Cultural Heritage

Peter Ollén (M)

Mr. Speaker! I apologize for my poor Värmland dialect; I shall have to try my Scanian instead!

I would like to speak about the challenges we see regarding cultural heritage and how we within the Moderaterna view its preservation. I also wish to vote in favor of the committee's proposal.

On 29 February this year, the government decided to commission a number of agencies to form a council for the protection of cultural heritage. The work shall be led by Riksantikvarieämbetet. The decision is made at a time when there are strong and good reasons to invest in cultural heritage. This is due to several factors, where the global situation and climate change are the most obvious.

And with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we have in recent times seen how the Ukrainian cultural heritage immediately became a target for the Russian aggression. This is in complete conflict with the 1954 Hague Convention, and the same pattern can be seen in many other wars. The purpose is to erase the people's memory and write new history books. We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that it could also happen here.

The Moderate-led government's decision to establish a council for the protection of cultural heritage will create good conditions for effective contingency planning for our valuable cultural-historical collections, cultural properties, and environments. The council shall consist of, among others, the central museum authorities, the foundation museums, the regional museums, and the Church of Sweden.

Through a number of initiatives, the government is now shedding new light on the role of cultural heritage in our democratic society. The Swedish National Heritage Board has received a special mandate to lead all museums' work with digitalization and digitization.

Digitization is when one simply transfers something into digital form, for example, photographing a page of a book and saving it as an image or a PDF. In digitalization, one instead transforms the scanned material into something that can be processed digitally. When one, for example, as the National Archives is now doing, uses AI to read old manuscripts and convert them into readable and searchable text, that is digitalization.

Cultural Heritage

A total of 20 million kronor per year is allocated for a digitalization initiative of, among other things, state museum collections, and 20 million kronor per year to the National Archives. From a preparedness perspective, the digitalization of cultural heritage is a cultural life insurance for generations to come. Here, it is important that the Swedish National Heritage Board is given the opportunity to provide advice both on how one should scan in three or two dimensions and on how the objects should be categorized so that they can be searched for and found regardless of which museum has digitized the object.

If we look outward toward our neighboring country Denmark, we find that they have taken large steps when it comes to inviting the public into the search for cultural heritage objects. When the Danes find an object, for example with the help of a metal detector, they take a picture of the object and send it via a free app to the local museum together with an exact indication of the find location. The museum can then piece together the puzzle with the object without necessarily requesting it.

By compiling where certain coins or flint axes are found, one can map out old trade routes, the size of settlements, and how we humans moved. This, which is called provenance, is many times the greatest value of a find.

I think the Danish model is interesting and creates an engagement for the institutional memory and our identity. An inner resilience is built up and a will to defend and preserve the cultural heritage.

The second reason to invest in cultural heritage is climate change, which places new demands on storage, something we have been reminded of during periods of heavy rain.

According to the Swedish National Heritage Board's investigation 2023, the challenges of climate change are highlighted when it comes to protecting and preserving important cultural objects. The most common causes of damage are water damage followed by pest infestations. Furthermore, we know that many municipalities today use shelters as storage. Shelters must be ready to be used within 48 hours in the event of war, which is why they cannot simultaneously be intended to protect these objects. We therefore need to review how we store our cultural heritage, but I also think we need to dare to ask ourselves what needs to be preserved in a public capacity.

The Moderates see that preparedness work for cultural heritage is an important issue that will continue to be prioritized. There are therefore several reasons why the government, in a tough economic situation, allocates extra funds to the common cultural heritage at a time otherwise characterized by austerity. Digitalization, protection during war and crisis, better use of AI, as well as the desire to give the public new opportunities to take part in our cultural heritage, is important work that is currently underway. Ultimately, it is about protecting, preserving, and making accessible that which has shaped our national identity - our folk memory and our history books.

(Applause)

In this speech, Magnus Resare (M) agreed.

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

Amanda Lind (MP)

Mr. Speaker! I naturally stand behind all our reservations, but for the sake of time, I only move for approval of reservation 20 in the report.

A cultural genocide - that is how the Ukrainian author Vakhtang Kebuladze described what is now happening in Ukraine, where Russia, with precision and ideological drive, is trying not only to win the war but also to exterminate Ukrainian culture. Theaters, museums, and cultural monuments have not only happened to be destroyed but have also been direct targets.

Many strong testimonies have come from both Ukraine and other crisis and war zones around the world about how cultural heritage becomes a target in war, how one can protect the heritage, but also what significance contemporary art and contemporary culture have in times of crisis.

The protection of cultural heritage, Mr. Speaker, is fundamentally the protection of our democracy. It is about preserving a country's collective memory and history, but it is also about safeguarding the prerequisites for free speech, for freedom of expression and free thought.

Mr. Speaker! The preparedness for the protection of our cultural heritage here in Sweden in the event of crisis or war has taken up a large place in the discussion during recent years, highlighted by Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. It is extremely important that we do more to secure our cultural heritage in Sweden. The central museums and other of the country's cultural heritage authorities and actors need to be given the conditions in budget and in mandate to be able to deepen the work with preparedness plans, evacuation premises, and other relevant security issues.

Now a council for the protection of cultural heritage has been established, and that is good. It is important to ensure that sufficient power is vested in the council's mandate. Furthermore, the Swedish National Heritage Board shall be given a clear assignment to coordinate the important work. It is also important that the county museums and local museums run by different actors are included.

Mr. Speaker! The opportunity that digitalization opens creates conditions not only for more people in our country to take part in the museums' collections without physically visiting the museum, but also for fundamentally protecting our cultural heritage. I mean that the protection and management of our cultural heritage fundamentally, of course, is about protecting our democracy and is an important task imposed on the Swedish Riksdag. The digitalization of cultural heritage needs clear coordination and long-term, offensive planning to be successful.

The red-green government started a long-term initiative on the digitalization of cultural heritage, and it is pleasing that the sitting government has chosen to extend that initiative. But we need to do more. The restart investigation after the pandemic points to the need for a large-scale digitalization initiative, and it is relevant that it is followed up. I hope for a broad political handshake on these issues. There is a clear connection to the heightened security situation and to the preparedness planning that now permeates our entire social body. There are good conditions here to take the work further in broad agreement.

Mr. Speaker! In 2000, Sweden ratified two of the Council of Europe's conventions concerning minorities, namely the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. There are five national minorities in Sweden, one of which is a recognized indigenous people. These are groups where we have a special responsibility for the preservation of the language, the culture, and the minorities' cultural heritage. They are a part of Sweden's common history.

Mr. Speaker! In the government, Miljöpartiet was proactive in providing Tornedalingars Riksförbund with support to conduct a preliminary study on a white paper. Based on that work, we subsequently appointed a truth and reconciliation commission to examine violations and abuses against the national minorities Tornedalingar, Kven, and Lantalaiset. One of the commission's tasks was to investigate the assimilation policy pursued by the Swedish state during the 1800s and 1900s, as well as to work to ensure that the minority's historical experiences are made visible. Now, the commission has submitted its final report. This occurred in November 2023. The title of the report is As if we never existed - exclusion and assimilation of Tornedalingar, Kven, and Lantalaiset.

According to the commission, the harsh Swedishization policy has resulted in the minority's language, culture, and identity being devalued, stigmatized, or rendered invisible. The consequence has, among other things, been that meänkieli, the language, has decreased in use and has not been passed on to the next generation. There are many painful stories about people who have lost both language and anchoring to the culture. It is a loss for every individual who has been affected and for our common history and our common memory in Sweden.

The Commission submits a number of proposals for measures, which are now out for consultation. Among them are to provide support for the establishment of information centers and to give Forum för levande historia an expanded mandate in order to make visible historical abuses and violations against the minority, but it also concerns a number of proposals concerning history, culture and language.

Mr. Speaker! In order to strengthen the Torneviens' right to their language and their culture, the Green Party has participated in strengthening the appropriations for the national minorities' culture. However, more is needed to give a unifying force to the Tornevian culture. Today, it is only one institution within the Tornevian culture that receives a state grant for its activities, namely the Tornedalsteatern. There is a lack of an institution that broadly gathers knowledge on Tornevian issues. Therefore, the Green Party has a motion to establish a permanent center for Tornevian history and culture. Region Norrbotten recently presented a final report from the project Cultural Gathering Activities for Torneviens, Kvens, and Lantalaiset. We believe that the report's proposals are very interesting and that the government should initiate work to realize the proposals.

I want to emphasize that it is of the utmost importance that the proposals in the Truth Commission's report, which is now out for consultation, are considered in the chamber. They must be taken seriously. When such a process has been carried out and people have shared their experiences, it is the Swedish state's duty to work seriously, not only to bring the truth to light but also so that we may achieve a reconciliation. There are many good experiences from other countries' work with truth and reconciliation commissions that we should be inspired by. In this debate, I particularly want to emphasize the importance of the work to strengthen the institutions concerning the Torne Valley culture and the Torne Valley cultural heritage.

Mr. Speaker! There are many requests from the Green Party's side in this policy area. Time is short. I would like to conclude by saying something about the work for the repatriation of Sámi objects and remains, which is also addressed in the committee report. We have stated in a motion and in requests that there is a major challenge when it comes to the work of returning, for example, Sámi human remains, sacred objects, and offerings. It often fails due to economic resources. We have submitted a proposal that the state should take primary responsibility for the financing of the repatriation process. Sámi remains and offerings are in various collections in museums around the country, and the process for reburial and repatriation is often complicated and costly and takes time. At the same time, it is important that the work is accelerated.

Mr. Speaker! We mean that it is unreasonable that the Sámi people should have to finance that which the state has taken from them and under conditions we would never accept today.

(Applause)

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

Roland Utbult (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I vote in favor of the proposal in the committee's report.

Before I was 25 years old, I did not think so much about my own and others' cultural heritage. I mostly looked forward, and I had a vision of the future. That was what occupied my mind.

Still, the cultural heritage was present the whole time. The environment I was in out on Öckerö outside Gothenburg was a secure setting with fishing boats, musical experiences and church life - and football.

The intangible cultural heritage was also there, in the stories from the past that the elders told and in the dialects. It is not only people from Värmland who have dialects, but we also have that on Öckerö. It existed in poems and traditions. It also existed in the consideration for one another. The community was strong and a kind of moral compass. It was that which made me realize that I am part of something greater than myself.

I grew up in peacetime in Europe. Today is a different time.

Most recently in Ukraine, we see how cultural heritage is being destroyed both intentionally and unintentionally. Sometimes the attacks occur as a way for the adversary to try to erase the national identity, of which cultural heritage is a part.

We are threatened, and none of us will escape. We are in this together. For future generations, it is important that our cultural heritage is preserved and protected, so the government's decision to now commission an inquiry for a new national cultural protection council is welcome. It can provide the conditions for coordinated and cost-effective preparedness measures and an increase in competence across the entire cultural sector regarding the protection of cultural heritage in the event of crisis or war.

The assignment includes, among other things, taking a closer look at what tasks and mandates a national cultural protection council should have, which actors should be represented in the council, how the council should be organized, and which authority should be responsible for the council's operations.

Mr. Speaker! So, a cultural protection council is welcome. But I wonder at the same time what it is that makes culture itself have such a small place in the considerations surrounding war preparedness.

MSB, Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap, has, as far as I understand, not included culture as a decisive factor in a war situation.

In Finland, which we from the Culture Committee visited this week, the equivalent to MSB has listed 27 industries that are of crucial importance in a war situation - but not culture!

Mr. Speaker! During the heat of war, Winston Churchill received criticism in Parliament for spending so much money on culture. Churchill replied – according to reports; there are some divided opinions about that, but we can leave that aside for now – to the question of why he spent so much money on culture during the war: What else are we going to fight for? If we have no art and culture, we have nothing to defend!

Churchill also meant that art and culture are among democracy's greatest weapons. But this has not been fully embraced by MSB in Sweden and the corresponding authority in Finland. It is something I believe we need to follow up on. No government decision was needed here; the authority can decide on its own to include culture as an important factor in war preparedness. It would strengthen our will to defend, just as Churchill meant, and make people live a dignified life in a difficult situation. It is something to fight for. And we are all fighting, those of us who are here, for culture's place in our parties and in society at large.

(Applause)

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

Louise Thunström (S)

Mr. Speaker! We have several reservations in this report, but we choose to move for approval only to reservation 9.

The other day I was at Dramaten's Lilla scenen and saw the performance Son och far by Alexander Salzberger.

When people gather in a theater and watch a play together, their heartbeats are synchronized. The more in unison their hearts beat, the more similar the people's emotional reactions to the play also become.

We live in restless times with rapid digital changes, the aftereffects of the pandemic, war in Europe, climate threats and increased polarization, and in addition a difficult economic situation both for households and for municipalities and regions.

This debate is about cultural heritage, and within cultural policy, the interest in precisely cultural heritage issues has grown strong.

In a time of unrest, the awareness of the value of cultural heritage has become stronger, for in the shadow of the wars ongoing in, among other places, Ukraine and Gaza and the unfathomable human suffering that people there are forced to experience, a systematic destruction of cultural heritage is also taking place.

In war, cultural heritage is a target. Cultural heritage can be used as a weapon. One could say that war is about cultural heritage, because war is about identity.

Russia is at war against a country they do not consider to exist. That is why it is so important for them to destroy all the culture that distinguishes Ukrainian culture from Russian culture. Over 600 libraries have been destroyed, and Russian troops have seized and destroyed Ukrainian literature. Over 90 museums and nearly 30 theaters and concert halls have been laid in ruins.

Authoritarian politicians and regimes close theaters, because they do not want people's hearts to beat in unison.

In Gaza, it was reported in January that nine libraries were destroyed. Thousands of books are ruined. Meeting places for discussions and secular conversations about democracy have been leveled. Gaza's city archives, where the last 150 years of Gaza's history had been archived, now lie in ruins. The destruction is inconceivable but systematically planned and very deliberate.

Before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, discussions on the protection of cultural heritage tended to focus on areas outside of Europe. Now we know that work for the protection and evacuation of cultural heritage must be a priority issue here as well. The government's establishment of a special cultural protection council is therefore very welcome.

Mr. Speaker! Our cultural heritage consists of stories of the most varied kinds, and defining cultural heritage is not so simple. Is it all the processes that have led us to where we are today, or is it what we find important in the present? What resonance is required in our own time, and how is it shaped? Is there a risk that the concept of cultural heritage becomes diluted? And is it not the case that the collection of cultural heritage says more about the time we live in? The selection is, so to speak, a reflection of our time rather than of a past time.

I am not the person to judge whether my reflections here are correct, but they show that the importance of an arm's length distance between the profession and those in power cannot be emphasized enough. The conversations about cultural heritage—what it is and how it should be protected but also used and developed—are important, especially in the time we are in now.

We see that the cultural distance is increasing between people and between city and country. For us Social Democrats, accessibility and participation are fundamental to cultural policy. In difficult economic times, we prioritize exactly this. Investments in the cultural school and free admission to our state museums are examples of how we can enable more people to take part in our common heritage.

Mr. Speaker! Last week we had a debate here in the chamber about popular education and study associations and the consequences of the Sweden Democrats and the government withdrawing a third of the funds for study associations. During one of the exchanges in the debate, the Sweden Democrats' representative said that the most important thing to avoid Sweden ending up in the same situation as Ukraine is investments in the Armed Forces.

This exchange demonstrated a fundamental difference between the Social Democrats' and the Sweden Democrats' policies. We mean that we also need to strengthen democracy, source criticism, cohesion, and community in order to create a resilient society. We do this, among other things, through that which creates trust in our country: common school, good healthcare, leisure activities for children and young people, public service, folk education, and culture.

Therefore, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of the "cultural heritage-ing" that takes place out in our country. The word *kulturarva* occurred to me a few years ago in a youth project run by a study association. When one *kulturarvar*, one uses historical reflections in order to create meaning and cohesion in existence. This very thing happens every day in Sweden, in the name of folk education. It can involve choir singing, book clubs, genealogy, handicraft, or lace-making.

I only mention knitting because right-wing debaters have scoffed at knitting grants without a thought that the very small amounts of money going to handicrafts concern a cultural heritage that actually promotes knowledge that today's and future generations need, not least against the background that schools warn that children's fine motor skills have major deficiencies.

Mr. Speaker! I must also, as is usual here in the chamber, say something about our world heritage sites. The world heritage sites we have in Sweden are not 15 monuments to be preserved through maintenance after wear and tear. They are in every way living and engaging and contribute to social development and to knowledge, cooperation, tax revenues, sustainability and last but not least joy and pride.

But there is a lack of long-term, sustainable management and coordination of our world heritage sites. There are simply no resources to carry out operations. The operations that do take place are carried out with project funds - some regional and some municipal - and a large amount of voluntary work carried out by enthusiasts all around our country. This is not sustainable. There must be a financial commitment from the government.

Finally, Mr. Speaker: In the shadow of the healthcare crisis we now find ourselves in, culture is fighting for its survival. The regions' culture budgets are being eaten up by cost increases with million-dollar savings as a result. The country's county museums, the places where each county's regional cultural heritage is depicted, bear witness to great challenges: cuts in public activities, reduced opening hours, the introduction of entrance fees, and a fear of no longer reaching children and young people in the way that is needed and desired.

We must be aware in this chamber that it is quick to break down, but it takes an enormous amount of time to restore what risks being lost in the cuts that are now taking place.

(Applause)

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

Runar Filper (SD)

Mr. Speaker! We have several reservations in this report, but I move for approval only to reservation number 10, Crisis Preparedness.

Sweden's cultural heritage is invaluable and central to our identity and cohesion. Time and again historically, and even now in Ukraine, cultural heritage has been destroyed and stolen, which eliminates identity and history. Alongside assisting Ukraine, we in Sweden need to arm ourselves defensively also in order to preserve our Swedish cultural heritage. It is positive that the government is now appointing a council for the protection of cultural heritage. But is it enough? That remains to be seen.

We are very positive towards the council for the protection of cultural heritage that the government has tasked several agencies to form. The council shall contribute to preparedness planning for the protection of collections of cultural heritage and culturally and historically valuable properties and environments in Sweden.

Protection of cultural heritage is needed locally, for example in the form of increased security, solutions for physical and digital protection against internet attacks, emergency preparedness organizations and evacuation premises. The hacking that more and more are affected by constitutes a major threat. Other problems can be resource-related, and activities may need to be redistributed so that even preparedness is given space within the existing budget.

It is high time that cultural heritage protection is planned at a national level. Such initiatives should have been undertaken by previous governments. Just as with general preparedness, it is important that, well in advance of crises arising, there are already finished plans for how protection shall take place so that measures can be initiated quickly in the event of war.

It is important that the local cultural heritage, which bears witness to local history and local identity, is protected and does not risk disappearing. Coordination is needed at the local level, something that the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency has highlighted. Local cultural heritage actors, owners and managers need to engage, prioritize and take responsibility for the protection of the cultural heritage here and now.

Mr. Speaker! Literacy is important so that, not least children and young people, can take part in our literary cultural heritage. The latest PISA study shows a worsened reading comprehension among young people. Four out of ten children in the age group 8-19 have not read or listened to a book at all during the past year. Young men read the least, according to the study.

It is of course important that reading feels positive and rewarding, which lowers the threshold to reading. Through reading, one strengthens their language; this applies to both us with Swedish as a mother tongue and to groups of people who have immigrated to Sweden.

Think how much one read as a child and in early youth! It was, just as Mejern said earlier, the Wild West and Indians and cowboys. One read the books about Buffalo Bill and Little Bighorn. And then one read one's sister's Kitty books in secret - they were for girls, so one didn't speak of them out loud. But they were incredibly exciting, with titles like Kitty in the Desolate House, Kitty and the Tower Room's Secret, and whatever they were called. The "Femböcker" were also exciting. And then one read an incredible amount of comic books. I believe I subscribed to Bamse and Buster when I was little, and then one read Steelman, Tarzan, and Fantomen at that time. I don't think young people read many comic books at all nowadays, in the sense that the magazines still exist.

An overlooked but important symbolic issue is that of the status of the Swedish language. In several countries, the main languages are enshrined in the constitution, for example in Finland, where Finnish and Swedish are classified as national languages. Swedish, however, is not enshrined in the constitution in Sweden. Enshrining Swedish as our main language would clarify the position of Swedish in Sweden, both for the own population and for the outside world. Swedes have the right to feel pride and respect for their linguistic tradition, which goes back thousands of years. The status of the Swedish language as the main language in Sweden should therefore be enshrined in the constitution.

Through the centuries, our language has been shaped and developed through impulses and borrowings from other languages but has retained a completely unique character. Swedish is spoken in public contexts primarily in Sweden, of course, but also in Finland, where 5 percent of the population is Swedish-speaking, especially in the coastal areas on the Finnish west side.

To care for one's language is to appreciate the language of the forefathers or, if one prefers, one's mother tongue. The status of the Swedish language has, however, become increasingly neglected.

Mr. Speaker! Today, many people love to introduce English words when it is completely unnecessary and does not add anything of significance, creativity, or understanding to the Swedish language.

My concern is not about freezing the development of the language or forbidding the use of foreign loanwords, absolutely not, but rather about avoiding loanwords and anglicisms at a fundamental level within the school system, at the agency level, and within state-owned media. It has a non-negligible impact on how one acquires words and will express oneself when one hears these English words all the time. It can be noted that in SVT's mandate, it is stated that language preservation issues shall be considered and that we have a special responsibility for the Swedish language.

Why are loanwords and anglicisms used where a Swedish vocabulary already exists? One might ask that. This is an issue that must still be taken into account and be given more space in the debate.

It is important to maintain one's linguistic uniqueness. Language is like a fiber by which one is connected to reality. One is wisest in one's own language, and it is only in one's own language that one can express the feelings one wants to bring out and convey.

If we distort our own language, we lose contact with our linguistic heritage and our origins. Language is identity and belonging and an immensely important part of ourselves. One beautiful day we stand there without our own language because we have adopted expressions from other languages, and on that day we do not even know what the words are called in Swedish. You often hear it: Why are you using English? No, but I find no Swedish word. It is regrettable.

Here I believe that it should be reviewed how one can strengthen and reclaim the position of the Swedish language. Our Swedish language is an irreplaceable part of our common Swedish cultural heritage, and it must be considered important to preserve this heritage for future generations.

Mr. Speaker! Why does one actually want to preserve dialects? Well, dialects are carriers of a common cultural heritage. They reflect the regions' culture, history, and traditions. It can be customs and practices related to animals and nature or forestry and agriculture. It can concern naming conventions, place names, and geographical names. Language contains an immense diversity. In these areas, dialects are a source of knowledge and a link backward that can give us knowledge about past ways of life. Dialect, therefore, has much to do with local anchoring.

In Älvdalen, the Älvdalska language is still spoken. It is an ancient language that differs in a decisive way from the modern Swedish language. A non-insignificant part of Älvdalen's population speaks Älvdalska today, and among younger people in Älvdalen, interest in the language is growing. They read it in school. It is, therefore, a living language and a living cultural heritage that risks disappearing in today's era of so-called social media and anglicization.

We should take measures to preserve and promote the language as an important part of our cultural heritage. Our cultural heritage is important, and both Swedish as a language and Älvdalska as a dialect - or as a language, as many claim it is - is something quite special that should be actively preserved and kept alive.

(Applause)

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

Vasiliki Tsouplaki (V)

Mr. Speaker! Culture is an interpretation of us, our time, our past and our visions. Cultural heritage is not only about history and the past but also about the present and the future. Lessons from history and access to a living cultural heritage, to the entire complex wealth of different experiences that is our history, give us the necessary compass so that we can orient ourselves in our contemporary time.

Right now, with the ongoing genocide in Gaza with horrific suffering and with famine and armed conflicts in several parts of the world, it does not feel like humanity has learned from history or become particularly wiser. In order to dare to believe in the future in this situation, the insight that our society is always under change is crucial, and that insight can be contributed to by the telling of our history. It can create hope.

Mr. Speaker! I like the concept of memory institutions very much. Archives, museums and libraries are examples of institutions for our collective memory. They are also education institutions, carriers of our cultural heritage and arenas for cultural encounters and forms of expression. Our memory institutions shall be used in the search for our history and as arenas to bring it to life and display it. The state cultural heritage policy should be about securing and making accessible the cultural heritage that exists and making it accessible, but there must also be resources and mandates to collect new material from our contemporary time so that the storytelling of history can continue.

Cultural heritage is a large area. It is not possible to completely decouple it from other cultural policy initiatives, as it is linked to the network that is Swedish cultural life. The cultural school teaches folk music and folk dance. There is support for musicians, artists, and craftspeople who carry forward older traditions such as handicrafts. The voluntary cultural life is of great importance for the preservation of our cultural heritage, and so on. It is therefore not possible to set initiatives on cultural heritage against initiatives on other cultural areas, as some parties may be tempted to do. A unified cultural policy is what is needed, based on an understanding of how Swedish cultural life functions.

Mr. Speaker! There are many different proposals in the Left Party's motion on cultural heritage, and I will not have time to mention them all.

An important reform in recent years has been free admission to state museums. It is a way to lower the thresholds and increase people's access to culture and art. The reform, which has been introduced and abolished a number of times just during my time in the Culture Committee, has been of great importance in making our common cultural heritage accessible to everyone, regardless of the size of their wallet.

Since the government took office, it has, with the help of the Sweden Democrats, unfortunately once again removed free admission for adults. This, of course, also means that fewer children will go to museums.

The Agency for Cultural Analysis released a report in 2023 on the impact of free admission on visiting patterns. It is stated there that it is doubtful whether the reform has led to a broadened participation, i.e., that more different categories of people visit the museums, even though it can be stated that the reform has led to an increased number of visitors.

The explanations for that can be many. We perceive, just like the authority, that several different measures are needed to attract more people to the museums. We believe that the museums should be seen as a cultural public good that all residents have a right to, a common treasure where it is possible to enter for free - just like the libraries.

Mr. Speaker! The increased interest in genealogy in recent years has meant that many new users have learned to appreciate the church records and other older archives where information about one's lineage can be found in both physical and digital form. TV programs such as Det sitter i väggarna have also shown the viewers the rich information that exists in the country's archives regarding places and properties. Within cultural policy, however, archive issues have for many years lived a neglected existence awaiting initiatives from various governments.

Already in December 2019, the Archive Investigation's report *Härifrån till evigheten* (From here to eternity) was released. There, it was stated that the archive sector had for a long time pointed out great needs for technical development. It was proposed that the Archive Act should be updated and that a new financing model for the handover of archives to the National Archives should be introduced. The National Archives has also submitted its own report with many interesting proposals, but nothing has happened.

We think that many of the proposals in these investigations are interesting and need to reach the Riksdag in the form of a government bill. It is important that archives are seen as much as a prerequisite for democracy with secured access to public documents as they are seen as a cultural heritage.

In the Archives Act, the public archives are regulated today, and the principle of public access is guiding. The focus lies on the authorities' documents, registration, which are very exciting matters, and disposal principles.

But there is a large number of archives that are of a completely different character. There, the memories of popular movements are gathered, and the choices and decisions of companies can be read. It can also be information from religious communities, private individuals, families, farms, and other organizations. Without the knowledge found in those archives, we cannot get a complete picture of Sweden's history and understand it fully. They are important archives.

These are often gathered in the regional individual archives, which now receive support through the cultural cooperation model. It is much appreciated. But many of these smaller archives are kept in locations that are not at all suitable, and they are managed by associations that completely lack resources.

When I wrote my motion in the autumn, three individual archives had been flooded. And we know that climate change increases the risk of flooding in the future. Here, both financial reinforcements and professional support were needed. Expertise needs to help those associations and companies that have individual archives.

Mr. Speaker! Contributions from voluntary organizations, such as those I just mentioned, are absolutely crucial for the preservation of cultural heritage all over the country. Through small associations, which usually have small resources, places, buildings, and works are also managed. They also run their own museums. Often, the finances have to be pieced together with the help of ticket revenues and smaller grants from various sources. It is difficult to get the money together to make larger investments and manage the problems one has today.

We think that these efforts need to be highlighted. Vänsterpartiet is also allocating funds in our budget to expand cultural heritage conservation and help these associations.

Mr. Speaker! I would like to conclude by moving for approval of reservation 7, regarding the need for a new archive proposal.

(Applause)

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

Anne-Li Sjölund (C)

Mr. Speaker! Cultural heritage is everything we have created through the ages: our works of art, objects, and traditions. It changes and is interpreted differently over time, and every era has its own view on what constitutes cultural heritage.

Tomorrow's cultural heritage is what happens today, here and now. Therefore, it is wise to already now reflect on what we want to be remembered for and how we choose to manage it.

For us in Centerpartiet, civil society is one of the most important building blocks that create culture and, in the long run, the heritage that we leave behind. Local heritage societies, study associations, county museums, foundations and other non-profit activities contribute to living regions and the tourism industry. Dialogue and close cooperation create new opportunities. Understanding history is important for social development. It gives us experience and inspiration to create employment, growth and a pleasant living environment.

By preserving and caring for our cultural heritage, we give future generations the opportunity to learn about our past and understand how it has shaped the society we have today. Cultural heritage is not just old buildings and historical sites. It is a part of our identity and tells the story of where we come from.

In my Västernorrland, we can experience ancient rock carvings and traditional fishing villages that tell of people's lives and livelihoods during earlier times. Even though the professional fishermen are few now, the fishing villages are still popular places to live in and visit.

Höga kusten is one of Sweden's most popular tourist destinations due to its unique landscape with exciting coastlines, steep cliffs, and lush forests. There, one gets an experience that is difficult to find anywhere else in the world.

All of central Sundsvall, what is today called stenstan, is part of our cultural heritage. The city was built up entirely in stone after the great fire in 1888.

In the provincial town of Härnösand, knowledge has been collected and preserved through its many archives and authorities for centuries. These archives are of great importance for both cultural heritage and democracy. Having access to archives promotes open discussion and increases participation in the democratic system.

Mr. Speaker! By investing in the digitalization of archive and museum collections, we make our cultural heritage more accessible to everyone. Digital technology makes it possible to both participate in and create culture in new ways. It is important to fully exploit these opportunities. To do so, we need to ensure access to broadband across the entire country. By digitalizing the cultural heritage, we preserve it for the future and make it accessible to a wider audience.

The preparedness regarding the Swedish cultural heritage is not sufficiently good today. We need to develop and update preparedness plans, and we need to increase the pace of digitalization.

Tonight's last motion is for an approval of the Center Party's reservation 14.

(Applause)

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(A decision was to be taken on 20 March.)

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