Consumer rights etc.

Björn Tidland (SD)

Mr. Speaker! Today the Committee on Civil Affairs is debating consumer rights, considering Committee Report 2025/26:CU17. There are no reservations from SD in the report because we are cooperating with the government via the Tidö Agreement. Nevertheless, there are areas within consumer policy where the Sweden Democrats want to go further than the government to improve the laws that regulate consumer rights.

Mr. Speaker! Consumer rights is a broad area that affects many departments and ministers. During this parliamentary term, the Tidö parties have developed and improved consumer policy in many areas. We are on the right track. When one reads the report, one is struck by how many legislative changes are the result of various EU directives. The latest from the EU Commission is a new strategy for consumer policy, which consists of 24 measures.

Mr. Speaker! Personally, I have always been skeptical of the EU, ever since I voted no to Sweden's accession to the EU in 1994. My skepticism has not been softened over the years, especially not since I became a member of the Sverigedemokraterna 15 years ago. But no rule without exceptions. One can start from the consumer's perspective. It is actually the EU directives that drive Swedish legislation within consumer rights. It feels harsh to admit that EU membership has resulted in consumer protection in Sweden becoming stronger.

Swedish consumer legislation must be adapted to much that comes from Brussels, for example

the environmental labelling regulation from 2010

the train passenger regulation from 2021

the Digital Services Act from 2022

the consumer credit directive from 2023

the regulation on combating late payments from 2023

The AI Act from 2024

the directive on more consumer power in the green transition from 2024

the consumer agenda from 2025

the Digital Justice Act of 2026.

Phew! Sometimes I wonder whether it should be seen as a punishment or an honor to have consumer policy on one's desk. Oh well, I shall move on.

Mr. Speaker! All reservations and motions have been answered in a meritorious manner by government representatives. Much has already been done by the government to adapt Swedish laws to all these EU directives, and more will be done. There are, however, a number of areas where the Sweden Democrats are pushing to improve. I will now take up some pressing areas that are high on the Sweden Democrats' reform agenda.

Mr. Speaker! If the Sweden Democrats win the election this autumn, all telemarketing will be banned. Unfortunately, we have not managed to get the government parties on board here, but in their defense, it should be said that the Minister for Civil Affairs has moved the issue forward, which is now being investigated at the Government Offices.

I hereby want to urge the voters who are now listening attentively to this debate to cast their vote for the Sverigedemokraterna on September 13, so that we enter the government. Should this happen, I promise that we will put a stop to the miserable telemarketing, which practically no one wants.

Mr. Speaker! On what grounds does SD stick its neck out so clearly and relentlessly when it comes to a ban on all telephone sales? This is not something that SD has pulled out of thin air, but it is supported by a report from the Consumer Agency. There, both the consumer perspective and the business perspective are thoroughly highlighted. And all factors have been systematically processed and presented in the report. The conclusion is unambiguous: Ban all telephone sales!

I would particularly like to highlight a serious problem concerning fraud via telemarketing. There are gangs that, through telemarketing, deceive unsuspecting pensioners out of their life savings. There are parliamentary parties that, through shady methods, sell lottery tickets to vulnerable and exposed groups. This is a major and serious societal problem that must be addressed. If all telemarketing were banned, it would be a step in the right direction to stop the fraud.

There are indeed objections from the business community against a ban on telephone sales, but its concern is exaggerated as there are many other ways to market oneself now that everyone is connected via mobiles and computers.

Mr. Speaker! The entire purpose of adapted laws on distance contracts – read telephone sales – is partly to follow EU directives, and partly to adapt the laws to the digital development. Thus, I now close the circle in this reasoning, which concludes with the empirical conclusion that all telephone sales should be prohibited. It is no longer a question of whether telephone sales should be prohibited or not. A ban is an inescapable and logical consequence of the digital development.

Mr. Speaker! What does publicly funded consumer guidance look like in Sweden? What needs exist? Are there deficiencies that need to be addressed? Where should consumers turn when they have been deceived during a purchase or if they have problems canceling a purchase or complaining about a product?

Municipal consumer guidance is not mandatory, which means that the quality and scope regarding consumer guidance varies greatly between different municipalities. Many municipalities have completely phased out their consumer guidance, and this has contributed to more people contacting the Consumer Agency's information service.

Now the authority has received increased resources for the work with consumer guidance. There is, for example, an AI chat on Konsumentverket's website to handle consumer inquiries. However, it is difficult to get through on the phone. Many people call, and the consumer advisors do not have time to answer everyone. To solve the problem with telephone queues, Konsumentverket must be allocated extra resources to increase the number of consumer advisors who can answer the phone. This is election promise number two from Sverigedemokraterna.

Mr. Speaker! In defense of the government, it can be said that the Consumer Agency has been allocated extra resources for consumer advisors for 2027 and 2028. The fact remains, however, that there will be a new government after the election on September 13, and if the voters want to avoid standing in a telephone queue at the Consumer Agency for an entire parliamentary term, they would do best to vote for the Sweden Democrats.

Another problem that the government has handled during this mandate period is over-indebtedness and unscrupulous payday loan companies that have in reality engaged in usury and dirty marketing. The Minister for Finance has pushed hard to ensure that these dirty fish disappear from the market, and the result has not been long in coming. The debt curves are pointing downwards, which is a good grade for all parties within the Tidö agreement.

Mr. Speaker! E-commerce is constantly taking new market shares, as it is a convenient and simple way for consumers to acquire goods from all over the world. The Swedish Chemicals Agency has, however, been very clear that the agency does not have the capacity to handle the massive flow of goods that are often directly dangerous. It is especially serious when cheap toys containing harmful substances are imported.

To protect our children, the Swedish Chemicals Agency must urgently and purposefully accelerate the work to prevent these life-threatening products from entering the country, and for this, extra resources are required. Since thousands of prohibited and dangerous products enter the country daily, there is also a need to allocate extra resources to the Swedish Customs. This is pledge number three from the Sverigedemokraterna.

If the Sweden Democrats win the election on September 13, there will be more money for Tullverket and Kemikalieinspektionen. These two agencies do not, however, fall under the Committee on Civil Affairs, so I cannot personally guarantee this budget allocation after the election. It will, however, be on the negotiating table, because all this junk that enters the country is a serious public health problem.

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

Anna-Belle Strömberg (S)

Mr. Speaker! The report on consumer rights is about giving all consumers good conditions to make the right decisions.

Consumer issues affect us all. With constantly new goods and services to buy, it is important to be able to facilitate for people to shop consciously and contribute to more sustainable consumption.

We Social Democrats believe that all consumers must be given good conditions to make the right decisions based on what they wish to buy and what they want to refrain from buying. Therefore, we welcome the Consumer Agency's proposal to ban telephone sales and, in the second instance, to have an opt-in system which means that sales calls are permitted only to consumers who have clarified in advance that they are positive about being called. The Consumer Agency's investigations show that only 1 percent of consumers can imagine telephone sales, and a large majority try in various ways to avoid this.

We also need to stop manipulated and retouched images in advertising and on social media that create unrealistic body ideals in young people. In both Norway, Finland, and France, there are laws to counter body shaming on social media. We Social Democrats believe that there should also be requirements in Sweden that it must be stated if retouched images are used in marketing. We believe that the government should take the initiative for such a law.

Mr. Speaker! According to consumer law, it should be at least as easy to cancel a service, a subscription, or another agreement as it is to enter into it. A company should not be able to require that consumers cancel the agreement in a specific way. It is particularly difficult when one is trying to help someone else, for example an elderly parent, who cannot do this themselves. There are companies and firms that design their terms and their customer service so that it is completely impossible for those who have a job to get through, as the company or firm can only be reached during a certain time and on a certain day.

One measure against this is a new rule in the Distance Contracts Act, which we recently passed a decision on: an online function to exercise the right of withdrawal. It is a good measure that aligns well with our motion that one should be able to cancel a service or a contract without visual obstacles or other tricks complicating the cancellation. Now it is important that the Consumer Agency continues the supervisory work regarding the effects and ensures that the measures become effective.

Mr. Speaker! A worrying development we are seeing is that unscrupulous companies do not care about, for example, ARN's recommendations upon notification. We also see influencers who do not follow agreements, companies that mislead and deceive consumers, and false marketing. We see that substandard products are being sold, and there are different types of sales – especially those held under the names Black Weekend and Black Friday. Despite the tightening in the Price Information Act, which means that the sale price must be compared with the lowest price that has been applicable during the last 30 days, this cheating has continued.

Those who break the law should receive significantly more tangible consequences. The Government should therefore return with a proposal on how the Consumer Agency's and Arns possibilities for sanctions and fees in the work against unscrupulous companies shall be increased.

Mr. Speaker! In the spring of 2024, the Riksdag issued a notice to the government that special form requirements regarding powers of attorney for large loans should be introduced, and the government was to then return to the Riksdag on the matter. We Social Democrats continue to submit motions stating that this is a useful tool to strengthen the preventive work against men's violence against women, to protect other vulnerable persons who do not have the opportunity to manage their banking affairs on their own, and to reduce the risk of forgeries. The government has not prioritized this issue, and in practice, it means that the protection for vulnerable persons must wait again.

Mr. Speaker! We are positive that the government has appointed an inquiry to reduce over-indebtedness. What is not included in the mandate, however, is precisely the announcement from 2024 regarding proposing a debt and credit register, even though several countries in the EU have introduced it. It is a powerful tool to counteract risky lending. Nor are there any proposals here. There is no timetable and still no decision.

Mr. Speaker! Preventive work is important, and consumer guidance needs to be available regardless of where in the country one lives. Local counseling has an important function, not least for vulnerable consumers such as for example people with disabilities, the elderly, and groups with language difficulties. Many municipalities have during recent years chosen to dismantle their consumer guidance. At the current moment, only half of the country's municipalities offer consumer support. Of the 145 municipalities that still have consumer guidance, only 88 municipalities offer an in-depth support, where the consumer can get help with interpreting contracts, resolving a dispute, or making a report to Arn.

In-depth guidance occurs primarily in larger cities and reaches approximately 53 percent of all consumers. We Social Democrats want consumer guidance to become a mandatory task for the municipalities. Therefore, we propose that an investigation be commissioned to develop proposals on how a mandatory consumer guidance should be implemented and financed.

Mr. Speaker! The Consumer Agency points out that digitalization and globalization during the last decades have had a decisive impact on consumer markets, not least when it comes to business methods, consumption patterns, and consumer behaviors. Digitalization has caused companies to communicate with consumers through new ways of selling and sharing information. E-commerce has become a central part of consumption, with 24/7 access to goods and services all over the world.

We Social Democrats believe that the Consumer Agency needs additional resources to manage the increased supervision. In our budget motion, we have proposed an increased appropriation of 45 million kronor for more inspections.

Mr. Speaker! In conclusion: I stand behind all our reservations but move for approval only to reservation 1.

In this speech, Joakim Järrebring, Markus Kallifatides and Leif Nysmed (all S) concurred.

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

Lars Beckman (M)

Mr. Speaker! One can summarize the Social Democrats' consumer policy like this: Regulate or ban! It is perhaps a sign of the times that the Social Democrats are making the strongest turn to the left since the 70s, Mr. Speaker. One can only congratulate the Reformists association for having succeeded so well. We have, after all, seen their proposals.

I heard the member say that she wants to ban telephone sales. I will take an example. I have sold radio advertising, and there was a car care company in Gävle that did direct mail to the person who had bought a new car – "Congratulations on your purchase of a new car!" – and who also did radio advertising for their company. They also did a follow-up, Mr. Speaker, by calling the customers who had received the direct mail and saying: "Hello, we are calling from the Company, and we offer you half price on a wax treatment! If you do the wax treatment now, while the car is new, you will get a better, more well-maintained car with a longer lifespan for the paint."

So, there was direct mail advertising, radio advertising, TV advertising, and advertising via telephone. And the telephone advertising created valuable jobs for the youths in Gävle who sat and made the outgoing calls, Mr. Speaker. It was thus both job-creating and involved marketing – and furthermore, the car owner received a good consumer offer, Mr. Speaker. One received half price on the wax treatment.

Now I hear the member from the Socialdemokraterna say that they want to ban telephone sales. They want, therefore, to make a serious intrusion into the market economy by banning telephone sales. They also want to deprive car owners of the offer of half price on the wax treatment. I must therefore ask Anna-Belle Strömberg from the Socialdemokraterna: How far shall your turn to the left go?

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

Anna-Belle Strömberg (S)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Member Lars Beckman, for the question!

It is good that the government has finally started to move in this issue, but let us keep two things separate: One is to stop telephone scams, and the other is to stop unwanted and problematic sales methods. The government's work against scam calls and fraud is good, but it is not the same as tackling legal telephone sales, which the Consumer Agency describes as deeply problematic. It is unwanted, it is inappropriate, and it is deeply problematic. Only 1 percent of consumers are positive towards it, and the Nix register is not enough.

Lars Beckman says that we are depriving consumers of offers. We are depriving no one of anything. I am completely convinced that there are other ways for companies to sell their goods and services. There is advertising on social media, there is advertising in newspapers, and there is advertising on TV. I also believe that people themselves can actually contact the car dealers or with the paint service Lars Beckman mentions.

I do not think, therefore, that this is a problem at all. The companies will not have to shut down or go bankrupt, but they will find other ways.

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

Lars Beckman (M)

Mr. Speaker! It is completely incredible that Member Anna-Belle Strömberg knows better than the companies themselves what works for their companies. But I started by saying that the Social Democrats' policy is: Ban or regulate!

One can say a lot about the Consumer Agency's investigation; I have personally expressed my views in the Consumer Agency's advisory board. I can, of course, ask, as the Consumer Agency claims to have done, if people want to ban TV advertising, radio advertising, newspaper advertising, and advertising in the mailbox – I believe the Green Party has a proposal to also ban direct mail advertising. But it becomes a bit tough to be an entrepreneur with a dark red government.

The Green Party bans direct advertising, the Social Democrats ban telemarketing, and some other party surely wants to ban TV advertising. The Social Democrats also want to re-regulate so that major sporting events cannot be watched anywhere other than SVT. Think of the cuts that would have to be made if one were to buy all the sports rights for Sveriges Television, Mr. Speaker!

This is the problem with the Social Democrats, Anna-Belle Strömberg: You think that one can sit on Sveavägen 68 and steer social development and the market economy.

However, we are in complete agreement – and it is completely correct – that the government pushed through the referral to the Council on Legislation and produced the product that means the operators, that is, the telephone companies, receive a direct mandate and a direct task to stop the villains. Those who send out fake SMS messages and those who call methodically, often from another country, shall be stopped. But it shall be done at the operator level.

The Social Democrats should not sit and decide how a company in Örnsköldsvik, Härnösand, Sundsvall, Luleå or Gävle should market itself. It must actually be the companies themselves that get to decide within the framework of current legislation. Member Anna-Belle Strömberg says that she believes someone would call in any case. But it is the companies' decision how they want to contact their customers, Mr. Speaker.

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

Anna-Belle Strömberg (S)

Mr. Speaker! I am completely convinced that the companies can find other ways to sell their goods and products. They can best do that themselves.

The problem with telephone sales is not just the content of the calls, but the problem is the business method and the business model itself. It is based on startling people instead of giving them the opportunity to make their own, deliberate decisions. This is actually about the right to be left in peace.

(Applause)

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

Lars Beckman (M)

Mr. Speaker! In the summer of 2026, we are going to strike gold in the USA. Many of us were sitting there last night and thought it was absolutely fantastic that Sweden came to the USA and the football World Cup. It is completely incredible! It is very good and very fun, and I believe many feel happy today.

At least as happy as one can be is that today we have lowered the VAT on food. From today and for the rest of the year, costs will be reduced by 16 billion for people who go shopping – 16 billion!

The connection between the Football World Cup and Swedish politics is perhaps not as far-fetched as one might think. I read Svenska Dagbladet's analysis this morning, where the sports columnist wrote that the Swedish national football team was in a bad position six months ago. Then the Football Association did something that one does not usually do, Mr. Speaker: They changed the national team captain. That is very unusual. The Swedish people did the same thing in 2022: They changed the national team captain. They changed the leadership.

Do you remember how it was in 2022? Diesel cost 28.50 kronor, and we had energy prices at 30 kronor per kilowatt. It was an inflation with price increases of 10 percent. The Swedish people were on their knees. But the Swedish people changed captains, just like the Football Association, and that is why we now have a completely different situation.

Mr. Speaker! Today it is fun to be a consumer. Inflation is low. The price of gasoline is unfortunately a bit higher due to the conflict in Iran, but you know, Mr. Speaker – the Norwegians are coming to Sweden and refueling! Expressen had a large article last week about how people from Norway, one of the world's largest oil-producing countries, are coming to Sweden and refueling.

What then is the difference? Yes, Mr. Speaker, the difference is that Sweden has a Moderate-led bourgeois government that thinks about the Swedish people's wallets, while Norway has a social democratic government that has let gasoline and diesel prices spiral out of control. Now the Norwegians are making pilgrimages to Sweden to refuel. That is good; then we get tax money. It is also an indication of how a dark-red government in Sweden would have acted in such a situation. Whatever price one sees at the pump, it would have been approximately 10 kronor more if the Miljöpartiet had been allowed to control the prices of fuels. That would have meant 700 kronor more per tank.

It is of course so that we are thinking about the households' economy. I am proud, satisfied and happy that we are lowering the prices on food starting from today. The VAT reduction is an important part.

Another thing may have flown a bit under the radar. I was at Ica Strömsbro this morning and thanked the Ica merchant there. I want to take the opportunity to thank all the merchants for the work they have done over the last two weeks, as they have worked around the clock to ensure that food prices are low starting from today. Many stores already went out this weekend and said that they had started lowering the prices, and now they have lowered the prices.

We are also lowering the employer contributions for young people starting today. The price of food consists of many different components, but personnel costs are naturally an important part.

I asked the skilled merchant at the Icabutiken in Gävle: How will you in this store use the reduction of employer contributions? He said: We are going to improve the service. We will make sure to have our ice cream kiosk staffed a few more hours, which means we can hire a few more young people.

It is absolutely fantastic how good this is! We are lowering the price for customers and ensuring that we create more jobs for young people.

Mr. Speaker! Sweden is thus one of the world's 48 best countries in football and will hopefully strike gold in the USA this summer. Sweden is also one of the five best countries in the EU in terms of having a well-managed economy. We have the lowest public debt. That is why we have pushed back inflation. That is also why we can pursue an offensive policy. That is good.

We heard earlier my colleague in the Committee on Civil Affairs, Björn Tidland, speak about all the offensive reforms that the government has implemented in the consumer policy area. I intended to highlight two of them.

First, I want to say something about customer service. When we began discussing this with the Minister for Consumer Affairs a few years ago, we Moderates said that it should be as easy to cancel a subscription as it is to obtain one. If I can contact someone on a Saturday to purchase services, for example football broadcasts on Viaplay, I should also be able to cancel them on a Saturday. Here, the government has now sharpened its tone, Mr. Speaker. If we do not get this to work, there will be consequences. It is extremely important.

I also want to highlight the important referral to the Council on Legislation that was sent out in the middle of March. We are giving the operators responsibility to stop the villains who call and try to trick people or try to send fake SMS messages. It should happen at the operator level so that one never receives the SMS – it should be stopped before it is even sent. That is how we solve things – not by, as the Social Democrats want, banning, regulating, and making it more expensive and complicated.

I had a very good conversation with the Ica merchant this morning about what a price consists of. The merchant told me that at that Ica store, they basically have a full-time employee who only works on handling legal regulations. Someone has to pay for that. In the Social Democrats' world, it is going to become even more expensive and even more complicated to be an entrepreneur. So we cannot have that, Mr. Speaker.

Last week I visited one of Europe's most modern animal hospitals, which is located five kilometers from here. It is a fantastic operation where veterinarians take care of severely injured animals. There is even an intensive care unit there. We were allowed to go in and take a careful look at a cat that was on life support.

I am very proud of Sweden's veterinarians. We have a fantastic animal healthcare in Sweden, and I am deeply concerned about the parties in the Swedish Riksdag who want to nationalize the animal healthcare that actually works today. We had a seminar here in the Riksdag some months ago that was about the importance of pets for well-being. I think we should be proud of the veterinary care in Sweden. I think those who want to blacken Swedish veterinarians and Swedish animal healthcare should visit veterinary clinics.

That is not to say that the industry is problem-free. The government has also presented offensive proposals in this area, regarding open price lists and so on. As an animal owner, one naturally also has a great responsibility, Mr. Speaker. If one gets a dog or a cat, one must be prepared to take on the responsibility for the animal.

Mr. Speaker! We are going to dig gold in the USA this summer. We will have a continued successful government that takes responsibility for the Swedish households' wallets and ensures that we have a good consumer policy in Sweden. With this, I move for approval of the proposal in the report and rejection of all motions.

(Applause)

In this speech, Ludvig Ceimertz and David Josefsson (both M) agreed.

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

Andreas Lennkvist Manriquez (V)

Mr. Speaker! It has become increasingly difficult and more complicated to be a consumer in today's society. That there are more technically advanced products, more complicated financial services, and a global market implies many opportunities, but it also presents the consumer with greater challenges.

Despite today's consumer protection, consumers are constantly at a disadvantage. We are exposed daily to algorithms and advertising with the aim of making us consume as much as possible. The marketing is often very aggressive, and all too often it targets consumer groups that are already economically vulnerable.

It should be a self-evident matter that a consumer who experiences problems with a contract or a purchase can receive help and support, and that the support is equivalent regardless of where in the country the person lives. Unfortunately, however, we see that fewer and fewer municipalities provide consumer advisors. It is a worrying development. Vänsterpartiet therefore wants to legislate for the introduction of an obligation for the country's municipalities to provide good consumer guidance.

Mr. Speaker! Telephone fraud is a growing problem. According to the police, fraud generates several billion kronor in criminal profits annually. These funds are then reinvested in other organized crime. Those who are subjected to fraud are often elderly, and many of the crime victims lose all their savings. Crime victims are often denied any form of compensation from the banks on the grounds that they have acted particularly reprehensibly because they have approved the transfer through mobile BankID. It is not reasonable – the responsibility cannot be placed on the person who has been deceived.

It is time for the banks to take their responsibility. Sweden should therefore follow the example of the United Kingdom and change the Payment Services Act so that the banks become liable for compensation.

It is also high time that we take the step and ban telephone sales. Earlier in this debate, we heard the Sverigedemokraterna member claim that Sverigedemokraterna want to ban telephone sales. I would, however, call that false marketing. When Vänsterpartiet submitted a committee initiative in the Committee on Civil Affairs to ban telephone sales, it received support only from Centerpartiet and Miljöpartiet. I think that the voters and the population should know that.

Mr. Speaker! The recent years have been tough for Swedish households. The increased cost of living has meant that more and more people have found it harder to make ends meet. Electricity prices, gasoline prices, food prices, veterinary prices, and rents have risen at a frantic pace. For almost four years, the Moderate-led government has prioritized tax cuts for the country's richest percent while ordinary wage earners have been left behind. Furthermore, these tax cuts have been financed with loans to such an extent that the Finance Minister has now announced that the reform space for the next mandate period is exhausted.

It is not serious politics. Once again, a red-green government will have to clean up after the Moderaterna.

In a desperate attempt to save face before the election, the Moderate-led government has now chosen to throw money around on temporary initiatives – initiatives that, by chance, also end next year. The right's motto seems to be "delulu is the solulu".

Mr. Speaker! What Sweden needs are long-term investments that strengthen household economies and fill people's wallets. That is also what we in Vänsterpartiet propose. In both our budget proposal and in our motions, there are a number of proposals that lower the costs for housing, electricity, food, and veterinary care. It is politics that strengthens the country's consumers and the households' purchasing power.

Mr. Speaker! In conclusion, I would like to mention that many of us are looking forward to this year's concert season, but for everyone who queued for hours to get tickets to that festival or performance, the frustration is great when they then see the same tickets they just missed out on being resold for more than three times the original price.

It is not reasonable that we have actors who engage in buying up event tickets to then sell them further at extortionate prices. I therefore move for approval of reservation 13 to prohibit the resale of event tickets at an inflated price.

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

Larry Söder (KD)

Mr. Speaker! The Christian Democrats want a balanced consumer policy that takes into account the interests of both the consumer and the business operator. Consumers should not be at a disadvantage compared to companies, but the measures must not become so far-reaching that they hinder the business sector or impair Swedish competitiveness.

We see consumer power and freedom of choice as goals that can only be achieved within a functioning market economy. A well-functioning market is the best way to good products, low prices and good service for consumers.

Consumer policy is also about being able to, for example, purchase food at cheaper prices. Today is such an event, as we are halving the food VAT to 6 percent. Food becomes cheaper for the consumer. Today, the mortgage ceiling also becomes 10 percent higher, which means it becomes easier to borrow money for one's home. The reinforced amortization requirement also disappears. This is also consumer policy, even though it lies outside.

We see that many take advantage within the market economy at the consumers' expense. Goods are not as desired when they finally reach the consumer, and bad or defective products are in some cases difficult to send back because we live in a global market. It is also difficult to cancel services, and one is even stuck in long contracts that one does not wish to have because unscrupulous actors enter the market and exploit the fact that consumers in the vast majority of cases are at a disadvantage.

On an open market, it is easy to consume, but there also long-lasting effects are created for some of the people who consume. Some of the effects we see are persistent over-indebtedness, which one can get stuck in for a very long time. It has social and family-related consequences and creates economic exclusion and limited freedom for the individual. It becomes long-lasting and deep effects for the individual that can remain for a long time, even after the debt is paid.

The government has worked to reduce over-indebtedness on several fronts. It has appointed an inquiry into how over-indebtedness can be reduced through steering of when and how one may borrow, but also through direct prohibitions. The investigations that have been conducted show that consumers experience extensive problems with telephone sales in markets such as electricity, telecommunications, credit, gambling, and health supplements.

We are all aware of the report that the Consumer Agency has produced. We, as a party, believe that we should proceed with some of the investigation's proposals regarding the protection of consumers. It is not reasonable that we let all these parts remain exposed to legally tricking consumers into contracts, but we should in one way or another find a balance where consumers are given greater opportunities to defend themselves.

During the pandemic, several bankruptcies occurred where the individually arranged travel guarantees were insufficient to repay what travelers were entitled to. That risk is assessed to decrease with the introduction of a collective fund. The Government has investigated and established what was now needed to create a fund.

The previous system was based on the fact that each tour operator is responsible for arranging its own guarantee. In the event that the operator, intentionally or unintentionally, has provided incorrect information, the traveler is affected, becoming completely or partially without compensation. The government's new order means that travelers will have the right to compensation from the travel guarantee in more situations than before. This is real consumer policy.

Several of the motions being addressed in today's report concern a review of consumer legislation. It can certainly be needed, but then it must probably be a complete review, as the Center Party proposes in its motion. I believe that such a review should take a broad scope because society is changing all the time. It needs to be changed based on the balance between consumer and market.

Then there are motions regarding interest rate differential compensation, which are based on the changes we made on July 1, 2025. To conduct a review to see if the desired effect was achieved is obviously good. The question is only whether one year after the entry into force is long enough or if one must wait a little longer. But fundamentally, I agree that it should be a rule rather than an exception to carry out evaluations in order to be able to steer so that it becomes as the policy intends, even when the law is in place.

Then the Social Democrats and the Left Party want to investigate local consumer guidance and even legislate on it in one way or another. My question is actually: Why do the municipalities opt out of consumer guidance? I believe one would need to start with that part. Is it the case that the municipalities actually do not see the need, or is it that we at the national level see a need that the municipalities do not see?

I believe that a fairly large discussion with the municipalities is needed. One could start by discussing with them what the need for local consumer guidance actually looks like, because I believe it has changed over time. I also believe that digitalization has made it so that local consumer guidance perhaps is not needed to the same extent. That it is needed, we agree on, but to what extent and how? I am perhaps not in favor of legislating it then, as I believe the municipalities themselves should decide, but I believe the discussion must be conducted.

Then we have the telephone sales. There we know that many people feel cheated. I do not think either that one should have a complete ban on it, but one could look at different industries. I believe that it is necessary to do so. Not all industries need to be open to telephone sales. I believe that it is necessary to proceed with those parts where consumers feel most cheated.

I agree with Lars Beckman in some respects, namely that the market economy is important and that companies should be able to market themselves. But I also believe there is a limit where we consumers must say "this far, but no further." I believe one must look at telephone sales. Marketing has also changed for companies over time. It is quite important that something is done. It perhaps should not be a total ban, but I believe we can meet somewhere along the way.

Vänsterpartiet took up a committee initiative, but then I must still say: Have we not let it go into inflation in this? It is about a committee initiative to ban telephone sales. It has been a problem for quite a long time – not one year, not two years, not three years and not four years. Committee initiatives should be used when something important has arisen and must be done right then and there.

Please, friends! Committee initiatives can be used in a different way. I think we should stick to the procedures that exist. I actually believe that was the reason why the Sverigedemokraterna said no to the committee initiative. One thinks that we should stick to the procedures. We have motions that are being processed, and we have the opportunity to debate. Committee initiatives should be used in cases where something has arisen and one needs to do something right then. Then we can all think that different issues are of different importance, but that is why we have different parties.

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Amanda Palmstierna (MP)

Mr. Speaker! In recent years, we have seen a sharp increase in the number of indebted people who end up with the Enforcement Authority and who are unable to get themselves out of the debt trap they have fallen into.

The latest figures, from 2025, show that debts continue to increase at a high rate. The mountain of debt has doubled over a ten-year period, and many of those in debt testify that a contributing cause has been the availability of quick SMS loans. They often have high interest rates and short repayment periods, and it can lead to a debt trap for those who take out SMS loans.

Minister Wykman issued a press release and said that the Tidöre government had banned SMS loans, but that was not quite correct. Tightening measures have been made, absolutely, for example that lending companies must have a banking license. There are other types of regulations that have also been made, which we in Miljöpartiet think is good, but no ban has been introduced.

I became a bit curious about how it looks now – could I take out an SMS loan? I actually tried before I came into the chamber, Mr. Speaker. In a few seconds, I had a whole host of SMS loans to choose from, with an interest rate of 22 percent and immediate payout, and it was no problem if I had credit remarks. There are, therefore, still things that we need to work on here.

We in Miljöpartiet find it very difficult to see the need for this loan market. If one were to completely ban SMS loans, the number of people who end up in excessive debt would decrease. Those who take out SMS loans usually belong to economically vulnerable groups. It can also be about gambling addiction or mental illness. They have difficulty obtaining loans from traditional banks. If one were to completely ban SMS loans, better lending institutions and more sustainable economic solutions would be promoted. We in Miljöpartiet believe that SMS loans need to be banned.

Another well-known problem is telemarketing. Here we have a joint reservation from Socialdemokraterna, Miljöpartiet, and Vänsterpartiet.

This is a business practice that has caused problems for consumers for several decades. The Consumer Agency has delved deep into this issue and investigated what is needed.

Actually, no one wants telemarketing, and the most vulnerable are the most exposed. A large proportion of those called experience that it is unclear whether it is even a sales call at all. Telemarketers are perceived as pushy, consumers become stressed to make the purchase, and rules for how agreements are to be entered into are not followed.

The government is putting forward certain proposals in this area, for example that operators providing telephony and SMS shall be obliged to block calls and messages suspected of being used for fraud. But I really think the government is missing the chance to ban telephone sales entirely.

Today's e-commerce makes it possible for companies to reach consumers. It was different 20–30 years ago, when there were no other methods of contact. But as it stands currently, it is fully possible to reach consumers in other ways. If one, for example, receives an email, one can read it in peace and at one's own convenience instead of being called when one is in the middle of cooking, sitting in a car queue, or whatever it may be, and being pressured to make a purchase.

We believe that consumer protection here carries more weight than the companies' need to market themselves via telephone. Therefore, we believe that telephone sales need to be banned as soon as possible.

But it is not only SMS loans and telephone sales that are problematic. The consumer market is quite complex today, with e-commerce and marketing on social media, so we think it is important to have good consumer guidance. It is also something that several parties have debated today.

Budget and debt counseling is mandatory for the municipalities. It is something the municipalities must have. Consumer guidance, on the other hand, is voluntary, and many municipalities have phased it out. But consumer guidance and debt counseling are somewhat communicating vessels, for in consumer guidance one can reach people before they end up in debt and help there.

There is a national consumer information service. But the difference between the local and the national is that when you go to the municipality, you can sit down with someone and get help on-site to look at your agreement. You can get help with dispute resolution. You can bring your contract and say: This did not turn out at all as I had imagined. Do I have the possibility to get out of this in some way?

The Association of Consumer Advisors also has long Excel sheets where they list when they have helped people who have entered into agreements that were not correct. They have also written down how much money they have helped, for example, elderly ladies to save when they have been helped with their consumer damage.

The Consumer Agency also made an estimate a few years ago of how much money is involved. It is 40 billion every year or 6,000–7,000 kronor per adult per year.

That is why we in Miljöpartiet believe that there needs to be legislation on mandatory municipal consumer guidance. Then it needs to be investigated what support the municipalities need to implement this, and that is where this dialogue can take place. It may also happen that smaller municipalities need to cooperate, for example, to achieve this.

The last thing I intend to bring up today is another systemic failure that we want to counteract. It is planned obsolescence, meaning that the product is made to become unusable prematurely.

We need to move towards a consumer market where products are produced to last and designed to be repairable. Spare parts and information shall be available.

Two years ago, the EU adopted legislation on this, Right to Repair or the right to repair. The purpose of the law is precisely that it should become easier and cheaper for consumers to repair products instead of throwing them away. Consumers' rights are strengthened, and product manufacturers' obligations become clearer. Companies must design products that are easier to repair, stock spare parts, and ensure that there is information on how to repair the product. This concerns, for example, mobile phones, tablets, and laptops, but also washing machines, tumble dryers, and refrigerators – things that are truly connected to people's everyday economy.

Sweden has until July this year to pass this law in the Riksdag. The EU introduced the law two years ago. But do you think the Tidö government was first on the ball in pushing through this legislation in Sweden? No, they were not. They did what they usually do with EU laws that are good for the environment, the planet, and the wallet – they put them in the filing cabinet or the wastepaper basket.

The latest promise was that the bill would be submitted in September, but that is when the election is. The EU law was therefore introduced two years ago, so here in Miljöpartiet we believe the Tidö government is failing consumers regarding both their wallets and the planet. We in Miljöpartiet believe that the law on the right to repair needs to be introduced into Swedish legislation immediately.

With that, I move for approval of reservation 18.

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Lars Beckman (M)

Mr. Speaker! One can summarize the Green Party's consumer policy in the same way as the Social Democrats': Ban and regulate!

The opposition in a committee has the opportunity to summon or invite a minister. What I requested a reply on was that the opposition yesterday had asked Finance Market Minister Niklas Wykman to come. In a constructive manner, Mr. Speaker, he accounted in detail for everything that the government is doing in this area.

It is a closed meeting, so I took some notes on what he said: a bill on strengthened consumer protection, requirements for banking licenses for consumption loans, interest and cost caps lowered from 40 to 20 percentage points, an investigation into perpetual debtors, interest deductions abolished for unsecured loans, the National Audit Office's investigation of municipal budget and debt counseling, and a ban on gambling on credit. Furthermore, the investigator will assess the need for a ban on the disbursement of loans during certain times of the day.

The Minister surely said more things, but I must say that what I saw yesterday – I hope the member also saw it – was a strongly engaged minister. It was almost as if I thought he went beyond his role as a minister in the commitment he showed, the personal commitment in how to make it difficult for companies that engage in irresponsible lending or simply stop them. For example, he advertised that they have stopped irresponsible companies that sold lottery tickets over the phone.

But I must still ask: When the opposition calls a government minister to the committee, as was done yesterday, and receives a thorough review of everything the government has done and is doing – exactly what is the government doing that the Green Party is critical of?

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Amanda Palmstierna (MP)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you for the question, Member Beckman!

This was a nice commercial break for the Tidö government's policy. I agree that it was a committed minister. That was also why, in my speech, I praised the Tidö government for having introduced tightenings linked to the SMS loans.

My criticism is that this is such a large and extensive problem that one needs to go even further. This is also quite symptomatic of the Tidöregeringens policy: One gets a certain distance, one makes regulations, but they do not reach all the way. This applies to both the telephone sales and the SMS loans. In some cases, one simply needs to have the courage to put one's foot down and introduce a ban.

I also asked the Minister explicitly whether it was about a ban on these loans. Well, it's not quite that, he meant, and so all these different types of regulations came.

No, it is not a ban. This lending market will be more restricted but will still remain.

I do not consider this to be proportionate if we weigh it against people's need for protection, for example in the case of different types of mental ill-health or in cases of economic vulnerability that have forced someone into a debt trap. Miljöpartiet thinks it is reasonable to completely ban this type of loan market. There are other, much healthier loan markets. In that way, we can promote sustainable economic solutions instead.

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Lars Beckman (M)

Mr. Speaker! These are closed meetings in the Committee on Civil Affairs – otherwise, we would invite open hearings. I therefore cannot quote what the Minister said, but I can state what he has said in other contexts: Do the Moderates think that this product should exist? The answer to that is no.

We do not think that vulnerable people who are gambling addicts – there is a lot of talk in other contexts about the issue of gambling addiction – should be able to sit and play at two in the morning and send off a text message loan of 500 kronor in the belief that they can win back what they have lost. On that point, Miljöpartiet and Moderaterna are in complete agreement.

We do not want products on the market that make people addicted to gambling. That was why we banned lotteries that sold on credit. There were a lot of exceptions in the legislation that were likely adapted because the Social Democrats had significant income from their lotteries.

I thought the Minister was very clear yesterday about his ambition that these products should not be on the market. I am impressed that so much has been achieved in such a short time, that in three years it has been possible to address so many issues to reduce the problem. It also means that we can see that the development is heading in the right direction.

Can more be done? Yes, probably. One should not rule it out. But we have also seen the criticism from the SMS companies, who think it is very difficult for them to enter the ordinary regulatory framework that exists, for example regarding banking licenses for consumer loans. Some have managed it; many have not managed it. But the commitment, the knowledge, and the will definitely exist within the government and the Minister for Finance.

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Amanda Palmstierna (MP)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Lars Beckman for the follow-up question.

The intention is not at fault. I agree that the government and the Tidö government have a very good intention. However, one cannot just look at the intention. One also needs to look at the result itself: What is happening out there in reality? What is what lands with people, in people's phones, and in people's everyday economy?

There we see that there has been a sharp increase in this type of indebtedness due to these loans. It is now declining but is still extensive and large. The measures are simply not sufficient. That is my criticism, and it was also what I conveyed to the Minister: This intention is very good, but a ban was needed to go even further and to completely move away from this market. It still exists today, and even with the tightenings being made, many problems will remain.

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Anne-Li Sjölund (C)

Mr. Speaker! I begin by moving for the approval of our reservation 17.

Being a consumer today is a bit like navigating a city that is constantly being rebuilt. It is everyday life. It is the conversation that happens at the dinner table. It is the subscription that was easy to sign up for but difficult to cancel. It is the credit that solves something here and now but becomes a problem further down the line.

In the midst of all this, one as a consumer is expected to make wise decisions. It is not always that simple. Digital commerce, subscriptions, quick credits, and advanced advertising make everyday life easier in many ways but also more difficult to oversee. At the same time, every human being is expected to make big, well-considered decisions, often with very little time to think it over. This places demands on politics.

This report concerns issues that many people encounter every day: telemarketing, advertising targeted at children, consumer credits, customer services and over-indebtedness – all of that which affects financial security and the sense of control in life.

Centerpartiet wants to see a consumer policy that works in that reality. We believe in a market that is free and creates opportunities. But freedom also requires clear rules of the game. It should be easy to do right and difficult to do wrong. Companies should be able to grow, but on fair terms. The consumer should have both knowledge and protection in order to be able to make their own decisions. That is how balance is created.

Mr. Speaker! Over-indebtedness is a clear example of when that balance does not quite hold. It is not just about economics. It is about people's everyday lives – about stress, anxiety, and limited options. When debts grow, freedom decreases. Therefore, we need to work more preventatively and ensure that the risks are reduced before the problems arise.

Mr. Speaker! We also see how the regulatory frameworks are developing, not least at the EU level. That is positive. But laws in themselves are not enough. In order to function, they need to be followed up, be intelligible and be close to people's reality. Otherwise, they risk becoming difficult to use, and then they lose their power.

We need a consumer policy that keeps pace with developments and that takes into account a digital market where much happens quickly, where agreements are entered into with a single click, and where the line between information and influence is sometimes blurred. A holistic approach is required.

Centerpartiet therefore wants to see stronger protection against unserious actors, clearer rules for subscriptions and marketing, powerful measures against over-indebtedness, and consumer guidance that is close to people in their everyday lives.

At its core, this is about freedom – the freedom to understand one's choices, the freedom to feel security in everyday life, and the freedom to operate in a market that is fair. That is how we build trust in both the market and in society as a whole.

People should be able to feel security in their choices. Sweden needs stronger consumer protection. Sweden can do more.

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(Decisions were made under § 17.)

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