Natura 2000 permits in connection with applications for processing concessions under the Minerals Act

Isak From (S)

Mr. Speaker! We move on from sick pay to mineral policy and permit reviews.

The question of clarifying when the permit process in connection with a Natura 2000 permit should take place is urgent according to both the mining and minerals industry as well as county administrative boards and other authorities. Therefore, the previous S-government decided on 2 May 2022 to appoint an investigator with the mandate to investigate when the review of a Natura 2000 permit should be carried out. Should it be done in direct connection with the processing concession, or is it more appropriate to do it in the large-scale environmental assessment?

The background is that it is precisely at the processing concession stage that it is difficult to assess the full extent of the deposit and the operation. The purpose of the processing concession is primarily to secure the deposit and to demonstrate whether the deposit is extractable.

Mr. Speaker! It is good that the government is now proceeding with the proposal presented in the investigation. We also think it is better that the Natura 2000 assessment can be made in connection with the environmental permit assessment rather than it being made in connection with the processing concession. It also appears in the report that this can be assessed at an earlier stage when the operator deems it appropriate.

I therefore move for approval of the committee's proposal in the report.

We assess that it is positive that it will continue to be possible for operators to apply for a Natura 2000 permit earlier in the process.

We believe that the bill is in line with the primary purpose of the Mining Act, which should enable a more efficient permit process and a better use of both examination resources and the country's mineral resources.

We consider the proposed changes, like many of the referral bodies, to be positive for both companies and authorities because the process becomes clearer and more predictable, which also reduces uncertainty for investors.

We assess that the authority's processing time for Natura 2000 permits can be shortened, which also gives Bergsstaten greater opportunities to process cases faster and more cost-effectively.

For the private actors, the change means exclusive rights to the deposit and the procedural control over the area at an early stage, which is required when proceeding with the application for environmental permit.

We believe that a clear and predictable process also leads to a greater willingness to invest in the Swedish mining industry, which is extremely important.

We also agree with the government's assessment that transitional provisions are not necessary. The cases that are currently with Bergsstaten and are pending awaiting a legally binding Natura 2000 permit, in those cases where such is required, will be able to be decided through the proposal.

As I have pointed out, both county administrative boards and other authorities have considered this to be a better way to proceed. Both Länsstyrelsen Västerbotten and Bergsstaten assess that the processing time will be shortened when this is clarified.

Mr. Speaker! It must however be added that what today most often prolongs the permit processes are opposing interests. It is other industries, agriculture and forestry, reindeer husbandry and the right of other individual landowners to bring a case that many times causes the permit processes to drag on.

Just this, at least, some of the Tidö parties have discovered. In any case, Minister for Enterprise Ebba Busch has recently opened up for a new minerals tax, something that our neighboring countries have. It would support our mining municipalities, which today struggle with enormous costs for operations from which they receive nothing back. It is particularly urgent in the mining fields where Kiruna municipality is completely left to its own fate to build all the housing and ensure the infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker! For a functioning mineral policy, a functioning housing policy and infrastructure policy are also required. It is also particularly important to raise the conditions for the Malmbanan.

Despite the Committee on Industry's notification to the government to promptly return with new legislation, the government considers that the preparation still needs to be carried out. I link this to how the requirements regarding the Critical Raw Materials Act are to be met. Completing a permit process in 27 months is significantly faster than today. This is likely the basis for why the Minister for Industry is also out proclaiming that more needs to go to those who actually contribute to our necessary and highly demanded mineral industry.

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

Eric Palmqvist (SD)

Mr. Speaker! Imagine if our ancestors had not discovered metals and minerals and what could be done with these. Imagine a world without everything that metals and minerals have made possible for us. How would you have arrived here this morning? How would the house we are in have been built? What would healthcare have looked like? There is every reason to be grateful for the steps our ancestors took to move from the Stone Age to where we are today.

There are traces of metal mining in Sweden that date back to pre-Christian times, and the development of mining operations has since progressed at a breathtaking pace. I have personally visited a number of old mines where no activity other than tourism has been conducted in recent decades. It is with great respect and reverence that I think of the toil and the immense risks the work entailed back then.

Today, when scrapers, drillers, loaders, haulers, bolters, scalpers, field mechanics and all other positions go underground or into large open-pit mines, the risks are smaller, even though they are constantly present. That our modern mining industry takes risks and safety very seriously is something we should be very proud of.

In the same way, we should be proud that the Swedish mining industry takes a social responsibility. Landgrabbing, child labor, and financing of clans to secure areas and displace people is something that occurs in other parts of the world but which we, thank goodness, do not see here.

We also have a very strict Environmental Code, against which all mining activities are tested. This means that the Swedish mining industry belongs to the vanguard when it comes to extracting and mining metals and minerals in a way that does not destroy the surrounding nature more than absolutely necessary.

The demands on the Swedish mining industry are extensive, the expectations high, and the pride within the industry rightfully exceptional. That is precisely where we must be as a mining nation, in the fight for the lead.

One part of this is what we are debating now and will make decisions on later in the week, namely to move Natura 2000 assessments, in cases where such shall take place, to the same stage in the permit process as the environmental permit assessment. The keyword here is therefore move, not abolish. What we are debating and shall decide on is when in the permit process the Natura 2000 assessment shall take place, not if.

This is a step towards streamlining the permit processes without compromising the high standards we believe we can demand of the industry in Sweden. It is the Tidö parties' conviction that this is a wise step in the right direction, and the change, which in essence means that a Natura 2000 assessment shall not be a prerequisite for a processing concession to be granted, has been requested by the industry.

I think that this is exactly how one should act from a political standpoint when identifying things that delay and thereby increase the costs of the permit processes for a part of Swedish basic industry that is important for the country in several respects. Swedish mining industry is one of the cornerstones in the value chains that have built the country's prosperity. If we want to continue to be the country where products of world-class quality are manufactured from Swedish ore and exported globally, we must think anew and think smartly without, for that reason, compromising on what actually is one of the Swedish mining industry's competitive advantages: environmental awareness.

The proposal we are debating today, that is, that a Natura 2000 assessment shall not be a prerequisite for a processing concession to be granted, shall therefore be seen as part of a series of proposals in the mineral policy area that will bear the signature of the Tidö parties. The work to shorten and streamline the permit processes has only just begun. At this moment, the Government Offices are also working full-time to finalize a new mineral strategy that will be presented shortly, something we Sverigedemokrater have demanded for a long time.

Why have we then requested a new mineral strategy? Well, Mr. Speaker, quite simply because the current one is outdated in several respects. Not only has technological development, not least that which is linked to the so-called green transition, resulted in the industry today demanding metals and minerals that were not previously demanded – there are more reasons.

Russia's unlawful war against Ukraine highlights our dependence on critical raw materials from countries with a questionable view on democracy and human rights. There are therefore good reasons for us to strive for a higher degree of self-sufficiency than what is currently the case. It is therefore not just about jobs within the industry but also about security policy considerations that cannot be ignored in the situation we now find ourselves in.

Mr. Speaker! As if this were not enough of an argument, I can mention the Fraser Institute's ranking of mining nations and how attractive they are for making investments in. Under the previous government's rule, Sweden fell like a stone in the ranking. From having competed with countries like Australia and Canada at the top, we ended up in the same league as Mali and Ghana. That is nothing to celebrate. So, naturally, we cannot have that. No, now we roll up our sleeves and create the conditions to continue positioning Sweden as a world-class mining nation! If Sweden is such, conditions are also created for a good welfare, regional development, and world-class research and development.

Imagine if our ancestors, those who broke metal and minerals by hand and who labored hard with primitive tools at great risk to their health or life and limb, were given the opportunity to see what their discoveries have made possible for us! Imagine if they could see and experience a modern mine with all the aids and safety routines that exist today! I want to believe that they would be ecstatic and immensely impressed. On the other hand, I believe they would not have been impressed but rather astonished by the fact that it can take over a decade to bring a mining project to fruition today, which is actually one of the reasons why we have this debate today.

With that said, Mr. Speaker, I move for approval of the committee's proposal for a decision in NU17.

(Applause)

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

Isak From (S)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Eric Palmqvist for the presentation. The questions addressed in the report are important, and I think it is a bit too few members reported from other parties.

Eric Palmqvist speaks about the fight for the leader's jersey. Right now, Kiruna is not particularly impressed by this government's leader's jersey, nor are Gällivare, Boden, Luleå, or Skellefteå. In the fight for the leader's jersey and for achieving sustainable societies and sustainable mining communities, housing needs to be built. Scrapping is an extremely urgent measure in a mine, but the Tidö government's total scrapping of housing policy is a complete failure. It means that those who are actually delivering now do not feel like they want to deliver. They take all the costs, but the state takes all the revenues.

Right now, we do not only have a failure in the housing supply issue in the mentioned municipalities. We also have a failure when it comes to infrastructure. When the Malmbanan does not function, the state is affected right now. But the municipalities and regions are also affected. In a municipality like Kiruna, where many commute in and out today, the state cannot even ensure that the airport is open on Saturdays. The state cannot maintain necessary infrastructure. These municipalities are not so impressed by the government in the current situation.

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

Eric Palmqvist (SD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Isak From for being quick enough to press the reply button for me. I was fiddling with my card and did not manage to press the reply button for Isak From earlier.

I will begin with the Malmbanan and the infrastructure. It is not that the infrastructure in Norrbotten or in Sweden's interior has decayed during the two years that have passed since this government took office, but it is something that has occurred over decades of neglect. The previous government was fully focused on building high-speed trains between the three major cities in southern Sweden. It was not on the agenda that one should refurbish any iron ore line or the like. That is something we have pushed for. In northern Sweden, we have seen the speed limits lowered year after year because the road maintenance has been neglected and the roads have not lived up to the standard. But it is welcome that the Social Democrats are now on the track.

I live alone in Malmfälten and am a municipal politician in Gällivare. I know that Isak From's party comrades up in Malmfälten and those who are municipal councilors in Kiruna and Gällivare are among those who have requested a lex Malmfälten. They have requested help. They requested all possible support from the state during the time when Isak From's comrades ruled the country. They wanted help because they believed that these issues regarding the societal transformation were far too complex to solve on a municipal basis. It has been very tough for these municipalities to do so. So, it rings a bit hollow when Isak From raises these issues.

Reimbursement to the municipalities is something we have advocated for previously. But every time we raised that question during the last parliamentary term, we were told by the Social Democrats that it was the state's money. It is welcome that one has changed their stance on that issue.

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

Isak From (S)

Mr. Speaker! I believe we must take every straw, now that it is the case that the supports have been cut. No support has been notified to the municipalities that are now leading the climate transition. You have not stepped up in housing policy. You sit mostly surprised when it comes to the Malmbanan.

But we can take a completely different issue. The Tidö government and the Sweden Democrats have had a fairly high level of involvement in mining issues. I had an interpellation debate with Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari last week regarding limestone quarrying. Does limestone quarrying have anything to do with mining issues? Yes, perhaps it does. We did receive some criticism during the last parliamentary term because it went a bit slowly in obtaining the permits on Gotland. Limestone is not only necessary for concrete for residential construction. It is also a highly necessary ingredient when producing steel and having mines.

The government did nothing when Gåsgruvan in Värmland was shut down. To make matters worse, there was an application from BDX to mine limestone in Jokkmokk in Norrbotten to supply the industrial municipalities in northern Sweden with limestone, but during the permit review, the government decided not to grant the permit. It may have been justified; the argument that Romina Pourmokhtari and the government put forward was that reindeer husbandry in the area is of much greater importance than limestone mining in the area, and so it may be. But now it is actually the case that Eric Palmqvist, along with several others, says that this industry is important. At the same time, we see area after area where decisions are made that counteract the green industrial transition. This also applies to the mining issue.

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

Eric Palmqvist (SD)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Member From, for highlighting such important issues.

We are not in the least surprised by the situation on the Malmbanan. I want to repeat that. It is nothing that has come as a surprise over the last two years. It is something that we have addressed previously.

Malmbanan is neglected. That a double track has been requested for decades is nothing new. Road E10 from the national border down to Luleå, or in any case down to Töre, is in a deplorable state. That is also nothing new. It is nothing that has emerged in the last two years. We have, moreover, called it the road of death for quite some time. It is an old, known problem.

The Sweden Democrats have long argued for a regionalization of the property tax for industrial properties and power production facilities. We argue that this would have solved part of the problem, not only regarding the reimbursement to the mining municipality, but also the hydropower municipalities and the wind power municipalities would have received a large reimbursement.

We mean that it is something that we believe will come in some way. I am grateful that at least the Social Democrats waited on that issue. It has previously been stubbornly argued that it is the state's money. I have addressed the Minister for Rural Affairs several times on this issue.

Now one sees that in every case Ebba Busch has spoken in terms of a mining tax. We already have a mining tax. We have a mineral fee. It is actually a mining tax. We have long proposed that it and the distribution of it should be reviewed. I believe that we are on the right track even when it comes to that matter.

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

Elin Söderberg (MP)

Mr. Speaker! This report deals with the mining industry. I would like to begin by moving for approval of our reservation 3. I will begin by speaking about the Green Party's position on these issues.

For us, the green transition is completely central. It is necessary for us to manage the climate transition and avoid the most serious consequences of climate change. In the current situation, there is no scenario with business as usual without consequences. Either we transition, or we are hit by the consequences of climate change.

When it comes to the transition, the mining industry is an important part. We in Miljöpartiet have therefore presented proposals on four focus areas that we see as central to focus on in the work ahead.

The first area is circular and resource-efficient economy. The minerals and metals that are extracted from the bedrock must be used as efficiently as possible and create as much social benefit as possible.

The second area is alternative materials. Today we see strong innovation and development. One can, among other things, make batteries without lithium. We must take advantage of that innovative power so that we become less dependent on the rare metals and minerals.

The third area is that the mining industry in Sweden shall maintain a high performance regarding the environment, workers' conditions, and the conditions for the local population. The green transition shall be precisely green and environmentally and socially sustainable.

The fourth focus area is to look at the entire global value chains. The mining industry is part of global value chains where we today are largely dependent on imports from countries with extremely questionable production methods involving child labor or appalling environmental conditions.

To have a responsible policy for the mineral and metal industry, we must also take responsibility for the global value chains. In the Green Party, we have actively pushed in the EU for the global value chains to be subject to higher requirements. Requirements must be set regarding human rights, the environment, and climate. I deeply regret that the Tidö parties oppose that type of legislation within the EU.

When it comes to the Natura 2000 assessment, all permit assessments need to be efficient, clear, and predictable. This applies both to the actors who want to open a mine and to the local population, environmental organizations, Sami, and reindeer owners. They must be able to have confidence that the process takes place efficiently and in a legally secure manner, and that there is a predictability in the system.

The proposal that the government has now presented does not, however, contribute to this. The Council on Legislation strongly rejects the proposal presented in the bill. It points out that the proposal could instead make the permit process less predictable and create increased uncertainty. It impairs legal certainty.

Finally, the green transition is about building entire societies. If we are to develop the mining industry in Sweden, we in the Swedish Riksdag must stand up for our local population and our indigenous people when the pressure on Sweden to produce more minerals and metals increases.

We must give the municipalities the resources required to ensure that there are housing, welfare, and cultural life so that people want to move to the places where the major industrial development is occurring and build a home and their future there. The green transition requires a holistic responsibility. We do not see that responsibility in the current government.

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

Eric Palmqvist (SD)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Elin Söderberg, for your contribution to the debate!

I wanted to take hold of a few things that were said in the speech. It concerns alternative materials. It is nice, and it sounds good. In my ears, it perhaps even sounds better than what is the reality today.

I thought of drawing a parallel to electric cars. In a sober process, one first offers viable alternatives, presents them, and ensures that those alternatives are not more expensive and are not worse than what is already used today before one begins to expect that people will use them, which is somewhat the case with electric cars.

They are much more expensive to purchase with a high capital cost. They have worse performance when it comes to towing, shorter range, and so on. It is not a solution for everyone, far from it.

I also think that way regarding alternative materials. Perhaps they should be presented before one expects them to replace what is existing. I would like to hear the member speak a bit more about that.

I would like to hear the member reason a bit regarding the fact that towards the end of the previous mandate period, when Miljöpartiet left the government, something happened with the Socialdemokraterna.

Much of what I hear Isak From say here today, or what I heard Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson say at the end of the last parliamentary term, sounds and sounded quite a lot like what we think. Before Miljöpartiet jumped out of the government cooperation, it sounded completely different. What could that be due to?

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

Elin Söderberg (MP)

Mr. Speaker! When it comes to the entry of electric cars into the Swedish and the global market and the policy connection to this, it is one thing that we must take as a starting point. It is that we are in a climate change.

We find ourselves in a situation where we either transition to fossil-free or continue with business as usual, and then have to face the consequences of climate change.

It is extremely serious consequences that affect our security, the conditions for our infrastructure, the conditions for food production, the conditions for the global economy and also the Swedish economy.

We in Miljöpartiet acknowledge the fact that we are in a global warming. Therefore, we see that conditions are needed to transition to a fossil-free transport sector. We have, in a government position, actively pushed to, for example, both build out new main lines and upgrade the railway. We want to ensure that more people get the conditions to replace a fossil car with an electric car and ensure that more people get the conditions to travel by public transport. We want to give people better conditions and economics to choose sustainable transport alternatives.

The development of electric cars is something that can be supported politically. The decisions that have been made in the EU, for example, have stimulated rapid innovation development and led to the fact that we now see more models coming out on the market. They do not cover all needs, but very many.

What the Sweden Democrats have done since the cooperation between the Tidö parties began is to make electric cars more expensive and the fossil alternatives cheaper. It locks people into a situation of fossil dependency, and it also affects us all indirectly as a result of increased fossil emissions.

When it comes to alternative materials, it is the innovation-promoting work that we in Miljöpartiet want to see.

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

Eric Palmqvist (SD)

Mr. Speaker! Actually, this shouldn't be an electric car debate; it's a bit wrong. But no, electric cars have not become more expensive since this government took office. They have become very, very much cheaper – and this despite the fact that we do not subsidize them.

The subsidy itself was a tax shift between city and countryside. Money was thrown at subsidies for electric cars in large cities and there was a malus tax on the cars that are common in the countryside. It was an unjust tax shift between city and countryside, and I cannot sympathize with it in any way.

Elin Söderberg talks about fossil-free. So be it, but then I think: Does Elin Söderberg even know how electric car batteries are manufactured? Does she know what is included in them? Graphite is one of the main components in most electric car batteries. There is a shortage of natural graphite. Most of what is used today, especially in the Chinese electric cars, is synthetic graphite. Synthetic graphite is manufactured by boiling oil at 3,000 degrees. The oil is therefore still used. And our cars, used-up diesel cars and so on, end up somewhere else. They are not scrapped, but they go on export somewhere else. Globally speaking, this therefore makes no difference at all.

I will now move on to a question linked to what Elin Söderberg said in her speech. She emphasized point three regarding climate, human rights and so on, and that Sweden should have high environmental performance. But Sweden belongs among the best in the world in this area today. What is it that Elin Söderberg is not satisfied with?

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Elin Söderberg (MP)

Mr. Speaker! I want to clarify my motion and move for approval of reservation 1.

When it comes to subsidies to cities and the countryside, it is only hypocrisy I hear from the Sweden Democrats here. The Tidö parties have moved forward with enormous tax cuts on fossil gasoline and diesel. These are tax subsidies that primarily go to the large cities, where the most fuel is driven.

Miljöpartiet introduced the electric car subsidy for everyone who has the possibility to buy a new car. When one finally buys a new car, one should to a greater extent choose to buy an electric car. In that way, we can stimulate the expansion of the vehicle fleet towards fossil-free.

When we see the great differences between city and country and when it comes to distribution policy, we in Miljöpartiet have highlighted a long series of measures concerning leasing checks for electric cars to households with the lowest incomes. It also concerns, for example, an extra electric car bonus in rural areas for those who are in greater need of a car because there is poorer access to public transport.

Miljöpartiet has a climate policy and a distribution policy in general that takes into account the different conditions in cities and in rural areas and the different conditions in different households' wallets. It is something that the Sweden Democrats, together with the Tidö parties, do not take into account in the reforms they are now presenting.

When it comes to the production of electric car batteries and the minerals and metals needed for them, we need to work actively to ensure that these value chains become more sustainable, which I also mentioned in my speech. We need to ensure that we do not use metals from child labor in Congo or similar, whether in our tablets, computers and mobile phones or in our electric cars. But that requires active politics, active politics that we in Miljöpartiet drive in the EU, internationally and in national politics.

It is not politics that the Sweden Democrats are driving. The Sweden Democrats highlight the disadvantages of minerals and metals from other countries but do nothing about it.

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Kjell Jansson (M)

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

We are now debating Natura 2000 permits in connection with the application for a processing concession according to the Mining Act. This is based on the fact that we are to simplify and make it easier to start mining more mines.

Mineral policy is very important for Sweden's future industry. Sweden is an export-dependent country, and we must develop products and become more self-sufficient than we have been. Sweden is a wealthy country and a welfare state. We have a high standard and incredibly generous subsidy systems. Someone has to pay for this, and it is our export industry that carries the heavy load. Otherwise, the money will not suffice.

It is important with a growing business sector and new job opportunities, not least in the northern part of the country. Sweden's mining, if we get started with it, will be the safest in the world and have the best working environment in the world when it comes to the mining industry. We also have the best technical companies that develop rock technology and drilling machines for extraction. As Member Eric Palmqvist spoke about, one does not mine with pick and sledge anymore, but we have fantastic technology for this.

The mining industry is one of our basic industries. When I was a boy, people always said "the forests and the mines," and that is still to some extent the case.

The Malmbanan has been raised in the debate; I believe it was Member From who did so. It is naturally important that the infrastructure functions. But it is not so easy if we have acts of terrorism and explosions on the Malmbanan, as the Security Service suggests. Then it is difficult to build away the problems.

The mines are the first step in refining products. The ore we extract from the mountain will, after many steps of refining, eventually for example be rolled out as a car in Torslanda or at Scania in Södertälje.

Mr. Speaker! The importance of Sweden being self-sufficient in minerals is crucial for our future industry. We must reduce the dependence on communist China, which completely dominates the market. And I can guarantee all members here in the chamber that the working environment is significantly worse there than it will be in Sweden.

The minerals we purchase from China enable us to produce batteries, fuel cells, electric motors, robots, drones, orbital ships, wind power, and not least solar cells. The product areas where we are most dependent on China are wind power and electric motors.

It is therefore very good that the government wants to facilitate the environmental assessment of Natura 2000 areas in connection with the permit process for mineral mining. It is a big step forward compared to before.

Mr. Speaker! It is of great importance that we open up for new mineral mining in the country. It is a step towards reducing the dependence on China, from where we purchase the majority of the metals today. China accounts for 100 percent of heavy rare earth elements in the EU. Turkey accounts for 99 percent of the need for boron, and South Africa accounts for 75 percent of platinum.

Sweden has twelve mines today. Hopefully, we will soon have more. One example is the Viscari mine outside Kiruna. I know that Kiruna municipality currently wants to slow down that project. It might be possible to resolve if one looks at the economic conditions.

Minerals that we do not mine but have the possibility to mine with the ores we have in Sweden are vanadium, cobalt and lithium, which are all battery metals, and uranium, which is nuclear fuel.

Mr. Speaker! If we achieve this, many new and long-term sustainable jobs will be created. Above all, we will get a modern technical industry with mines and a strong industrial policy where market and demand rule, not state subsidies. We shall have world-class companies on the mining side. We shall ensure that Sweden becomes the most competitive industrial country in the world for the next generation.

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Isak From (S)

Mr. Speaker! I take this opportunity to speak a little more about state responsibility. The privatizations in the maintenance of our infrastructure have led to the situation we have today. When contractors note that the switch or the track is worn out, they are not replaced. It is not reported. It is noted that this was not included in the procurement. This was not included in this project, so it shall remain as it is. That is where we stand now.

We Social Democrats have proposed that we should re-nationalize the railway maintenance. It is a beginning to getting the railway in all of Sweden to function. Right now, the stops on the Malmbanan are creating obstacles for the entire transition. It is part of what is actually happening.

Kjell Jansson's party has repeatedly over the years put obstacles in the way of northern Sweden. It was perhaps no coincidence that it was Kjell Jansson's party that laid down the Norrbotniabanan and removed that project. It would have been very valuable to have the Norrbotniabanan in place now. Unfortunately, it is now stalling. It has stood still for a long time.

It could also have to do with the privatizations. Right now, a procurement is underway for a tunnel that apparently takes a very long time.

I believe that Kjell Jansson needs to look at the big picture and look at what actually builds Sweden strong. What is it that gains social acceptance? Does the housing policy work? Does the infrastructure work? Does the people who break the ore get the support they are entitled to?

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Kjell Jansson (M)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Isak From, for your questions!

When it comes to Trafikverket's maintenance, we are in complete agreement: It is substandard and has been for many years. Regardless of whether it is a blue or red government, it has been neglected. It has been de-prioritized in favor of other things. I will not go into all the expenditure items we make decisions on in the Riksdag, but it is not the case that roads and tracks have been prioritized.

We who live in the Stockholm region see that. Stockholm is the last capital within the EU that does not have a beltway. Even Tirana in Albania has now received it, even though they are not in the EU. We are still waiting for our eastern connection.

When it comes to the maintenance of Norrland specifically, I cannot go into details, but I know that Trafikverket has a clear area for improvement when it comes to maintenance. They have received heavy criticism from the National Audit Office regarding procurement, extra jobs, and so on. I do not believe there is any conflict between the Moderaterna and the Socialdemokraterna there. On the other hand, perhaps the ability to manage Trafikverket could be improved slightly.

The Norrbotniabanan has been deprioritized, as I understand it, compared to other projects. It is also not so strange, as the initial forecasts showed quite low traffic there. If all the industrial investments that are being initiated in Norrland with state funds become a reality, there will most likely be a greater need for the Norrbotniabanan.

This should not be confused with privatizations. It has nothing to do with that. Trafikverket owns the tracks. Who then operates the trains, whether it is a private company or the state, is actually irrelevant in this context.

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Isak From (S)

Mr. Speaker! What might be interesting in this context, Kjell Jansson, is that this government has said no to EU co-financing. Kjell Jansson pushed very hard that we should not have any high-speed railways, and I can understand that. But in its eagerness to scrap them, one said no to all EU co-financing via the so-called TEN-T projects.

We want to bring home EU co-financing and make these projects profitable. In the EU, one understands the importance of having connected corridors. It does not seem that this government does.

To return to today's debate, I mentioned in my speech the Critical Raw Materials Act as very important. It applies now, and Sweden is now to shorten its permit times to 27 months for what is to become a prioritized project. In order for there to be any mine at all in the future, it will probably be necessary to obtain such an EU approval so that one is a prioritized project.

But what is it then, according to Kjell Jansson? As I stated from the rostrum, it is first and foremost opposing interests that say no. It could be farmers on Östgötaslätten, Sami in northern Sweden, all municipalities in Jämtland, or the region in Skåne saying no because this threatens the groundwater or something else.

Who else, Kjell Jansson, is it according to the Moderaterna who should step back?

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

Kjell Jansson (M)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you for the questions, Member From!

To begin with the high-speed trains, it was a madness project that the new government scrapped, with all rights. It was hysterical money for low utility when it comes to time savings. Furthermore, it would have diverted the majority of the Stockholm region's air travelers towards Kastrup so that Arlanda would have lost even more power than what has been done recently. We did not think that was good.

When it comes to the prioritization of different types of traffic, as Member From asks me about, it is difficult to answer correctly in every single instance. There are wish lists from all sides, regionally and nationally, which Member From is well aware of. Here in the Stockholm region, as I mentioned, we want an eastern connection. Norrland wants the Norrbotniabanan. I also know that there is a desire for a train connection between Göteborg and Borås, something that was stopped by Härryda municipality if I am correctly updated.

So there are many projects, and there are various reasons why things do not progress as they should. But I also believe that better processes were needed in the road projects much earlier so that one does not have a lot of conflicts during the construction, as seems to be the case just now.

As is known, there is also a new national plan on the way. It is being processed, and it remains to be seen when it will arrive. There, I hope that the most important projects will be included.

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(A decision was to be taken on 29 May.)

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