Question Time

ANDRE VICE TALMANNEN

I would like to welcome the ministers. Questions today will be answered by Minister for Employment Johan Britz, acting Minister for Climate and Environment, Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin, EU Minister Jessica Rosencrantz, and Minister for Gender Equality Nina Larsson.

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 Employment and acting Minister for Climate and Environment Johan Britz answers both general political questions and questions within his own area of responsibility.

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Sofia Amloh (S)

Madam Speaker! Unemployment in Sweden has increased dramatically – 100,000 more in unemployment – since SD and the government took over responsibility. Many young people are without jobs, while at the same time companies say they cannot find the right competence. It clearly shows that the government has not done enough, despite its so-called work line.

We are also seeing that new groups are being affected. According to a new report, unemployment is increasing most among educated men born in Sweden. No one is safe when unemployment takes hold.

Furthermore, the development stands out. While unemployment has decreased in several comparable countries, Sweden has underperformed.

I can state that there is a lack of crisis awareness and initiative. The labor market policy has completely collapsed.

Is the Minister for Employment satisfied with the current situation in Sweden? Are crisis measures not needed to address the crisis situation on the Swedish labor market?

(Applause)

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

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

Unemployment in Sweden is too high – I believe everyone in this chamber agrees on that. We have almost half a million unemployed, according to Statistics Sweden. Half of them are foreign-born.

The big problem in the Swedish labor market is, above all, that we have very many people who have never established themselves in it. They lack the skills and abilities, not least language but also vocational knowledge, that Swedish employers demand.

That is why we have changed the policy. That is why we are investing in education that leads to jobs. We ensure that it always pays off better to work, and we ensure continued strict asylum migration to Sweden so that we can help and support the people who are here.

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Sofia Amloh (S)

Madam Speaker! We still have record-high unemployment, and yet the government is not allocating more resources to labor market training and other measures to get people into work.

My questions remain: Why is the minister so satisfied? Why is more not being done? What crisis measures are being taken in this area? Why has the Minister for Employment not done more to get more people into jobs by, for example, investing in more labor market trainings and such measures?

(Applause)

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! I am glad that Sofia Amloh raises this question and especially the question regarding educational places. This government has, in fact, added 14,000 educational places. Most recently in the budget for the current year, we added further places specifically for labor market training, directed not least towards the healthcare sector.

We are to have more educational places. But it is also important that people attend the education programs with which we now enable people to acquire the competence required to succeed on the Swedish labor market.

(Applause)

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Michael Rubbestad (SD)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Employment Johan Britz.

In Sweden, women and men have the same opportunity to education, work, and self-sufficiency. We Sverigedemokrater also stand clearly against honor oppression and oppression of women.

The discussion is often focused on the wage gap between women and men, but it risks obscuring an even more fundamental inequality: that many women are completely outside the labor market. According to SCB, unemployment among foreign-born women of working age is exactly four times as high as among domestic-born women.

Against this background, I would like to ask Minister for Employment Johan Britz: Does the Minister intend to take any concrete measures to break the exclusion among foreign-born women and move more from benefit dependency into work? And is the Minister prepared to admit that this situation is a result of a previous irresponsible migration policy?

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

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

It is exactly as the member says: The situation on the Swedish labor market is at the macro level worst for foreign-born women. The unemployment among foreign-born women is approximately three times as high as among domestic-born.

We need to do something about this. There are a few different ways to do this. What we have just presented is that we reform the establishment allowance so that it becomes individualized, which will mean that more women will participate in the establishment measures.

We must also not forget the need to constantly invest in short-term training that combines vocational skills with language. We have done that, and we will also continue to do so.

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Michael Rubbestad (SD)

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

Many of the women we are talking about live in environments where work and self-sufficiency are actively opposed through honor norms. Those who want to work are therefore not allowed to work. How could labor market policy be used to counteract honor oppression, and what concrete political measures could the minister take?

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! I believe we need to work more on setting the same requirements for women as we do for men in order to break the honor issue that the member is raising.

I also want to say that this is to some extent an effect of the fact that we have had a high asylum migration to Sweden. That is why we must continue to maintain a strict asylum migration to Sweden so that we can have resources to help those who are here.

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Kajsa Fredholm (V)

Madam Speaker! Last week, the Climate Policy Council presented its evaluation of the government's climate policy from 2022 to 2026. It clearly emerges from that which that the climate goals are not being met with the decided policy. Emissions have increased, the instruments for transport have been weakened, and cost-effectiveness, something that the government has emphasized as important, has decreased. We risk missing the climate goals for 2030, with a risk of fines from the EU in amounts from 8 billion to as much as 40 billion kronor.

My question to the Minister is: Which reforms will the government present to reach the climate goals by 2030? There is an urgency now.

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

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

We have a climate policy in Sweden that is one of the best in the world. We are an example in the EU, and the EU is an example in Sweden. It is an important starting point when we talk about climate efforts in Sweden and how we should manage our emissions.

We agree that we need to do more to meet the 2030 goals. That is, among other things, why we have presented that in our year-end budget we will both strengthen the electric car premium and establish a new steering measure that allows public authorities to purchase more biofuels and also move faster in their electrification.

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Kajsa Fredholm (V)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for the answer, but unfortunately, what the Minister says is not sufficient.

There are proposals that would allow us to reach the goal, but it does not feel like the government is interested in really reducing emissions so that we can reach the 2030 goal. My conclusion is that we really need to change the government this autumn if anything is to happen. I will give three tips.

Invest in public transport across the whole country! Expand the electric car premium even more than the government does! Invest heavily in charging points and fossil-free fuels!

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! What the member is raising is partly correct, namely that we need to do more to reach the goals by 2030. We all agree on that. Then it is important to understand where we are coming from, with the inflation shock we had and the reduction obligation policy which meant that a liter of diesel would cost between 5 and 7 kronor more today than it does. I do not believe that it is a policy that makes the Swedish people think it is important to reduce emissions.

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Rickard Nordin (C)

Madam Speaker! Anyone who reads the Tidö Agreement can see that it states that climate policy shall be aligned with research and based on facts. Last week, the research delivered its verdict on the government.

The Climate Policy Council, with Sweden's collective research elite from KTH, Lund, SMHI and so on, says that we will not reach the goals and that the distance to the goals has increased.

The Minister for Climate Action made a written statement and said that he does not share the council's criticism – on the contrary. In that case, my question becomes very simple: On what research and what facts is the Minister for Climate Action basing his statement, since it goes directly against the collective Swedish research community?

(Applause)

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for the question.

We do not agree with everything that the Climate Policy Council says. What we particularly disagree with is their assessment that we will not reach the long-term goal by 2045. This is partly because they create a snapshot and do not take into account all the policy that this government and this cooperation, the Tidö agreement, entails moving forward. This is not least about the massive expansion of nuclear power, which means that Sweden will be able to transition to fossil-free electricity in more sectors than has occurred until now.

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Rickard Nordin (C)

Madam Speaker! What the research says, and therefore is fact, is that emissions today are higher than when the government took office. The share of electric cars with this government has not increased in the same way as Denmark, which has doubled its electric car usage.

My question remains: What research can the Minister refer to when the Tidö Agreement states that the policy should be based on research, while the collective research community in Sweden says that the Climate Minister's policy and the government's policy are not sufficient? Please provide a source reference to which research is being referred to.

(Applause)

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! I think we should describe reality as it is. Last year, the proportion of electric cars sold in Sweden was the second highest in the entire EU. Denmark has, just as the member pointed out, a slightly higher proportion of electric cars. But Sweden ranks second highest in the EU.

We do not think that the Climate Policy Council takes into account the extent of the realignment of energy policy that we are now making with the investment in nuclear power.

(Applause)

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Katarina Luhr (MP)

Madam Speaker! I continue on the same track, that is to say, the Climate Policy Council's report which arrived last week.

The report underlines, as stated, that Sweden's climate work is heading in the wrong direction. Emissions have increased. The gap to reach the climate goals has become larger. But it also provides advice to a future government on how to increase the pace of the climate work and how the climate work should be strengthened.

What does the Minister for Climate take away from the report?

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for the opportunity to continue speaking on this. I particularly appreciate that.

The problem with the assessment that the Climate Policy Council makes regarding the long-term goal is, according to the government, that the council does not fully take into account the effects of the realignment of the energy policy that we are undertaking.

We will only manage the climate in Sweden, in Europe and in the rest of the world if we electrify. Then we must have fossil-free electricity, and then nuclear power is completely central for our country and for other countries. That part must be taken into account.

There will be great shifts and great leaps in electrification when there is power and electricity where it is needed and when it is needed.

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Katarina Luhr (MP)

Madam Speaker! I had intended to ask if the Minister has found any inaccuracies in the report. But since I did not receive an answer to my first question, I still want to ask what the Minister takes away from the Climate Policy Council's report.

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! We take with us that we share the assessment that more needs to be done for us to reach the 2030 goal. That we are in complete agreement on. But we do not want to do things that ruin the households' finances, which make it impossible to drive your children back and forth to practice. That the government and the Tidö cooperation will not carry out.

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Ludvig Ceimertz (M)

Madam Speaker! The Government has presented a new bill to criminalize psychological violence in order to address the type of repeated violations, degradation, and controlling behavior in close relationships that, unfortunately, often falls between the cracks legally today. It is an important step to intervene earlier and strengthen the protection, above all, for those women who live in a vulnerable situation.

The bill describes how psychological violence manifests as controlling behavior that step by step restricts the victim's room for maneuver and creates a strong dependency relationship. We know that this dependency in many cases is built up through economic violence, by restricting access to money, indebting the victimized partner, or in other ways making it economically difficult to leave a destructive relationship.

Against that background, I would like to ask the Minister for Equality in what way the bill on psychological violence targets that type of economic abuse.

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Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks to the member for an extremely pertinent question.

Psychological violence, which also includes economic violence, is a terrible societal problem. It affects far too many vulnerable women, above all.

The Government proposes a new crime, psychological violence, to tackle repeated forms of control, violations, or degradation of various kinds. Economic violence is a part of this.

Economic violence can often take different forms. Many times it is encompassed within other forms of criminal provisions, for example, property damage, theft and fraud. But it can also occur in controlling behavior. We will now address precisely the type of issues that have fallen between the cracks.

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Ludvig Ceimertz (M)

Madam Speaker! I would like to begin by thanking the Minister for Equality for the answer.

When it comes to economic violence, we know that it is often decisive for maintaining control. Just as the minister says, it is not just about individual acts but also about a pattern that in practice makes it difficult for the victim to get out of the situation.

The application of the new crime will be completely central. How does the government intend to ensure that economic violence is captured in the application of the law?

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Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, member, for the follow-up question! In this area, more knowledge is absolutely crucial. We have already assigned a number of missions to many agencies to strengthen knowledge and to develop methods linked to the entire spiral of violence. Often, it is a complex threat where different forms of violence are combined. This also makes this legislation so good, because it is now that we have the opportunity to close those gaps.

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Magnus Oscarsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for Civil Defence, Carl-Oskar Bohlin.

Food preparedness has been very low for many years. It is a high-priority issue for the government. We must increase the country's food production so that there is food in the event of a crisis or war.

In order for food production to increase, it is required that agriculture can expand without being hindered by prohibitions rooted in other legislation. I am referring to the Environmental Code and how it is applied by the country's authorities. As an example, I have previously highlighted the unreasonable situation of the dairy farmer in Bankeryd who must ask all his 190 neighbors for permission to spread a little manure on his fields, or the egg farmer in Östergötland who is not granted environmental permits to expand his egg production. It only releases ten kilograms of nitrogen into the air.

My question is: Is it really reasonable that food preparedness is undermined by legislation that goes directly against the food strategy, with the goal of increasing food production?

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Minister för civilt försvar Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you for a well-placed question from Magnus Oscarsson! The work in the government is so distributed that these questions are primarily handled by Peter Kullgren. But let me begin by stating that a prerequisite for us to have a food production that functions in the higher parts of the threat scale is that we have a competitive agriculture in peacetime. Just as Magnus Oscarsson suggests, it is the case that we cannot or must not have rules that hinder the competitiveness in Swedish agriculture.

I know that my colleague Peter Kullgren is doing everything he can to clear up the regulatory complications and to ensure that we have a regulatory application that aligns with building a competitive agriculture that also has the prerequisites to function across the entire threat spectrum.

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Magnus Oscarsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! I have spoken with a county administrative board that says the Environmental Code applies during crisis or war. That creates a very strange situation when we today have legislation that acts as a hindrance and sets aside the fact that we are allowed to increase food production. Does the Minister not see the need for national self-sufficiency in relation to other legislation, given the security policy situation we have? We actually have to manage.

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Minister för civilt försvar Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Magnus Oscarsson, for the follow-up question! The answer is that we see a very great need for a high degree of self-sufficiency in food production.

Regarding the Environmental Code, there are possibilities for the government to issue regulations that deviate from the Environmental Code during a state of high alert. I do not rule out at all that this is an issue that needs further examination.

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Patrik Karlson (L)

Madam Speaker! Over the last seven months, the number of people registered at Arbetsförmedlingen has decreased. As of 1 October 2025, a new income-based unemployment insurance has also come into force. It involves a clearer tapering off with the aim of strengthening the incentives to seek employment.

In view of this, I would like to ask the Minister for Employment Johan Britz: How has the government reasoned regarding this change of the akassan?

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Patrik Karlson, for this important issue!

Our starting point is that the allowance shall be a protection between jobs, but it must not become a long-term livelihood. If the allowance becomes a long-term livelihood, more people will be affected by long-term unemployment, passivity, and the stress and psychosocial problems that unemployment entails. Furthermore, the children will not see their parents go to work in the morning.

Therefore, it is important that we have systems that constantly drive people to take jobs and constantly strive to get out of their unemployment.

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Patrik Karlson (L)

Madam Speaker! My follow-up question is: How does the Minister for Employment believe these changes to the allowance in the long run will affect unemployment in our country?

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! What we see now is that the assessments that are coming, for example from the Konjunkturinstitutet the other day, show that structural unemployment will decrease in Sweden thanks to the changes to the unemployment insurance that we have made. Structural unemployment is the group of people who have difficulty entering the labor market even when the economic cycle is good.

What we see is therefore very pleasing. It is the right policy for Sweden. It is the right policy for many people and for their children.

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DANIEL VENCU VELASQUEZ CASTRO (S)

Madam Speaker! I note that my colleague Sofia Amloh did not receive an answer to her question regarding what concrete labor market policy measures the government intends to take when we have a record-high unemployment rate – the third highest in the entire EU.

The government has introduced cuts to labor market policy measures time and again, despite the fact that we have been in this situation throughout the entire parliamentary term.

Linné University warned yesterday that 1,000 educational places are at risk of being lost due to the government's cuts. I recommend that the Minister for Employment take note of that criticism and do something about the mass unemployment that prevails in Sweden right now.

The question is whether we should interpret it as that the Minister for Employment is satisfied with the situation – that he is satisfied with 100,000 more unemployed. If he is not satisfied, why does the government propose cuts to the labor market policy measures?

(Applause)

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member, for the question! These are important issues. We are, I believe, broadly in agreement in this chamber that unemployment is not something we strive for. On the contrary, unemployment needs to decrease.

But the periods of unemployment also need to become shorter. That is why the government is investing in education that leads to jobs. That is why the government ensures that it always pays more to work than to live on benefits. And that is why, through a strict asylum migration, we ensure that we have resources to help the people who are in Sweden.

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Sara Gille (SD)

Madam Speaker! The Government, together with the Sweden Democrats, has presented new initiatives for women's peace, with a focus on preventing men's violence against women and also on strengthening support for those affected by violence. It is very important that this issue is given increased priority, not least against the background of the lethal violence against women.

At the same time, this is an area where the state has for a long time carried out recurring initiatives without the development having turned sufficiently. Far too many women still live in vulnerability, and there are clear deficiencies in both coordination as well as follow-up and accountability between different actors.

What specific performance requirements and monitoring mechanisms does the Minister for Equality intend to introduce to ensure that the now-presented initiatives on women's peace lead to a lasting reduction in violence and strengthened support and protection for vulnerable women throughout the country?

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Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)

Madam Speaker! Many thanks to Member Sara Gille for an important question!

The new initiatives that we presented earlier this week, with new millions for measures to strengthen stable housing for vulnerable women who may be leaving an acute situation from women's shelters, are extremely urgent. Even preventive measures against sexualized violence are extremely urgent, as is an information campaign against lethal violence.

One of the other measures that we are working on right now is a long-term strategy against men's violence against women and honor-related violence and oppression. One of the reasons why we are developing this new long-term strategy is that we want to improve and expand the governance and follow-up for these issues.

It is exactly as the member points out that it is crucial that we move forward. This is a comprehensive societal problem that must cease.

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Ilona Szatmári Waldau (V)

Madam Speaker! There is now confirmed information that Hungary's Foreign Minister informs Moscow about what is said at EU meetings. Sweden's Foreign Minister also states that she has, for a longer period, thought about what she says at EU meetings.

Poland's Prime Minister, who was also the President of the European Council during the previous mandate, states that he only speaks when it is necessary and does not say more than he has to at the European Council.

The revelations about Hungary's foreign minister and that Poland's prime minister does not speak completely freely at the European Council still lead one to suspect that more Hungarian ministers report directly to Moscow.

My question to the Minister for EU Affairs is how these confirmed and also unconfirmed suspicions affect the EU Council meetings, how it has affected the actions of the EU countries' cabinets at the meetings, and whether it may have affected the decisions that have been made.

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EU-ministern Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you to Ilona Szatmári Waldau for a very important question!

The information that has emerged is, of course, very serious. There is much in Hungary's actions in recent years that has rightly received a lot of criticism, also from the Swedish side. This concerns the developments in Hungary, the situation with Hungary blocking important support to Ukraine, and now the latest information regarding the contacts with Moscow.

If this is true, it is of course serious. Just as the Foreign Minister commented, it is at the same time the case that for Swedish concerns we are very clear with our positions regarding Russia and have nothing to hide. But the talks in the European Council and in the ministerial councils must be able to take place in a spirit of trust. Therefore, it is deeply problematic if there are close contacts between Hungary and Russia also in this regard.

We will continue to work primarily to secure support for Ukraine and exert increased pressure on Russia.

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Anne-Li Sjölund (C)

Madam Speaker! Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shown that resilience is not just about military strength but about the entire society's ability to function in a crisis. In that regard, civil society has been crucial. Scouts, hunters, and voluntary forces have played a major role for people's health and society's resilience.

Here in Sweden, the same power exists. The outdoor movement, sports, and study associations reach people where the state does not in everyday life, in the crisis, and in the preventive work every day throughout the country and not least in the countryside. Despite this, many organizations still stand aside from the preparedness system. Three out of four lack cooperation with authorities while the support decreases and the demands increase.

I would like to ask a question to Civil Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin. What resources will the government allocate to strengthen civil society's role in the total defense throughout the country?

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Minister för civilt försvar Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Anne-Li Sjölund, for the question!

I want to start by saying that by definition, there is no one who is permanently resident in Sweden who stands outside of the Swedish preparedness system. The Swedish preparedness system is the total defense in its entirety. It is all residents and all citizens in this country, and thus also all legal and physical persons.

There is a preparedness structure at the agency level. It should, naturally, have as good and as well-developed interfaces with civil society as possible. This happens, among other things, through the Swedish Defence Preparedness Agency's civil society council. I am the first to agree that civil society has a very important role to play. But that it should stand outside the preparedness system, I do not agree with.

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Linus Lakso (MP)

Madam Speaker! My question is directed to Acting Minister for Climate and Environment Johan Britz.

In Eskilstuna, the company Senior Material has been granted permission to release very large amounts of the prohibited chemical methyl chloride, which has been prohibited since 1996 in Sweden.

Now the Land and Environment Court has temporarily stopped this. The government has also given a mandate to the Swedish Chemicals Agency to review the legislation. This is not to be reported until 2027.

There is now an imminent risk that permission will be granted to release large amounts. If one compares this with similar factories in Poland and in China, they only release a fraction.

My question is quite simple. Will the Minister for the Environment allow large emissions of a dangerous chemical to occur in Eskilstuna?

(Applause)

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! Thank you for the question!

As the member well knows, I will not stand here and express any opinions regarding the assessments that our authorities make in individual cases.

I can assure Linus Lakso that the government places the environmental issue very high on the agenda. We are, of course, prepared to follow the developments at all times. But I will not go into individual cases.

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Saila Quicklund (M)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Employment Johan Britz.

SCB reports that youth unemployment is 24 percent. It is worth noting that a full 75 percent of the so-called unemployed young people are full-time students seeking a part-time job to supplement their student grants.

From 1 April, the government is lowering the employer contribution for young people aged 19–23. It is truly positive for those seeking a job.

My question to the Minister for Employment is: What further measures is the government taking to reduce youth unemployment?

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Saila Quicklund, for the question!

It is important that we help young people choose the right educations. In addition to what we are now doing by lowering the employer contributions, which the member raised, it is a matter of us getting educations that lead to jobs but also that we help the youth to be guided towards those educations.

We have had a system in Sweden that has caused the dimensioning of, not least, the upper secondary school to be based entirely on which educations young people want to attend. Here we need to make a clearer connection between the labor market, companies and the public's needs and which educations are organized, not least within the upper secondary school.

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Ingemar Kihlström (KD)

Madam Speaker! I would like to direct my question to Minister for Employment Johan Britz.

In every budget that the Tidö Government has presented during the mandate period, families have been prioritized. This week, it was confirmed by SCB that child poverty is at its lowest in ten years. This is obviously good news and encourages continued work to improve the life situation for all families.

Despite the opposition's attempts to paint a bleak picture of the situation, all income groups in Sweden have seen their purchasing power strengthened. Incomes now go further than they did in 2022. A family with children will have 5,000 kronor more per month this year compared to when the previous government ruled the country.

The government has shown in practice how support for vulnerable families can increase, which SCB has confirmed. But the work of supporting families, and primarily those with low incomes, needs to continue.

My question is therefore: What measures can the Minister see to continue the work of providing support to the economically vulnerable and also create increased confidence in the future for all families in Sweden?

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

Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Ingemar Kihlström, for the question on a very important matter!

It is pleasing that poverty and vulnerability among children is decreasing. The most important thing we can do to create faith in the future for families is, of course, that people should have a job to go to. It is not just about the economy that it entails, but it is also about the social context that a job involves. This also means that the children see their parents go to work and that the parents are the role models we all wish parents should be.

Vulnerability among children is an incredibly important issue for this government to constantly address.

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Malin Larsson (S)

Madam Speaker! My colleagues have asked questions, but the answers from the Minister have remained outstanding. Unemployment has increased with the SD government's policy. We now have half a million people who are unemployed in Sweden but only 6,000 people in labor market measures.

Unemployment is actually increasing most among educated men born in Sweden. In my hometown Sundsvall, the notice of up to 170 jobs being cut at Valmet hit like a bomb this week. This is yet another sign that unemployment is now taking a serious hold. And this shows that the crisis in the labor market is no longer just affecting vulnerable groups. It is spreading.

Is the minister really satisfied with their job of halting the development regarding unemployment?

(Applause)

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

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

We often talk about unemployment here in the chamber. I think that is very good, because unemployment is dangerous. Unemployment leads to vulnerability. It leads to passivity. It leads to illness. The risk of suicide increases for people who are unemployed.

As has been mentioned here earlier, we have now for seven months in a row seen that the number of people registered at Arbetsförmedlingen is decreasing. At the same time, we are far from satisfied. We have the structural problems, but we also have the cyclical problems. Here we have a government that is ready to do what is required to break the recession and thus also break the risks of unemployment for many people.

(Applause)

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

Erik Hellsborn (SD)

Madam Speaker! My question is directed to EU Minister Rosencrantz.

The war in Iran risks leading to a new wave of refugees, similar to the one we saw in 2015. No larger refugee flow has been seen yet, but this could change if the war becomes prolonged. This is something that, among others, the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies has warned about.

It is definitely not in Sweden's or Europe's interest that such a potential wave of refugees should seek their way to Europe. A plan was needed to handle it if it were to become a reality. What I have understood is that such a plan has been discussed at the latest meeting of the European Council. I would therefore like to ask the EU Minister if she can account a little for the plans to prevent a new refugee chaos, like the one we saw in 2015.

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EU-ministern Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Madam Speaker! Thanks to Erik Hellsborn for a very important and topical question!

The government and the Migration Agency are, of course, following the developments closely. At the current moment, we see no tendencies toward large flows of refugees to the EU from the region. But it is clear that there is an obvious risk, depending on the developments ahead, as the member points out. Therefore, we must continue to follow the developments very closely.

What we can state is: Thanks to the realignment of migration policy that the government here in Sweden has made and which the EU has collectively made, we are now significantly better equipped than we were in 2015.

A conclusion from last week's summit is that we must not repeat 2015. We must ensure that we use all financial, political, and diplomatic tools at our disposal to ensure that we do not get an uncontrolled migration wave, like the one we saw in 2015. It is noteworthy that there is a unified view in the EU regarding this.

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Martina Johansson (C)

Madam Speaker! Too many students today leave colleges and universities without having obtained a job that matches their education. It is not just about the economic cycle. It is also about the lack of contact with the labor market during the period of study. This is a waste of both individuals' and society's resources. Therefore, the Center Party has proposed that student employees should be introduced according to a Danish model where students are given the opportunity to work within their field already during their studies. It strengthens individuals' establishment and gives employers better opportunities to have their competence needs met.

My question to the Minister for Employment is: Has the Minister noticed this proposal, and is he prepared to proceed with it in dialogue with the parties in the labor market?

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

Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for the question.

We have a problem in terms of there being people who educate themselves for a fairly long time for a situation where they do not get jobs. This is due to a few different things, but I would say that the most important reason is the dimensioning, which we spoke about earlier regarding the upper secondary education.

We also need to look more closely at how we dimension higher education programs. It is too large a proportion that take social science programs in upper secondary school. We also have a partially incorrect distribution of educational places within higher education. I believe that is the most important thing. The most important thing is that we ensure that the educational places we provide also lead to jobs.

Since then, I am completely clear that the connection between education and the labor market or employers in many cases needs to become much better. I share that view.

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Amanda Palmstierna (MP)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Acting Minister for Climate and Environment Johan Britz.

Energy efficiency is good for the wallet. International energy agencies point out that rapid investments in energy efficiency are needed, which can result in lowered housing costs in the short term.

In recent years, the prices for district heating in Sweden have increased sharply, but this has occurred in the shadow of the increases in the costs for electricity and fossil fuels. The Tidö government has phased out support for energy efficiency and is now scrapping the goal that Sweden should have 50 percent more efficient energy use by 2030, and instead proposes some vague sentences with unclear follow-up.

The Climate Policy Council criticizes the policy pursued and calls for quantification, concrete reforms, and incentives.

My questions to the Minister are then: Will the Minister quantify the new goal? And will the Minister provide fair and rapid energy efficiency support that also includes multi-family dwellings and particularly vulnerable households with low incomes?

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member, for the questions!

Energy efficiency is important. It is important that we use the energy we have in the best way. But we have for a long period in this country believed that we can energy-efficient our way out of our need for, for example, a lot of electricity.

This government is working to increase fossil-free electricity production. This also means that one can switch from a number of fuels, for example fossil fuels, to electricity. That in itself will be one of the largest energy efficiencies that we can achieve. You can compare a fossil-fueled car with an electric car, where the energy efficiency is enormously greater.

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Magdalena Thuresson (M)

Madam Speaker! I have a question for the Minister for EU Affairs.

Many Swedish companies experience a large regulatory burden. To strengthen European competitiveness, a reduced regulatory burden is required, and to strengthen Swedish competitiveness, we must ensure that we do not over-implement EU legislation in Sweden.

I know that regulatory simplification and strengthened competitiveness are priority issues for the government.

Madam Speaker! I actually have two questions: How is the government working to strengthen European competitiveness? And how is the government working to ensure that we do not lower Swedish competitiveness by over-implementing EU directives?

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

EU-ministern Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

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

This government wants Europe to be the world's best place for companies to start, scale up, and stay. Sweden shall be the best place in the EU to do just this. Therefore, we are working on two fronts. In the EU, we are working to truly create a real internal market to ensure that companies can operate seamlessly across our 27 countries and have a home market with 450 million consumers, and to dismantle the extensive regulatory burden that has built up over time.

Here at home, we also have an intensive effort to reduce red tape. Through simplification councils and implementation councils, we have a clear focus on ensuring that we do not introduce more complicated rules than what the EU legislation requires; that would risk tripping ourselves up.

The government is truly focusing on ensuring that both at the EU level and here at home, we are collectively the world's best place for companies to start, scale up, and stay. In that way, we can also create competitiveness, growth, and prosperity.

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Aida Birinxhiku (S)

Madam Speaker! I have now listened to the answers from the Minister for Employment and would like to remind [the House] of the results of the government's so-called job policy.

We have around 100,000 more unemployed compared to when the government took office. We see how unemployment is spreading into new groups. Most of all, it has said to have increased among domestically born educated men. We also see how Arbetsförmedlingen is sending back billions in grants that could have been redirected to labor market training.

If the Minister sees these problems and wants to talk about them but still does not act, only one question remains: Is the Minister for Employment satisfied with the development we are now seeing? Does the government truly think that the labor market policy has worked?

(Applause)

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

Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! No, we are not satisfied with how unemployment looks. We are not satisfied with the structural unemployment that exists, not least among foreign-born, low-educated people who do not speak the Swedish language.

We are not satisfied with the unemployment that is due to the economic cycle, and that is why the government has presented a three-point plan to break the structural unemployment. It is therefore about education that leads to jobs, that it should pay to work, and that we should have a strict asylum migration.

To break the cyclical unemployment, we have laid an expansive budget to ensure that people have money in their pockets so that they can consume, which will also lead to more jobs.

(Applause)

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

Eric Palmqvist (SD)

Madam Speaker! The mining industry is important for Sweden. In order for the willingness to invest and growth within the industry not to stall, politics needs to show clear ambitions in the area. Given that the state also owns the mining company LKAB, it is also the state's responsibility to create good conditions for the industry.

This is one of the reasons why the government appointed the Environmental Permit Investigation in 2023. This aims to provide proposals on how future environmental permit assessments can be simplified and shortened. The Sweden Democrats have long campaigned for more efficient and more transparent permit processes. A majority of our proposals have been investigated within the framework of the Tidö Agreement.

In view of this, I would like to ask the Minister for Employment and the Acting Minister for Climate and Environment, Johan Britz, how the work on preparing the proposals from the Environmental Permit Investigation is progressing. Will the government have time to present sharp proposals in this area before the end of the mandate period?

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Eric Palmqvist, for this question!

The mining industry is central for Sweden. It is central to our prosperity and an important basic industry in Sweden today. But it is also important for the future so that we can ensure that we do not become dependent on different types of rogue states to be able to manufacture what we want to manufacture in our country, for example electric cars.

As the member points out, this is a rather complex issue. We are therefore working on restructuring the environmental permits and will create a new agency for environmental assessments. Exactly which dates we will be able to launch this, I do not dare to answer today for the sake of safety. But I can assure the member that this is a highly prioritized issue for the government.

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Anna Lasses (C)

Madam Speaker! We know that equality and initiatives for equality are some of the most effective ways to lift people out of poverty and oppression. Just now, the world's largest aid, namely the EU's aid budget, is being negotiated for the coming seven years.

Last week, Minister for Development Cooperation Dousa assured me that the government will push to secure equality in the EU's development budget. Now I naturally wonder how it is going. My question to the Minister for EU Affairs is therefore: Will the Minister for EU Affairs and the government do everything to earmark a part of the EU's development budget for equality?

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EU-ministern Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Anna Lasses, for a very important question!

It is clear that the EU, through our rather large budget, has the opportunity to truly play a real role in the world. There, of course, the aid work is an important part, and of course, the equality work is also central, both for Sweden's aid and naturally also for Europe's aid.

The members of the committee follow these questions very closely and know that we are at the beginning of a rather long negotiation regarding the EU's multiannual budget framework – "the mother of all negotiations" it is often called. There are many details that we will need to return to along the way, but for Sweden, it remains a priority to ensure that we use the EU's budget to build military capability and economic strength, but naturally also to ensure that Europe can play a central role in many of the major issues we have ahead of us.

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Jacob Risberg (MP)

Madam Speaker! Today I have received help with my question from my students Kenji Yamada and Theodor Hetherington, who are also following the question period from the gallery. They were inspired by a question that arose during the question period last week which mentioned both the war in Iran and the EU's migration and asylum pact.

The USA's and Israel's attacks on Iran, which have been praised by several representatives from the Tidö parties, have no quick solution in sight. As recently as the day before yesterday, the Foreign Minister also warned that the conflict could expand and become very long-lasting, which will lead to even greater uncertainty in the region. This, in turn, increases the risks for migration movements in parity with 2014 and 2015.

My question to the Minister for EU Affairs is therefore: In light of the strict border and asylum policy that the migration pact entails, how does the government intend to act in the EU so that the pact does not lead to increased suffering and death for those fleeing the war?

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EU-ministern Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you to Jacob Risberg for an important question, and thank you to everyone who has been involved in writing the question!

As I said earlier, we are following the developments closely. Right now, we do not see any large migration flows from the region, but that naturally depends on the course of events and therefore we must have readiness.

Thanks to the realignment of migration policy that we have already implemented, I would say that we have a much better preparedness in Sweden and at the European level. We also have a range of tools that we can utilize, for example, cooperation with third countries.

We must follow the developments very closely. It is important to have an orderly migration policy to manage integration. But of course, we have preparedness for what potentially could happen in the region moving forward.

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Ann-Charlotte Hammar Johnsson (M)

Madam Speaker! My question is directed to the Minister for Employment and the acting Minister for Climate and Environment, Johan Britz.

Every year, there are over 40,000 high school students who run UF companies in our country. They demonstrate both drive and innovative business ideas that could very well have great potential in the market. Unfortunately, it is also the case that after their high school years, they do not choose the entrepreneurial path forward.

The Government has now tasked Tillväxtverket to work on this issue and strengthen young people's opportunities to further develop and be able to establish companies. The focus is to lower the thresholds.

Against that background, I would like to ask the Minister how it is assessed that this assignment will increase the number of young people who continue their UF-company so that we can see more companies in the future.

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Ann-Charlotte Hammar Johnsson, for the question!

Ung Företagsamhet is a jewel, I would say, when it comes to Sweden's ability to nurture future entrepreneurs and business owners. We need to facilitate so that more high school students get the chance to run UF companies.

There are two dimensions to this. One concerns within which educations under the free choice there is an opportunity to run UF-companies and in which educations it could be a mandatory component – not to run UF-companies specifically, but to learn about entrepreneurship. The other dimension concerns how we shall ensure that the young people can continue after having tried the journey towards becoming an entrepreneur.

We are looking a lot at this question, and I believe that the assignment we have given to Tillväxtverket will give us a lot of input on how we can work further with this.

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Jytte Guteland (S)

Madam Speaker! I want to ask why we in the Environmental Goals Preparation Group have still not received an answer from the government in the form of a bill, when it was five months ago that we submitted the proposal. It was one of the few moments in climate policy where we in this chamber managed to unite, and that was because we see how important it is to move forward with a long-term climate policy. The government has failed fatally in that area and received criticism from the Climate Policy Council. One can then expect that they would take hold of some of these small straws.

I must also ask why my colleagues do not get answers as to why so many domestically born, academically educated men are unemployed today. Is that also such an area where the minister wants to duck? It is an incredibly important question. We do not want a weeper as minister. We want a proactive minister when there is mass unemployment and when Swedes become unemployed.

(Applause)

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Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank Jytte Guteland for the questions.

It is not good that more domestically born men with academic education are becoming unemployed. It is not good that anyone becomes unemployed. Unemployment is dangerous. We have talked about this many times. It must be taken most seriously. That is why this government is making major efforts to break the recession we are in right now.

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Leonid Yurkovskiy (SD)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to EU Minister Jessica Rosencrantz.

It is an election year in Sweden. It is, of course, always an election year somewhere. In such cases, the dissemination of information becomes extra important, and where information is disseminated, there is of course a risk that disinformation is also disseminated. The EU has developed a tool, Rapid Alert System, RAS, to counter disinformation. This is sensible, given the foreign destabilization attempts. But the system has also faced criticism for lack of transparency, uncertain criteria, and somewhat unclear distribution of responsibility.

I believe that we must be very clear. The fight against disinformation is important, but it must not lead to subjective assessments or systems where officials, without legal support, arbitrarily decide what is true or false or which social issues may be discussed.

If we lose the freedom of expression and opinion, we have lost the battle before it has even begun. My question to the Minister is whether she can account for how the government works in the EU to promote democracy and free formation of opinion and to ensure that tools such as the Rapid Alert System are not misused.

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EU-ministern Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Leonid Yurkovskiy, for an important question!

A lot of work is being done now at the EU level to handle disinformation – of course often with a focus on precisely foreign powers. I would say that not least Russian influence attempts when it comes to various European elections is a growing problem. The Moldovan example is often highlighted, but there are indeed more cases where Russia and other foreign states have acted to influence.

An important focus from the Swedish side is to ensure that it is primarily the external threat we are addressing through our measures. The construction of the EU's democratic shield is one such part. In the various parts, we must of course always try to balance freedom of speech with ensuring that what is, for example, illegal offline is also illegal online. We have several different tools, but it is a balancing act. Ultimately, we must ensure that foreign powers do not engage in disinformation and election interference or other types of campaigns in our countries.

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Alexandra Anstrell (M)

Madam Speaker! The Coast Guard, together with the police and the national task force, has during the spring season carried out several high-profile boardings of the suspected so-called shadow fleet. I have not seen much of this previously, so I want to ask a question to the Minister for Civil Defence. This is a completely new way to access the shadow fleet, which is important. What is it that has changed over time that makes it possible for us to do this now?

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Minister för civilt försvar Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Alexandra Anstrell, for a very pertinent question!

If one sails in Swedish territorial waters under a false flag, it will have consequences. The Coast Guard, thanks to increased median funding and also broadened intelligence missions and new legal tools, has received better conditions to intervene. That is what we have seen examples of in recent weeks, and it cannot, of course, be ruled out that there will be more.

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Martin Westmont (SD)

Madam Speaker! Sometimes it can be so that perhaps the most important question comes last.

My question is addressed to Minister for Equality Nina Larsson and concerns the fact that equality in a modern Swedish society means that citizens have the same obligations and rights and that we are all equal before the law. Therefore, Madam Speaker, it is remarkable that we today have a law that makes a distinction between people depending on which ethnicity or religious affiliation they have. I am speaking about the law on hate speech.

I am thinking, among other things, about what signals it sends to children and young people that society chooses to treat people differently. We as adults must lead by example. Does the Minister agree that we in Sweden should have legislation that is equal for all citizens, or does the Minister for Equality consider the current legislation, where we treat people differently depending on the individual's ethnicity, to be an equal, liberal, and good order?

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Jämställdhetsministern Nina Larsson (L)

Madam Speaker! Thanks to the member for the question!

The legislation on hate speech is completely central and decisive in a democracy like Sweden. In a liberal democracy, one must be able to safeguard the position of minorities and vulnerable groups in society. As a liberal Minister for Equality, I defend that legislation every day.

We need to ensure that we strengthen our democratic institutions. We need to strengthen the practice and exercise of the legislation that exists and address every example of when it is not followed. That is what strengthens our resilience and reduces democracy's vulnerability.

Question time was hereby concluded.

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