedish forestry, a sustainable forestry that ensures that for every tree we harvest, we also plant new ones. Sweden, together with Finland, has very actively lobbied the Commission for many years to create a greater understanding precisely for this.

When it comes to, for example, the nature restoration law, my answer is similar to my answer regarding the water issue; that is, now that we have given a mandate to several authorities to prepare a proposal on how the national plan should be designed, we must do so as well-balanced as possible and use the exceptions that exist.

(Applause)

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Helena Gellerman (L)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Erik Slottner.

Sweden aims to become the best in the world when it comes to utilizing the possibilities of digitalization. This includes, among other things, digital data, broadband, and storage possibilities. Here, American cloud services are used by very many municipalities.

The EU succeeded during the Biden administration in gaining understanding for the EU's data protection legislation, GDPR, and received an exemption from the NSA's ability to access data stored with American companies.

Now the American president has stated that he is considering removing this exception through a new presidential order. Against that background, my question is: How does the minister view the need for a Swedish cloud service for the secure handling of data?

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Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! It is very true that Sweden and Europe today are largely dependent on American cloud services. It would naturally not be good if the new administration were to remove the agreement that we managed to conclude with the previous administration. We do, however, make the assessment that it will still be possible to use American cloud services. It is problematic, but it will continue to be possible, albeit more difficult.

How we store data is a very big issue, not least in the public sector and out in municipalities and regions, where we need a lot of highly personal and protected data in order to be able to develop, for example, new AI services. This is therefore a major issue that is growing very much in relevance both here in Sweden and within the EU.

The European Commission has now announced that a new legislative initiative is to come regarding cloud services linked to AI. We are following that issue very closely. We also know that new establishments of European data centers are being planned.

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Helena Gellerman (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer!

The AI Commission's report was recently presented, and they talk about wanting to see Sweden develop its own cloud service. Just as the minister pointed out, initiatives are also being taken to develop cloud services in Europe.

My question is: What advantages and disadvantages does the minister see with a Swedish versus a European cloud service? Has this been discussed within the ministerial council?

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Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! I see this issue very much from a European perspective. As in so many other issues, I believe that we must work together within the European Union since we are an internal market. If we can let data flow more within the union, we have very much to gain from it.

We are today very dependent on American cloud services. More and more European data centers are now being established, but we are far from being independent of American cloud services. I am therefore completely convinced that we will need to continue to look at this issue, as this concerns Europe's security and competitiveness.

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Matilda Ernkrans (S)

Madam Speaker! The EU Minister highlights climate and competitiveness in various contexts and that there is no contradiction between them. But in practice, the government chooses to opt out of the climate every time and instead, with deliberate courage, increases the Swedish climate emissions and contributes to eroding the European climate ambitions. The result is that Sweden risks missing all the Swedish climate goals and also the binding EU goals when it comes to the climate.

Now water shortages await in Skåne, and snow-poor mountains are already here and now causing poorer entrepreneurship and competitiveness for Swedish companies. Unemployment is increasing in Sweden at the same time as we already have the EU's second highest unemployment.

Do the EU Minister and the government take any impression of reality at all? Do they have any sense of crisis? What conclusions does the Minister draw regarding his and the government's policy and credibility in the issue of the relationship between climate and competitiveness here in Sweden but also at the EU level?

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Statsrådet Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member, for the question! I believe that if you asked a member state in the EU how they perceive Sweden in these issues, they would say that we are very clearly one of the countries that is truly at the forefront when it comes to safeguarding continued strong climate work hand in hand with securing Europe's competitiveness.

We have ambitious climate goals in Sweden and the EU that we intend to do our utmost to reach. Sweden is, for example, one of the countries that has backed the Commission's goal of a new emission target for 2040. At the same time, we, unlike the previous government, are clear that one must also create good conditions for, for example, Swedish forestry to play a role in reaching the goals. It is also the case that we must ensure that all member states reach their climate goals. It is not just a few who are to do the work.

That Sweden is a strong and clear voice for safeguarding both the climate and competitiveness is quite obvious.

(Applause)

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TREDJE VICE TALMANNEN

I remind everyone that the address in the chamber is not "you" and neither are first names, but first and last names. Everyone speaks through the Speaker.

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Angelica Lundberg (SD)

Madam Speaker! Yesterday, the Riksdag said yes to the sale of alcohol on farms. It is a long-awaited reform that the Sverigedemokraterna have pushed through together with the government to promote entrepreneurship, rural development, and tourism. But the application of the law has been criticized even though it has not even been introduced yet. The background is that the Public Health Agency, in its proposals for new regulations, has placed unnecessarily sharp restrictions. Furthermore, the Socialdemokraterna, who say no to farm sales, have already begun to put spokes in the wheels of small beverage producers by limiting opening hours in the municipalities where they rule.

Municipal fees and conditions will be able to vary greatly. I would therefore like to ask what Civil Minister Slottner will do to ensure that microbreweries, vineyards, and distilleries that want to introduce farm sales are not negatively affected depending on which municipality they operate in and who governs it.

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! It is with great joy and also pride that we have finally had this reform passed. It is very gratifying that the Riksdag stood behind it yesterday. After decades of investigations, political inertia, and saying no, the government has now delivered. But we are not at the finish line yet, as Angelica Lundberg also hinted, because now it is up to the municipalities to take their responsibility. The municipalities need to make decisions on fees, prepare the permit process, and ensure that the companies can get started very quickly.

It has already, just as Angelica Lundberg said, come many alarming signals from Stockholm, which want to ban sales on Sundays. This naturally only puts a stop to freedom and entrepreneurship in the metropolitan region. Now we need to ensure that the reform takes hold in the entire country.

(Applause)

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Daniel Riazat (V)

Madam Speaker! Ever since 1955, sex education, which was a feminist reform, has been of decisive importance for very many people in our country when it comes to education in schools and society as such. It has been about issues of consent and equality, and sound knowledge about relationships has been spread.

In a short time, two inquiries have been submitted that propose making the largest restrictions in modern times to exactly the sex education. It is being questioned whether consent should remain in the school's curriculum and whether sex education should even be included in the main tasks that the school has. RFSU has started a petition that has gathered over 21,000 people in a few days to protest against this. I want to use this to direct my criticism towards the current inquiry.

I wonder where the government stands on these issues. Will you stand up for one of the larger feminist reforms that have functioned for 70 years, or will you follow the commission's recommendations?

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Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member, for this important question!

Today we know that sex and relationship education does not function equally in our schools. There are investigations that show that it looks very different. Therefore, it is important that, in parallel with revising the curriculum, we also get better syllabi in this incredibly important subject in school.

The objective is by no means to remove the sex and cohabitation education. Instead, it shall look the same across the entire country. It is clearly stated what the students are actually to learn, and when and how, through clear curricula. There is no ambition whatsoever to abolish this. I would probably like to say that the subject is more important than it has been in a very long time in Sweden.

(Applause)

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Malin Björk (C)

Madam Speaker! Every year, the public sector in Sweden procures 1,000 billion kronor. Approximately 1 billion of these went this year to Hells Angels, which is a criminal motorcycle club network where almost every other member is in the company register. They have involvements in companies; that is how it looks today. These grossly criminal persons often appear in suits when they do business or perhaps attend weddings and mingle with politicians and others.

A report from the Swedish Defence University also shows that we have the Russian mafia in a hundred companies operating in Sweden. This has been known for a long time, while the public screams for effective tools to ensure that we do not get any criminal actors into public activities.

The supplier control investigation submitted a report to Erik Slottner nearly two years ago. It contains several proposals that would truly have an impact on the area. But since then, it has stood still. I wonder when there will be action regarding striking against gross economic crime in public procurement.

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Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! With all due respect – I do not believe that Malin Björk has followed this issue particularly closely lately. In the budget bill for 2025, there are now funds to implement the Supplier Control Investigation's proposal regarding precisely a register. As a procuring authority, one should be able much earlier than today to detect unserious or outright criminal actors so that we never enter into contracts with or allow criminal actors to receive a share of public funds.

Bolagsverket is currently working on this register, and we naturally look forward to it being usable. In parallel, many other measures are being taken to make it more difficult for criminal actors to enter into contracts with procuring authorities. For example, some form of track record for procured companies is to be developed so that they can be more easily excluded if they have a poor history. It will also become easier to exclude abnormally low bids.

We are working on a new roadmap for public procurement to facilitate, not least for municipalities, to make good and fair deals.

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Malte Tängmark Roos (MP)

Madam Speaker! Educational research is clear that one of the most important factors for how well students succeed in school is how skilled teachers they have. Educated and qualified teachers are a fundamental prerequisite for creating good learning environments for everyone and lifting children out of socioeconomic vulnerability. At the same time, figures from Skolverket show that approximately 30 percent of all full-time employed teachers in Sweden's schools lack certification and qualification. In some schools and in some municipalities, the proportion is significantly higher.

Access to qualified teachers is, to the highest degree, a matter of equality. Many municipalities have a shortage of licensed teachers, but trade unions and experts also warn that schools choose to forgo advertising positions or prefer to hire unqualified rather than qualified teachers for economic reasons.

It is clear that the state needs to take greater responsibility. My question to the Minister for Education is therefore how the government intends to act to increase the proportion of qualified teachers in schools.

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Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Malte Tängmark Roos, for a very important question!

What we must do is to strengthen the attractiveness of the teaching profession so that more young people want to become teachers. The fundamental problem in this is the teacher shortage.

We have, for example, state grants so that one can hire more special education teachers and have more teaching groups, but we must also improve the conditions for the teaching profession in Sweden. I am completely convinced that the working conditions for teachers must become better, and we must ensure that the classrooms become safer. Far too many teachers are today subjected to threats and harassment in a completely unacceptable manner. That also, of course, makes the profession less attractive.

This is, as has been said, a very important issue, and the government is working on it in many different ways.

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Lars Beckman (M)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Slottner.

Over-indebtedness has increased, which is a serious societal problem. The government has lowered taxes to increase disposable incomes, which is good for many, but we still have a problem with over-indebtedness. The government has acted through the assignment on budget and debt counseling, which was recently final-reported. The assignment was part of the proposals from the Over-indebtedness Inquiry.

My question to Minister Slottner is: What else does the government intend to do in this matter?

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Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! This is an important issue for the government. A number of measures have already been taken – much in the area of Minister for Financial Markets Niklas Wykman – to make it more difficult to grant irresponsible credits. The interest rate cap has been lowered. We have introduced tougher requirements to, for example, be able to start operations such as these. Recently, we commissioned a new investigation into over-indebtedness, which shall review the possibilities of making it more difficult to take out loans at night and introducing reverse repayment so that one can start paying off the debt ratio itself instead of the interest so that one can get down in debt faster.

There are, therefore, several different measures, and I have only mentioned a few.

Furthermore, we have tasked both the Consumer Agency and the National Audit Office to review how we can improve municipal budget and debt counseling, and we have now received a number of proposals on this. It is too early to say right now how we will proceed with these specific proposals, as they are still being prepared. We will return to this a bit further ahead.

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Torsten Elofsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Erik Slottner.

There is an EU regulation that is specifically aimed at electronic identification and which shall enable the use of e-identification not only in Sweden but in all EU member states. The regulation called eIDAS facilitates safer cross-border transactions by establishing a framework for digital identity and authentication. The purpose is to create trust for electronic interaction and promote seamless digital services.

The majority of member states – currently 21 – now have approved eIDs, but an introduction in Sweden is delayed. We currently rely on BankID, which is operated and administered by a private company. However, it has certain shortcomings.

My questions are the following: Why is the implementation of an e-ID in our country delayed? How is the work progressing to develop an e-ID in accordance with the regulation? When can it be expected to be in place?

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Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! The fact that it has taken time in Sweden to establish an e-identification at the highest level of trust is because we have had very well-functioning private e-identifications, with BankID being the absolute largest. But it does not meet the requirements in the eIDAS Regulation, as Elofsson mentions here. The Government has therefore taken the issue further and investigated whether a state e-identification can be introduced, which is the solution the Government has settled on and which we are now funding.

The Swedish Police Authority is currently developing an e-ID that will be issued by a state authority, the Swedish Police Authority. In parallel with this, the Agency for Digital Government is developing a digital wallet so that we will be able to use a digital wallet and identify ourselves regardless of where within the EU we are located through the e-ID. Such a wallet could contain a driver's license, passport, e-prescription, various educational certificates, etc. I look forward to this very much. The timeline is the end of 2026.

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Markus Kauppinen (S)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard.

The journalist Joakim Medin has now been detained in Turkey for three weeks. According to the journalist's lawyers, Medin risks three years in prison for insulting the president and nine years in prison for a terror crime. If convicted, he risks up to twelve years in prison. We, together with Medin's family, feel great concern. Now it is extra important to show both support and decisiveness.

How does the Foreign Minister view the fact that Medin is charged with allegedly insulting the president? The Foreign Minister has said that the work to get Medin released is now entering a new phase. What does that mean?

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Markus Kauppinen, for the question!

I have accounted for this previously here in the chamber. The work is now entering a slightly different stage, and we are also receiving more information about what is actually being added to the load according to Turkey. That gives us a different insight and perhaps a different opportunity to act.

I have explained that it is difficult to account for exactly what the government is doing here due to reasons of secrecy but also because of how sensitive the matter is. I do, however, want to assure the Chamber that we are doing everything we can in every given situation. We are acting on a number of different levels to ensure that we reach our goal as soon as possible, and that is that Joakim Medin should be able to come home to his wife.

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Anders Alftberg (SD)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Lotta Edholm.

On March 19, the government announced that a new investigation to strengthen the work against honor-related violence and oppression in preschool and school would be appointed. This is not only welcome, but it is a matter of life and death for thousands of girls in Sweden.

At least 240,000 people live under honor oppression. Young girls are murdered in the name of honor. They are forced into marriages with older men or have their genitals mutilated. That this should become commonplace in modern Sweden is deeply tragic.

During my 16 years as a teacher in particularly vulnerable areas, I have been able to note an obvious connection. More than 99 percent of the girls living under honor oppression wear a veil. The veil is not just a symbol but a real tool for honor oppression.

My questions are as follows: Does the Minister, as I do, see the veil as an important tool in the oppression of young girls? Should it then not appear more clearly in the investigation directive that this is problematic?

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Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Anders Alftberg, for a very important question!

Honor killings occur in Sweden on a terrifyingly large scale. We know that tens of thousands, primarily girls but also boys, are exposed to this. Therefore, the investigation is very important.

Today, honor-based oppression is not only practiced by parents and relatives, but it also occurs that honor-based oppression is sometimes actually even reinforced by preschool staff. Therefore, the investigation is important. It has a broad mandate to propose the measures that are considered reasonable to address this heinous oppression.

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Niels Paarup-Petersen (C)

Madam Speaker! Yesterday we finally decided here in the chamber to introduce farm sales. The Prime Minister has said that with this, Sweden will become a bit more like the rest of Europe. But, Madam Speaker, in the rest of Europe, one actually does not need to pay to listen to a lecture for 45 minutes and receive information about the harmful effects of alcohol in order to buy a bottle of wine. These are requirements that the government itself, and of its own accord, has introduced into the bill. They were not included in the Center Party's proposal, nor were they in the commission's proposal.

In the rest of Europe, one can also buy a cold beer. One can have a drink at the beach without there having to be indoor serving locations. A hot plate is also not needed to have a glass of cognac. That is how it looks in the rest of Europe.

My question goes to Minister Malmer Stenergard, my colleague, who knows what it looks like just on the other side of the Öresund. What does the government intend to do so that Sweden will actually become a bit more like Europe on this front?

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Solidarity can be one of the most beautiful words I have ever heard.

It is a freedom reform, and I am very happy that the Riksdag voted it through yesterday. This was not something that the Centerpartiet managed to get through in its previous cooperation, so it is nevertheless a very big step forward that we are very happy about.

On June 1, small-scale producers in Sweden will be allowed to sell their drinks – both wine, beer, spirits and other fermented beverages – directly to visitors. This is then surrounded by a number of regulations. As I said in a previous post, it is now very much up to the municipalities to ensure that there is a purposeful application of the regulations so that it does not become all too bureaucratic.

I am concerned, as I said, that the Social Democrats in Stockholm want to ban sales on Sundays, but let us see how the freedom reform turns out and if we in the future have reason to move even closer to Europe.

(Applause)

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Margareta Cederfelt (M)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard.

On Tuesday, a horrific terrorist attack occurred in Kashmir in India. 26 people died. We know that terrorism knows no borders. It can occur anywhere and at any time across the entire globe. Therefore, I would like to ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if she can mention anything about the government's work to counter terrorism, so that we do not have more violent terrorist acts around the world.

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Margareta Cederfelt, for the very pressing question!

It was truly a horrific attack, which the rest of the world has also condemned. We naturally agree with that.

Combating terrorism is very high on the government's agenda. It is a task that is carried out partly at the Ministry of Justice, under Gunnar Strömmers leadership. There, we are implementing a number of legislative changes so that, among other things, the police will receive more effective tools to tackle this crime.

This is also a completely central part of our international cooperation, because it concerns organizations that move across borders. There, the cooperation and, not least, the exchange of information with other countries is absolutely crucial for us to be able to combat them in an effective way. It is constantly on the agenda when I meet my colleagues.

(Applause)

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Rose-Marie Carlsson (S)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Edholm.

Preschool is the first step in the educational chain and lays the foundation for lifelong learning. It is a place for care, play, and learning, not religion. In preschool, both education and teaching occur.

A judgment has recently established that it is acceptable with table prayer in connection with meals. It opens up for a very broad interpretation when it comes to confessional elements in the preschool.

My question is: How will the government work to ensure that confessional elements in preschool, regardless of which religion it is, are more clearly separated from the regular activities and can be opted out of in a simple and non-stigmatizing way?

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Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for an important question.

In preschool and school, it shall be separated to the extent that it occurs. It is incredibly important that the municipalities, which have a supervisory responsibility for independent preschools, take this responsibility seriously so that it can be ensured that the teaching is free from religious affiliation. When it comes to education, it may occur.

The Government has given a mandate to the Swedish Schools Inspectorate to specifically review that different types of extremism do not occur in our school system.

(Applause)

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Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)

Madam Speaker! A week ago, reports emerged that about twenty Swedish citizens had been evacuated from Gaza. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has, since August 1 of last year, issued a strict advisory against all travel to Gaza. This means that those who, despite this advisory, have traveled to Gaza have done so at their own risk, aware that they would not receive any assistance from Swedish foreign authorities to get out of the area.

There is a risk that some of those who have traveled to Gaza sympathize with Hamas, but even if that is not the case, it is problematic if the Ministry for Foreign Affairs first issues a strict warning against traveling to a certain area and subsequently assists with the evacuation of persons who traveled there despite the warning.

My question to the Minister for Foreign Affairs is the following: Has the Ministry for Foreign Affairs played a decisive role in the evacuation of Swedish citizens from Gaza?

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Nima Gholam Ali Pour, for the question!

As I said earlier, a number of Swedes have received permission from local authorities to leave Gaza at the Kerem Shalom border crossing for further travel to Sweden via Jordan. On April 16, 20 Swedes were indeed able to leave Gaza. It was a continuation of the consular work that has been ongoing since Hamas's attacks against Israel in October 2023. It was carried out in close cooperation between our foreign authorities, the police, and the Swedish Migration Agency.

I want to be very clear that a very careful check is being carried out regarding those who are leaving Gaza for Sweden. A similar effort was carried out on March 12, when six people left Gaza.

Just as Nima Gholam Ali Pour says, an enormous responsibility rests on individuals not to travel to Gaza when there has been, and for a long time has been, such a clear advice against it. One cannot count on help, nor on financial help, but one must follow our advice.

(Applause)

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Lars Püss (M)

Madam Speaker! A total trade war is underway in the world right now, more or less. The American administration has introduced a general tariff against the EU of 10 percent on all EU goods. In addition to this, the administration has introduced 25 percent tariffs on steel, aluminum, and cars.

Sweden is a very export-dependent economy. These tariffs hit important Swedish industries hard and thereby also hit Swedish welfare hard. This results in a weaker economy. Therefore, I want to ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs: What is the government doing to reduce or completely remove these very harmful tariffs?

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Lars Püss, for the very pressing question!

It is a really bad policy that we are now seeing from the American side – a protectionist trade policy that only leads to everyone becoming poorer. We want to trade more freely with the USA, but also with the rest of the world.

Now I am glad that there is room for negotiations from the EU's side. It is the EU that handles this, but we have a clear role in the negotiations within the EU and in ensuring that there is an opportunity to negotiate with the USA. Our goal is, naturally, that we should have as few and low tariffs as possible.

If I am to try to be a little positive, I can say that I now see an opportunity for increased speed in negotiations with other countries around the world, where Mercosur, Mexico, Australia and perhaps also India may want to conclude free trade agreements. Now I think we should see to it that it also becomes so.

(Applause)

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Jonathan Svensson (S)

Madam Speaker! The government's cuts at Statens servicecenter lead to the fact that about thirty offices around the country will have to be closed.

Recently, the final decision arrived that the office in Åmål will be closed as early as May 30 this year. That the office in Åmål is closed means that all service offices in the province of Dalsland will now disappear. It will lead to those who are in need of the authority's support having to make hour-long journeys to be able to receive the support they are in need of.

The County Administrative Board as well as the Västra Götaland Region, all Dalsland municipalities and politicians from both the opposition and the majority have criticized the government's cuts to the agency and the closure of the office in Åmål, but they have not yet received any satisfactory answer from the government.

I therefore want to take the opportunity and ask the Minister for Civil Affairs: What is his answer to all those people in Dalarna who now get significantly worse access to the state services that they are in such great need of?

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Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! Closing the service office in Åmål is, therefore, not a decision that the government has made. It is a decision that the authority has made – based on budget assumptions that the government has provided, it should be said. New budget assumptions mean that a number of physical offices will need to be closed, and the authority has, based on a number of guidelines regarding efficiency and cost control – and also geographical distribution, not to be forgotten – made decisions on a number of closures.

This does not mean that the state disappears. It does not mean that state service offices will disappear in total. But it does mean that some will have to travel further to their nearest service office.

All the authorities that currently exist at the state service centers have well-developed digital services, and my hope is that very many of those who have sought out physical offices will be able to resolve some of the tasks digitally. They may take help from relatives and get help digitally. They can call the authorities or go to the service center that will be closest after the closure.

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Patrick Reslow (SD)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Lotta Edholm.

In yesterday's Uppdrag granskning, we could see one of many consequences of the mass immigration: Criminal gangs divide up and rule over schools. They engage in drug trafficking, murder and assault, and spread general terror. This prompts no actions from the teachers' side, according to the segment from SVT. It creates strong anxiety among parents who have their children in school. It also creates terror among the students.

We are doing a lot from the Sverigedemokraternas and the other Tidöpartiernas side to resolve this, but it is not enough. My question to the Minister is what additional measures the Minister is prepared to take to resolve the problems and create safety for the children in school and for the parents who have their children in school.

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Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)

Madam Speaker! Yes, these are very serious issues.

The government will take the measures that are required, but right now there are very many issues on the Riksdag's table that make it much easier for authorities to act.

For example, we are breaking down the confidentiality between school, social services, and police. We say that the school has a crime-prevention mandate and that the head of the school is responsible for ensuring that unauthorized persons do not find themselves on the school premises. We give the school opportunities to, for example, inspect bags, but also a mandate for the school to always report crimes to the police.

I want to emphasize how important all these measures are to address these very large problems that we see.

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Noria Manouchi (M)

Madam Speaker! The Moderate-led government's ambition that every student should succeed in school becomes very clear when one takes note of the partial report from the Inquiry into improved student health.

Despite the fact that research is clear that interventions during the first school years are crucial, this was never the previous S-government's priority.

Now we have, with state subsidies, invested nearly 2 billion so that schools can hire special education teachers and student health personnel. But I wonder: What measures does the Minister for Education intend to take for further actions so that every student can succeed in school?

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Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for an important but very large question.

Yes, we need to redo the curriculum for primary school. We need to redo the syllabi. We need to redo the teacher training in Sweden.

We must ensure that special support is provided much earlier, because it is exactly as the member says: Special support is provided far too late in Swedish schools. We must ensure that students who, for example, have difficulty learning to read receive extra support and simply get to read more – not less, as is sometimes the case.

It is a long list of areas where we must fundamentally change the policy. It is also important, for example, to change the mandate of school health so that one works more directly with students in a somewhat different way than one does today. But we will have to come back to that.

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Anna-Belle Strömberg (S)

Madam Speaker! Swedish entrepreneurs are today an important part of our society. They run shops, deliver services and build the welfare that we all depend on.

But when it comes to protection against fraud, many small business owners are left alone. Today, business owners lack the consumer protection that private individuals have, even though they are often just as vulnerable in practice. A sole proprietorship or a small limited company can lose everything through a hijacked identity or a targeted digital attack. Yet, a business owner is not met with the same support, protection, or compensation as a consumer.

I want to ask Minister Erik Slottner what initiatives he intends to take to strengthen protection against fraud, even for small business owners.

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Statsrådet Erik Slottner (KD)

Madam Speaker! I believe I am now obliged to provide an answer. I believe – I may be wrong; it happens on some occasions that I am – that such legislation would fall under another minister's area of responsibility, in this case the Minister for Enterprise Ebba Busch. That is what I would guess because it is protection for small business owners that is being requested. I find it difficult to imagine that individual entrepreneurs would fall under consumer protection legislation for private individuals. But now I am drifting off a little bit.

If concrete proposals come from the opposition, from the Social Democrats, I will gladly look at them. I am always in favor of measures that can increase the protection for small business owners. Business owners are often vulnerable today, and they are a complete prerequisite for us to have welfare and a well-functioning society otherwise, so I would gladly see strengthened protection for small business owners.

The government is generally doing a lot to improve the business climate in Sweden. Can this be another step in that direction, I am not closing the door, but I want to know what concrete measures it could be.

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Niklas Sigvardsson (S)

Madam Speaker! Two weeks ago, the so-called profit investigation was handed over to the Minister for Education. The Government and the Minister have spoken about a complete renovation and a crackdown against so-called unhealthy drivers, but nothing came of the investigation.

The fundamental problem with the investigation is that it does not propose a real profit ban, but only limitations in certain cases. The profit interest in the school will therefore remain with this investigation's proposal.

In itself, the proposal to limit profits during the first five years benefits the large actors, who have already exploited the Swedish school system financially.

The SD government has promised a complete renovation of the school market, but this reminds me more of home-styling a rotten house. My question to the Minister for Education is: Why does the government want profit to continue to be the driving force in the Swedish school system?

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Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)

Madam Speaker! Yes, the government is now taking on the unhealthy drivers that exist in the Swedish independent school system.

We have received the first part of this investigation, and we will now send it out for consultation. But it is important that we start a complete renovation of the friskola system so that we can remove the unhealthy drivers that exist.

The investigation also presents a number of different proposals which will ensure that it will no longer be possible to take out profit if one, for example, conducts substandard operations or receives state subsidies for quality-enhancing measures.

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Jörgen Berglund (M)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard.

At the end of March, 15 Palestinian aid workers were killed in Gaza by the Israeli military. The killed aid workers were found in a mass grave. The responsible officer has been dismissed.

My question is: How does the government view this event?

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Jörgen Berglund, for the question!

We view the lack of security prevailing for humanitarian personnel in Gaza, and the terrible incident in which 15 aid workers and rescue personnel were killed, as extremely serious. These are, naturally, attacks that Sweden condemns.

We have been very clear towards Israel that the security for aid workers has been substandard and must be ensured. We note that Israel has conducted its investigation and that the consequences have been that a commander has been dismissed.

All parties in an armed conflict have, according to international humanitarian law, an obligation to investigate whether such violations have occurred and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable. In this situation, Sweden will very clearly stand up for international law, including humanitarian law, and ensure that it is respected. This naturally also includes support for our important international courts, such as the ICC.

(Applause)

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Jytte Guteland (S)

Madam Speaker! My question also goes to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

I want to speak about the silos at Frihamnen in Stockholm. Today, there is a lack of clear national governance and funds for regional and local measures regarding food preparedness. It is concerning that the Foreign Minister's colleague Carl-Oskar Bohlin, as Minister for Civil Defence, has not taken this responsibility together with the municipalities and regions.

The municipalities are responsible for meal readiness and municipal operations. The state, however, is responsible for food readiness for the entire population. What happens with the silos is therefore the state's responsibility.

We from Stockholm want an announcement from the government regarding what will happen with the silo. Is the silo strategically important for the food supply of the Swedish people? Is the state, in such a case, prepared to also take on the financing of this, or does one want to pass this over to Stockholm?

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! I am not entirely sure that a question about the silo in Frihamnen can be considered a general political issue. However, Jytte Guteland raises an incredibly important question from a somewhat larger perspective, that is, regarding our preparedness when it comes to food supply.

Something I believe has emerged clearly is that we, on the government's side, take the preparedness issues most seriously. I know that this is something that State Secretary Peter Kullgren is working on very intensively, but it also lies very close to the intensive work carried out by our Minister for Civil Defence, Carl-Oskar Bohlin. I am convinced that they look forward to discussing the silos in Frihamnen with Jytte Guteland.

The question period was hereby concluded.

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