Art forms, language and libraries

Runar Filper (SD)

Mr. Speaker! We have heard Klarälv dialect from Värmland. Now we shall move on to Fryksdal dialect. It is the river valleys that differ. That is how it is with dialects that plain and lake unite and that mountain and forest separate.

We are debating today, here and now, the consideration Konstarter, språk och bibliotek. My speech will primarily concern language and libraries.

For every culture, language is the foundation. It is through language that thoughts are shaped, knowledge is passed on, and community is built. In order to fully be a part of a cultural community, language is crucial.

Swedish is still vital – absolutely. But its position has for a long time been challenged by the increased influence of English. Anglicisms and English loanwords take an ever larger place in both spoken and written Swedish. One can naturally argue that this does not constitute a problem – some claim it does. For us Sverigedemokrater, however, the development is worrying, because in the long run it risks eroding Swedish and our linguistic uniqueness. The consequences could be that Swedish words and expressions fall into oblivion and that parts of our intangible cultural heritage disappear when they become linguistically irrelevant in tandem with the rise of English. A language that gradually loses its uniqueness also risks losing its ability to carry the culture that it once shaped.

Mr. Speaker! During this parliamentary term, we in the Sweden Democrats, together with the government, have taken several important measures to strengthen Swedish, not least for children and young people. We have implemented extensive investments in textbooks in schools and ensured that students have access to staffed school libraries. In addition, significant resources have been added to reading promotion initiatives within libraries, specifically targeted at children and young people.

Even within other policy areas, such as integration policy, we have clearly re-evaluated the role of Swedish as a key to becoming a part of Swedish society. Language is not just a tool for communication. It is a prerequisite for participation and cohesion.

Overall, these initiatives have contributed to strengthening the language development of children and young people, where reading constitutes a completely central component.

Mr. Speaker! These measures have been both necessary and welcome. But more needs to be done. Language policy, like many other policy areas, is not resolved within the framework of a single parliamentary term – absolutely not. It requires long-term thinking and a clear will from the public sector to consistently protect and strengthen Swedish over time.

We Sweden Democrats have long maintained that the Language Act should be reviewed in order to more clearly consolidate the position of Swedish, for example by recognizing it as the national language. Such a step would contribute to further strengthening the language's status and clarifying its role in our society.

Furthermore, the question of loanwords and the future development of Swedish is of great importance. There may be reasons to be inspired by the Icelandic language model, where new domestic words and expressions are actively created to preserve the language's uniqueness. Such an approach shows that it is possible to combine linguistic development with an active preservation of one's own language.

Mr. Speaker! I also want to say a few words about Nordic linguistic understanding. In a time where Nordic cooperation is becoming increasingly important, we stand strong together with our Nordic neighbors. At the same time, we see a worrying development where the mutual linguistic understanding in the Nordic region is weakening, especially among younger generations. If Nordic cooperation is to continue to deepen, which is strongly advocated for, it is required that we can understand each other in our Nordic languages. Therefore, there are reasons to review what measures are needed to strengthen Nordic linguistic understanding within education, culture, media exchange, and so on.

Mr. Speaker! Language is not just a means of communication. It is a carrier of our history, our values, and our common identity. Safeguarding Swedish is therefore central to safeguarding our society and our cultural cohesion.

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

Mats Berglund (MP)

Mr. Speaker! Language is a fundamental part of being human and perhaps, in a philosophical sense, in all forms of life. Linnaeus might have said that stones have a language.

It is through language that we communicate, make ourselves understood, and understand others and our surrounding world. Language creates meaning, belonging, and community. Language barriers can be the basis for the opposite. Language is, in that sense, politically charged but also a responsibility for politics to manage.

Access to language is completely central for participation in society. Access to one's own language is fundamental for understanding oneself and one's own history.

I myself studied the native language, Estonian, throughout primary and secondary school. Unfortunately, I did not learn enough to be able to speak fluently, but it was the language that my grandparents spoke and that my mother spoke with her sister. Even though Estonia at that time was in many ways a fairy tale incredibly far away, almost as if in another dimension beyond the Soviet wall, the language was the link to a large part of my own identity. I believe therefore that I know something about the meaning of denying someone access to their own language.

So we have acted historically here in Sweden, with our indigenous peoples and with the Danish-speaking people in Skåne, Halland and Blekinge in the 1600s – but actually not with the Estonians during the same period, even though we founded a university in Tartu, just as we did a few decades later in Lund. The assimilation policy towards the Sámi, the Tornevians and the Kvens constitutes, however, an entirely separate section, a somber chapter, in Swedish history. It is a process that has left scars.

We have ongoing and completed truth commissions for these groups. We need to address and follow up on them so that the reconciliation work will be good. That is not included in the committee report. On the other hand, Miljöpartiet has motions in the committee report regarding making our minority languages accessible through resource libraries. We also want to strengthen Tornedalsteatern and give Giron Sámi Teáhter a mandate as a national stage to strengthen the culture and the languages.

There are also motions regarding the Älvdalskan in the committee report. In the Environment Party's newly adopted party program, it states that we want to raise the status of Älvdalskan and recognize it as a minority or possibly a regional language. At the same time, the current five national minority languages shall continue to be preserved but also developed.

The status of sign language also needs to be strengthened. In the law that the Riksdag adopted in 2009, it states that sign language shall be both protected and promoted, but it does not quite work today. We need to strengthen the status and position of sign language and clarify the responsibility, because it is once again about access through the language to society but also to one's own cultural heritage and to cultural life, not least for children. It concerns school and education. We need a sign language act, one such as exists in several of our Nordic neighboring countries, and a national action plan to strengthen the status of sign language in society.

Mr. Speaker! Swedish is a small language in a globalized world. The position of the Swedish language absolutely cannot be taken for granted, and to safeguard the language, active and long-term efforts are required.

The government is doing quite a lot in that area now; that must be acknowledged. The new law on school libraries and reading promotion, which we have indeed worked on for a long time but which the government has strengthened during the mandate period, is crucial for developing vocabulary and language comprehension and creating a living language culture.

But another completely central role in this is public service. There, the government has now unfortunately abandoned this, where we usually find cross-bloc consensus regarding the broadcasting license with mandate and allocation of funds.

The private sector also has a role for the Swedish language, not least within film, TV and other cultural production in Swedish.

We are also in the middle of a technological shift that challenges us in many ways.

In this report, Mr. Speaker, there are motions from Miljöpartiet regarding safeguarding the Swedish language within AI development, within reading-promoting initiatives, and within literature policy.

Mr. Speaker! This debate is also about the arts. Within the performing arts, the Environment Party and I have a motion to safeguard live culture. We see a tendency for live culture to be pushed out from the city centers in the larger cities but also away from the smaller towns and the countryside. We need to revitalize the live stages and the live cultural life across the entire country so that people can both experience and practice culture on good and fair terms.

The motion deals as a whole with a package of measures. It is about creating so-called cultural sound zones in the cities – here Malmö and Gothenburg are at the forefront – but also about strengthening the infrastructure for live culture.

We also need to address and put a stop to private companies that, frankly, trick people into paying sky-high amounts for tickets to concerts and other things – tickets that in some cases are not even worth anything. We want to introduce a ban on the sale of secondary market tickets at inflated prices.

We also want to increase the availability of rehearsal spaces. We want to see more venues for music, theater, and festivals. We want to strengthen the organizer side so that it is economically viable, not least for the non-profit organized cultural sector which is responsible for a large part of these arrangements.

Mr. Speaker! Film policy is a neglected child in the Tidö government's Sweden. Swedish film should be of world-class standard. We have a long and proud tradition of directors and actors but also within all the work that takes place behind the camera with technology, film music, image and photography. Just a few weeks ago, Ludwig Göransson won his third Oscar for best film score. It is fantastic. But Swedish film is suffering.

Sweden is now at the bottom of Europe's league regarding public funding. It has consequences. Our filmmakers and our film productions are moving abroad. The Swedish language, which I began my speech with, is no longer heard to the same extent in feature films and documentaries. Swedish environments are no longer shown on the silver screens. Film is an art form that is sensitive to societal changes.

When Miljöpartiet first gained access to the Ministry of Culture, the old film agreement had cracked. We took hold of the situation and created a new film policy, a state-wide film policy. Now, time has run out on that policy as well. But with the Moderaterna at the Ministry of Culture, unfortunately, very little is happening.

An investigation was commissioned, far too late. But it came, and it came with good proposals concerning strengthening the funding, both from the state and from the private sector.

Production incentives need to be strengthened. A cinema fee should be introduced to involve the cinema owners, who can simultaneously be compensated through reduced cinema VAT. And to bring in additional funds from the private sector – broadened financing – it is proposed that a fee should be charged from the streaming giants. A film fund needs to be created.

These are good proposals that I and Miljöpartiet would gladly see implemented, but we have still not seen any bill. It is said that it will arrive before the summer, unfortunately too late to be decided during the mandate period, but we know nothing about what it will contain. And Swedish film continues to end up at the bottom of Europe's rankings with the Tidö government.

Mr. Speaker! I will conclude with another area where the government has shown a sluggishness that is incomprehensible to me. It concerns private, broadened funding. Here, too, an inquiry has been commissioned, but it is unfortunately too late for anything to be implemented during the mandate period. Miljöpartiet welcomes more private money being involved in financing culture, but it is then completely central that culture is not steered and that an arm's length distance is maintained.

A low-hanging fruit is to develop the one percent rule, which the Green Party has put forward and which is included in the report today. It is a non-binding rule that Sweden has had for 90 years and which concerns supporting visual and plastic artists and simultaneously getting more art and culture into the public space.

It is primarily municipalities and regions that have contributed and been involved, but in my home municipality, Stockholm, we have long had a well-developed system so that private developers can also choose to participate. The municipality handles the entire process from design and procurement to installation and unveiling – and, if desired, the premiere.

Miljöpartiet proposes that a mandate should be given to some suitable authority to support more municipalities and regions in such work in order to bring in more actors and strengthen the private and broadened financing of culture.

With that tip to the government parties, I want to conclude by moving for approval of reservation 5, Mr. Speaker. The reservation concerns the lived environment. It is a policy area that the Green Party developed in cooperation between our three then-ministers for culture, housing issues, and the environment. In this motion, it is about children having a right to their own environment and the right to be involved in deciding about their own immediate environment. This is part of a package that we call cultural freedom of access for children and young people. This is an important piece in fulfilling the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which since 2020 has been part of Swedish law.

(Applause)

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

Kristina Axén Olin (M)

Mr. Speaker! When the Nobel Foundation submitted an application for a building permit on January 15 this year to build a new Nobel Center at Slussen, I do not think they expected that there would be comments on what it would look like. I believe the Nobel Foundation thought that this would be a day of joy and that everyone would welcome a new Nobel Center at Slussen, but they had not accounted for the fact that 400,000 people pass Slussen daily and that they want to provide comments. Everyone possible had comments. Architects and various experts, but also many from the population, had comments on the size and color of the building and where it was located.

Mr. Speaker! Fundamentally, I think it is heartening, because it is wonderfully interesting to see how much we humans actually care about the appearance of houses, how it looks in the cities we live in, and how we should preserve the old character, renew, and perhaps build high-rise buildings.

Architecture and design is important, and it is not just an art form but also something that shapes our entire society. It is the design of houses, parks and flower arrangements, sports areas, sports halls, theaters, outdoor seating and music stages that makes us want to live in the city or in the place where we live. It is important, Mr. Speaker. It is culture, and we all care very much. All these components do not only mean that we get beautiful and attractive residential areas to live in, but they also make our residential areas safe.

I am pleased that our government and the Ministry of Culture just this week, or was it the other day, submitted a document titled Attractive Places – broader impact for the policy for architecture, form and design.

Mr. Speaker! In that communication, the government highlights the need for more people to be given a voice. It is an important starting point, because when more perspectives are taken into account, decisions become better and the environments more inclusive. Municipalities, the business sector, and civil society must cooperate but also listen to those who live and work in the environments that are being developed.

It is also highlighted in the letter that we shall take care of what we already have – that is wise. We shall not only build new, but we shall also develop and manage existing environments with care. Our cities and communities carry a history, an identity, and values that can never be replaced. Therefore, long-term quality and aesthetics must stand at the center.

The document also highlights the fantastic creative and cultural industry – the sector – and how it must receive a larger share in our social construction. This fantastic cultural and creative industry now generates 650 billion kronor. Just here in Stockholm, it generates 400 billion kronor. It is also a driver for innovation, sustainable development, and economic growth in our societies. Strengthening all these areas and cooperating on how we should shape our societies and our city is important for the future.

Mr. Speaker! In conclusion, I want to say that if the Nobel Foundation had weighed in more of people's opinions about our societies and thought a bit more about trying to include the population, I believe they would have had a greater opportunity to directly elicit a positive feeling among the people of Stockholm for a new Nobel Center at Slussen. I hope it comes to fruition, even if one perhaps should have included the people of Stockholm a bit more.

The report contains a number of different issues that other speakers have raised, Mr. Speaker. We have discussed film, theater, AI, and copyright so many times that I will refrain from doing so and move for the approval of the proposal in the committee's report.

(Applause)

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

Mats Berglund (MP)

Mr. Speaker! I am sorry that I am extending the debate. Kristina Axén Olin and I disagree on very much, but I will not pose a particularly critical question. I will ask about the communication that Kristina Axén devoted a fairly large part of the speech to. I had quite a bit of time before this debate and have during the day today read this and tried to understand what it implies, and Kristina Axén Olin seems to know the communication quite well.

The part about getting in more views, especially from citizens, is written very unclearly, so I have been sitting and wondering whether I should write a follow-up motion or not. What does it mean? Is it about strengthening consultations as we did after the elm tree battle in the 70s, when we revised the planning process so that consultations were included? I think that consultations have been diluted more and more. If it is about that, it would be very good, but if it is about referendums or such things, it is less good.

It is not clear at all in this communication how this is going to work or what the intention is. Whose opinions should be included? I want to ask that question to Kristina Axén Olin.

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

Kristina Axén Olin (M)

Mr. Speaker! Yes, we will have many more opportunities to discuss this letter.

It is important that we become better at cooperating when we shape our societies – when we build our neighborhoods and when we build houses. We need to incorporate the cultural and creative industries directly, as well as sports halls and everything that makes our neighborhoods attractive. People want proximity to cinemas, theater stages, restaurants, sports areas, parks, and flowers, and it is not possible to do as it is today, that is, to plan housing according to the silo model – and partly also destroy communities – without cooperating and having a common plan.

What the memorandum tries to emphasize is that we must cooperate better and, from the very beginning, think about what we want in order to obtain an attractive and secure housing. That is, among other things, what is included in the memorandum, in addition to the fact that we must think more about the cultural and creative industries when we build our residential areas.

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

Mats Berglund (MP)

Mr. Speaker! I thank you for the answer, even though I do not know if I received a truly clear answer. We will have to discuss this further here.

I agree that a clearer planning process would be good in the building plans, and I think there is a lot of good in the text. However, there are a number of things that I am a bit wondering about, but I don't think perhaps we need to discuss this further in this room right now, this late in the evening.

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

Kristina Axén Olin (M)

Mr. Speaker! I believe we can agree that the more we people are involved and feel that it is our neighborhood and that we have been part of the decision-making process in different ways, the greater the chance is that we then feel a sense of responsibility and enjoy it and want to be there. Then one might not just want to pass through the neighborhood but also live there.

(Applause)

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

Ewa Pihl Krabbe (S)

Mr. Speaker! I would like to begin by moving for approval of reservation 3.

Public libraries play a crucial role for society's well-being and social cohesion. That is the conclusion of a new, large Canadian study. The report also states that libraries are one of the most valuable things a city can contribute to the local community. The library journal shows, however, in its annual survey, that a large proportion of Sweden's public libraries continue to live under meager conditions. They are making soup on a nail, it is written.

The Minister for Culture refers to the fact that the responsibility lies with the municipalities, and that is the case. But through higher general state grants – we Social Democrats have proposed 13 billion kronor more – the municipalities could have prioritized the libraries more. In many municipalities' budgets, the libraries are far down on the priority list compared to the hard committees.

School libraries and public libraries are important institutions in all children's lives. There, one can borrow exactly any books one wants for free and then immerse oneself in the world of literature.

Last year we could celebrate Pippi, who turned 80, and this year the children's beloved Bamse turns 60. Bamse stands, just like Pippi, for the good, which we so much need today. If one wants to take a closer look at Bamse's world, one can go to Viken in Höganäs municipality and look into the small library. There, Bamse has been given its own reading room where children can play, read, draw, and do puzzles. Bamse's creator came from Viken. Another honey-loving bear, Winnie the Pooh, saw the light of day 100 years ago and continues to be a dear classic for many children.

Mr. Speaker! Libraries are one of our oldest and most significant institutions. Throughout history, libraries have been places where knowledge has been preserved, shared, and made accessible to people.

The Library of Alexandria stored hundreds of thousands of scrolls during antiquity, and during the Middle Ages, this tradition was continued in monastery libraries. There, the monks copied texts by hand and in this way preserved literature, science, and philosophy through the centuries. Almost every monastery had a scriptorium and a library, and in the scriptoria, the monks sat in rows and performed the copying. The only interruptions were moments of prayer and Bible studies.

At the Royal Library here in Stockholm, the Devil's Bible, which is Sweden's most famous manuscript, is kept. It was taken as war booty in Prague in 1648, during the Thirty Years' War. According to legend, it was written by an imprisoned monk in a Benedictine monastery, and he is said to have received the devil's help to complete the work during a single night. Please go and take a look at it at the Royal Library!

Since the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, when the printing press made books more accessible, which caused libraries to begin being organized more systematically. During the 1440s, Johann Gutenberg began printing books with a printing press, and the printing art spread across Europe.

The real breakthrough for libraries as social institutions occurred during the 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s. Popular education and popular movements such as the free church movement and the temperance movement were important players when the people's libraries emerged.

Today, libraries play a crucial role for a democratic and open society. They are places where everyone is welcome for reading, learning, and meetings. Study associations have always been important meeting places, but as these have now been forced to cut back on their activities, the libraries must take them over instead. Library staff's tasks have changed over the years so that, in addition to lending books and media, they shall work with various program activities and outreach activities to reach many target groups. Furthermore, it is part of the librarian's responsibility to provide community information.

Furthermore, during the past year, the government has closed almost a quarter of all service offices in the country, which has meant that library staff have had to take over some of these tasks. Many people have difficulty understanding and filling out forms correctly, and it is the librarians they turn to if there is no one else.

Mr. Speaker! I intended to move on to speaking about our Royal Library, KB, which is Sweden's national library and a state agency. In addition to being precisely a library for the lending of books, KB has since 1661 had the mission to preserve everything that is published in Sweden. It collects, preserves, and makes accessible everything that is published – everything from manuscripts, books, newspapers, and leaflets to music, TV programs, and images. Therefore, KB now has approximately 18 million objects in its collections, the oldest of which are over 1,000 years old.

The purpose of the Royal Library is to contribute to the quality of Swedish research and the development of the democratic society, and the core activities are divided into three areas.

The first area is the National Library's collections. KB collects, describes, preserves, and provides Sweden's published cultural heritage so that researchers and the public have access to this.

The Royal Library also enables scientific publications, has a national overview, and promotes cooperation in the work for open access so that research is disseminated and used. That was the second area.

The third area of activity, not least important, is the Royal Library's responsibility for the national overview of the public library system in order to promote cooperation and support and develop national library services so that the public has equal access to the country's collective library resources.

The mandatory legislation means that publishers, printers and other publishers are obliged to deliver copies of printed and digital material and that the material shall be preserved as part of the national cultural heritage. The Royal Library is a recipient of this, as are certain university libraries which receive deliveries of printed material.

For the Royal Library, the mandatory legislation is of very great importance. Unfortunately, it is very outdated, despite not being old, and not at all adapted to the digital development that has occurred or to the constantly changing media landscape. Several inquiries have been conducted that have pointed out the need for a revised mandatory legislation – the latest came in 2021, i.e., five years ago.

For the Royal Library, the absence of new legislation entails, among other things, large costs – such as 8–10 million per year. Perhaps the most serious, and a great loss, is however that some research cannot be carried out because the material cannot be taken in.

I know that it is very difficult to treat this legally. I have on three different occasions debated with three different research ministers from the Tidöregeringen, but unfortunately, there is still no bill in sight. I think that is very regrettable.

Mr. Speaker! I want to conclude by highlighting the need for a national center for ceramics in Höganäs, which is included in our committee motion. We Social Democrats see it as important to safeguard and make visible a cultural tradition that has been part of shaping the image of Sweden both at home and internationally.

Höganäs is synonymous with ceramics. Who has not read Strindberg's hearty story about Carlsson, who in Hemsöborna came to Madam Flod with his Höganäs mug hanging around his neck, or seen a picture of the opera house in Sydney with its roof tiles from Höganäs? A national center would create new opportunities for national and international collaborations.

(Applause)

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

Vasiliki Tsouplaki (V)

Mr. Speaker! In today's debate, I intend to focus on literature, music, and some of the Left Party's proposals concerning the national minorities' rights to language and culture.

Storytelling in its various forms carries so much of our history, culture, and identity. Literature is an archive for humanity's collective fantasies, dreams, and desires. Through reading, our vocabulary is developed and with it, which thoughts become possible to think and what becomes possible to understand about our surroundings. Through good conditions for translators, authors, and illustrators, the world's entire stories are opened to us, with all that it entails in the form of broadened views, new thoughts, and understanding of others' experiences and opinions.

From the Left Party's side, we see that there are a number of current challenges within the literary sector that need to be addressed politically. The latest major literary policy investigation was conducted in 2012. The propositions and initiatives that have come since then have primarily been aimed at reading and libraries, or at reading promotion in a broad sense. For a comprehensive literary policy, one needs to take a holistic approach to all parts of the literary ecosystem, that is, also creation, mediation, and distribution.

The Swedish people's way of consuming literature has changed radically in recent years. Streaming audiobooks are taking up an ever larger space, while the purchase of physical books is decreasing. New reading and purchasing behaviors affect book publishing and, ultimately, also authors and translators. Both authors and publishers without their own streaming services lament the strong position that a few actors have gained in this growing market. The new business models have resulted in lower compensation per read book, and the agreements between the streaming platforms and the publishers are rarely transparent for the authors.

That fewer people can afford to make a living from their writing can ultimately result in fewer books published by Swedish authors. Illustrators face the same fate, as they receive no compensation at all when their books are streamed and no one sees the images.

Of course, we have nothing against the audiobook itself, and we see that the streaming services make literature available in a fantastic way. It is the business models that are problematic.

The major economic concerns that many parts of the industry are experiencing have sparked interest in more regulation and for a review of the subsidies at various agencies.

In addition to this, there are many other questions that need to be answered. These include, among others, technology neutrality, AI, digitalization, price regulation, questions regarding the various subsidies, and the industry's conditions in a broad sense.

Vänsterpartiet believes that certain political measures are needed to solve part of this. Other parts can hopefully be solved by the different sectors of the industry themselves. We believe that an investigation is needed that takes a holistic approach, as support for all actors. Therefore, we have submitted a motion that the government should appoint a literary policy investigation to address the challenges I just listed and examine the entire literary ecosystem. I have previously understood that both the Social Democrats and the Green Party have been positive towards such an investigation. With a new government in the autumn, perhaps we can get it done.

Mr. Speaker! I want to speak a little bit about music.

Every generation has had to try to conquer its own space and its own music from the musical traditions that have existed. Today, there is a broad spectrum of genres and a musical diversity in our country that we have reason to be proud of. These genres and styles, however, exist under very different economic conditions.

I mean that it is the responsibility of politics to ensure that music in the country has the conditions to develop and expand. Music, along with film, is the art form that young people from all social classes come into most contact with, both as recipients and as practitioners. We also have 600,000 people in the country who sing in choirs. Young people rehearse and play in bands in thousands of basements and temporary premises. Furthermore, the interest in the folk song has developed strongly, and singing folk songs has become a movement that unites across generational boundaries. The conditions are, however, as said, different.

Music or culture schools exist in almost all municipalities. We have local orchestras, choirs and music houses as well as regional and national institutions that form the backbone of the publicly supported music life. At the same time, the free music life – professional groups, musicians and singers – accounts for a very large part of the music offerings. Their artistic freedom is of vital importance for the development of music.

At the same time as there is a great interest in practicing and participating in music, the political structures are a patchwork. Many parties are happy to speak of the Swedish music miracle, but at the same time, decisions are made that destroy the ecosystem needed to support new talents.

The conditions for Swedish musical life have changed significantly in recent years, partly due to digitalization and globalization. The use of AI places new demands on copyright. Since Rikskonsserter disappeared, new tour structures have been investigated, and several of Kulturrådet's grants are heavily oversubscribed. After the pandemic, more and more individual companies and larger commercial actors have been awarded funds that previously could have gone to association life. Music festivals and non-profit actors lament that they find it difficult to fit into today's structures and have faced tougher conditions.

We in the Culture Committee have debated the large-scale cuts within the activities of the study associations many times. They have hit music activities particularly hard; they have not been able to afford to keep rehearsal rooms and music houses. We also see that there is a lack of small and medium-sized stages for those at the beginning of their careers. In many towns, there is also a discussion about noise levels linked to the music scene.

The Culture Council was tasked by the government to map the availability of music venues across the country, and they have come up with a number of recommendations. We believe, however, that there is a need for a holistic approach on the music side, just as there is on the literature side, and we also propose a larger investigation in this area.

Mr. Speaker! Some of the more concrete proposals that can be acted upon here and now are in the area of national minorities. There, the Left Party has a number of proposals. Sometimes they fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on the Constitution, and sometimes they fall here in the Committee on Culture.

Today we highlight two important theaters: Giron Sámi Teáhter and Tornedalsteatern. There is a completed investigation regarding the layout and cost of creating a Sámi national stage, so here we believe it is just a matter of pressing the button and going.

We have submitted a motion to find out how the conditions could be improved in the same way for Tornedalsteatern, but unfortunately, we have not managed to get a majority in the committee. Therefore, I would like to move for approval of reservation 8 under point 9, which concerns exactly this. I know that some parties have seen the needs, and I hope that more can stand behind this.

One of Tornedalsteatern's greatest contributions is its work in making meänkieli and Tornedalsk culture visible. Through performances woven together by music, storytelling, and humor, the language is kept alive and made accessible for new generations. In this way, the theater has become a central actor in the revitalization of the minority language and in the work to strengthen the local identity.

If we are to seriously create good conditions for our minority languages, not just to survive but also to develop, much better conditions for culture are needed. In addition to investments in theater, we want to see long-term funding for resource libraries and language centers. It is unfortunate that the government has cut these resources.

Mr. Speaker! In conclusion, I also want to point out that we want to extend the minority language status to also include Älvdalska and sign language, but that these proposals, as mentioned, have been dealt with in the Committee on Constitution earlier.

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

Malin Danielsson (L)

Mr. Speaker! We live in a time when the significance of words, the power of narratives, and people's ability to orient themselves in a complex society have never been more important. When forces that do not share our democratic values attempt to undermine trust through disinformation and attacks on knowledge, it becomes clear how important our common spaces of knowledge are. Culture, languages, and libraries are not ornaments; they are democracy's line of defense. Therefore, today's report is important, not because it contains major reforms, but because it confirms a direction: that Sweden shall continue to build its strength through a vibrant, open, and accessible cultural life.

Mr. Speaker! Literacy is one of the most decisive issues of freedom in our time. When children learn to read, it is not only words on a page that open up – it is worlds, new environments, new thoughts, and new emotions. It is the possibility of disappearing into a story, sometimes real, sometimes completely invented. It can be funny, sad, safe, or perhaps even a little scary. In that encounter, something happens. Perhaps this is the most important thing one can get in an increasingly complex world: the ability to be able to orient oneself, evaluate information, and think independently.

Reading opens doors to rooms that might otherwise remain closed. It widens the world for everyone, for in books one can make the longest journeys without moving a millimeter – to places one has never seen, to times one has never lived in, and to lives one has never previously encountered.

For us Liberals, reading is central because it strengthens human independence. It provides the ability to understand, evaluate, and make one's own decisions. Therefore, the government focuses on libraries, literature, and children's language development. It is a concrete investment in people's freedom and in a society where more can stand on their own feet. Staffed school libraries and more fiction in schools are gains for the Liberals but above all gains for children and young people and their future.

Libraries are among the institutions in Sweden where people meet in person: children, young people, the elderly, newcomers, students, parents and job seekers – all on the same terms. In a time of increasing information gaps, libraries have a more important role than ever. They hold local communities together and open doors to language and knowledge, and they do so without asking for a wallet, background or opinion.

Mr. Speaker! Art, theater, music, and performing arts are not luxury goods. They are parts of an open society's nervous system. They give us the opportunity to understand other people, to process what we go through, and to imagine that which does not yet exist. It is important. In a democratic country, art is a space where people are allowed to test ideas, stretch boundaries, and encounter perspectives they do not encounter anywhere else. That is why we need stable structures, functioning institutions, and clear principles, not jerky initiatives or micro-management. The support, the infrastructure, and the long-term systems that exist today are what allow culture to develop freely and in step with the times.

For us liberals, arm's length distance is a principle worth defending every day. Art shall stand free from both politics and other interests. An open society needs courageous culture creators, not culture that adapts to today's opinion.

Mr. Speaker! The Swedish language is not just a communication tool. It is a prerequisite for participation, responsibility, and freedom. In a globalized era where AI and new technology are changing how we read, write, and consume information, it is crucial that the Swedish language stands strong and evolves. The Government has taken a number of initiatives to develop language technology in Swedish, including through the new AI strategy and the mandate to the Royal Library to prepare for the broad use of Swedish language models. In the era of AI and globalization, we need a society where more people can read, understand, and express themselves, not fewer. Therefore, language policy is a part of democracy policy.

Mr. Speaker! Finally: Arts, language, and libraries may not be among the issues that dominate the headlines in the news feed, which we cultural politicians would have wished. They are, however, issues that in practice affect people's opportunities to participate, to understand their surroundings, and to develop throughout their lives. They are the foundation for knowledge, creativity, and critical thinking, as well as for an open and stable society.

The Liberals' direction is therefore clear. We shall safeguard cultural freedom, strengthen the position of the language, and ensure that the institutions that carry our common culture stand strong in the future. We do this best with long-term thinking and respect for culture's own power.

I vote in favor of the committee's proposal.

(Applause)

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

Catarina Deremar (C)

Mr. Speaker! The hour is late, and the words and debates have been many here today. As a final debate, the Cultural Committee is now debating the report on arts, language, and libraries.

I would initially like to move for approval of the Centerpartiet's reservation 1, which concerns the development of language in connection with the advent of AI in all parts of our entire society. Centerpartiet wants that a closer look be taken at how this affects our language.

Mr. Speaker! I thought, however, to start at the other end. Yesterday I was at the Manifest Gala, where 23 music awards were handed out. It is Svenska oberoende musikproducenter, SOM, that organizes the gala. There were prize categories for many different music genres, such as visa, punk, rhythm, children, and dansband. Everything was included. It was a wonderful atmosphere with music awards that highlight and reward artists and recordings released by independent record labels. The gala was the 34th in order, and it showed that the independent scene is very much alive. During my conversations last night, it became clear that folk education is important, that the folk high schools play a major role, and that scenes of an appropriate size are needed.

Even though it was yesterday that we debated popular education, it was painful today to see Kulturanalys' report showing that the number of cultural events has decreased by 66 percent since before the pandemic. This affects cultural workers to a very high degree, who are receiving fewer assignments.

Mr. Speaker! I also want to bring up the one percent rule, which the Green Party has a reservation about in the committee report. What is it? Yes, it is a rule that has almost 90 years on its back. It is an important rule, and I would wish that it were complied with to a greater extent. But it is positive that one still sees that more and more municipalities and regions include it in renovations and new construction. This rule makes our public space a safer place, and it makes it possible for currently active artists to depict our contemporary time. It was a clever move, one might still say, by the 1937 Riksdag to adopt the committee report regarding expanded tasks for Swedish artists.

Mr. Speaker! I just want to draw attention to this rule, which actually grants us a more pleasant public space.

There are two other areas that I thought I would touch upon briefly. They are art forms that one could say have somewhat low thresholds so that many can participate.

The first thing concerns the libraries, which are in every municipality. They have fantastic programs aimed at children and young people and help in every way to get them to progress in their reading, even into their later years. They also challenge loyal library visitors. The libraries are also meeting places for culture for all of us.

The second thing I am thinking of is, of course, the film. Why is it so important, the Swedish film that conveys our story in our language and shows our environments on screen?

Mr. Speaker! The Centre Party has previously during the parliamentary term highlighted the need for a film fund, and it is therefore treated briefly today. Nevertheless, I want to highlight the importance of the film inquiry being completed. The inquiry has landed well with filmmakers, so it is a pity that it has become stuck at the ministry.

When it comes to the bio-VAT, it is good that several parties now think it should be lowered. It has been the Center Party's policy all along; we were, therefore, against the increase that was made once upon a time.

As has been said, there are a number of exciting areas in the report, each of which could suffice for its own debate. But now the hour is up, and I therefore thank you for the floor.

(Applause)

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

Lars Mejern Larsson (S)

Mr. Speaker! I too have been to a gala, namely the Fotobokspris gala yesterday.

The photograph does not only capture a moment, but it gives us the power to remember and understand. Therefore, we urge the Social Democrats and the government to enable a national infrastructure for Swedish photography and hope that the government understands its importance.

Mr. Speaker! This will be my final contribution on film policy during this parliamentary term. It is an area that I have worked on and fought for for many years without Swedish film policy having received the new start it deserves. It is regrettable that the government has not been able to present a unified film proposal before the election. It leaves a central part of our cultural policy without the long-term perspective and direction that the film industry so much needs.

With that said, Mr. Speaker, we must conclude that the curtain falls not only on this debate but also, eventually, on a parliamentary term that did not achieve its goals for film policy.

(Applause)

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(A decision was to be made on 1 April.)

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