Regional development policy

Eric Palmqvist (SD)

Madam Speaker! Let me begin by moving to approve the committee's proposal for a decision in report NU12.

When we debated expenditure area 19 Regional development shortly before the Riksdag's Christmas break, I pointed out that it is a broad policy area linked to a relatively narrow budget section. The reason it is so is simply that good conditions for positive regional development depend on far more political decisions than those that are specifically labeled as regional development measures.

Madam Speaker! I wanted to stop at one of the things my party colleague Johnny Svedin spoke about in the debate on trade policy just now. As you all know, Sweden is an industrial nation with a significant and important export for the country. As Member Svedin said, the very foundation of our export industry rests on an interconnected system where large and small actors cooperate. Our export deals begin long before the goods leave the country, with subcontractors and transporters who refine raw materials, energy, and knowledge into that which is finally shipped out of the country. We are talking about so-called value chains.

Why do I mention this in this debate, you might wonder. Well, when these value chains are disrupted in one way or another, it is not only the companies and their shareholders that are affected, but also to a large extent employment opportunities and thus the tax base in the country's 290 municipalities. This is just one of a series of examples of how things are interconnected and how major events can have an influence on parts of the policy area we are debating here tonight.

Madam Speaker! In a debate on regional development, it is impossible not to talk about infrastructure. Some things are simply so important for all of Sweden to be able to live and develop as the ability to move people and goods quickly, safely, and cost-effectively.

Therefore, I must emphasize the historically large investment in the road network that the Tidöregeringen is now carrying out. Unfortunately, the maintenance debt has been allowed to become enormous, which is why it will take a long time and require many determined budgets before we reach our goal, but the work has begun.

It does not stop there either. Within the Tidö parties, we have also agreed to abolish the so destructive aviation tax. We are, unlike the socialist bloc, convinced that a tax on distance and travel is destructive for a sparsely populated country with large distances like Sweden.

If infrastructure and transport costs are important for a positive regional development, there is one thing that is even more important, and that is that there are people with drive who want to and can live in all parts of the country.

Human capital constitutes the very prerequisite for all of Sweden to live. My personal conviction, and also that of my party, is that people and companies want and deserve good conditions, regardless of whether they choose to live in the inland of Norrbotten – as I do –, on the Småland highlands, in the deep forests of Värmland, or on any of the islands that exist in our beautiful Swedish archipelago.

A successful regional development policy is about creating sensible conditions that do not reinforce an image of being draining and in need of various support measures. It is important, not least for the self-image and pride out in the country. We must simultaneously be better at removing obstacles and rules that appear to be hindering.

Let me underline that people who live out in the countryside do not want to be seen as a burden or be pitied. They want fair conditions that give them reasonable opportunities to develop the abilities they themselves have. There are incredibly many industrious and hardworking people out in the country who strive to do exactly what we request, namely contribute to the fact that the whole country can live. To you, I want to say that you truly deserve our respect and gratitude.

Madam Speaker! In this context, I want to express the Sweden Democrats' and the government's view on the red tape that burdens all of Sweden's entrepreneurs. We consider well-functioning companies to be a prerequisite for people to be able to support themselves in all parts of the country. When the regulatory burden becomes too heavy, productivity decreases and more working time is allocated to bureaucracy and filling out forms than to innovation and production. Therefore, together with the government, we have launched both a regulatory simplification council and an implementation council.

We now see how obsolete rules, not least those linked to the tourism and visitor industry, which is so important for employment, are being abolished and are expected to reduce costs for the industry by several billion. We also see how the government proposes that it should become less complicated to transfer agricultural land through amendments to the Land Acquisition Act. All of this is part of the work to make life a little less sour for those who actually want to do the right thing and contribute to AB Sweden.

If companies are the prerequisite for livelihoods in all parts of the country, access to commercial services often functions as a hub in each respective region. The Sweden Democrats have long advocated that the support directed towards our rural grocers should be continuously scrutinized to ensure that their design, adequacy, and accuracy live up to the high level of ambition we have in this area. There is nothing indicating that this is not the case today, but the issue must never be neglected. It is a matter close to our hearts.

If you live within SL's rail network, you might find it difficult to relate to the importance of the small country store or the gas station for an entire district, but in many places it functions as a combination of a shop, gas station, post office, gaming and parcel agency, bus station, and a collection point for medicines and Systembolaget products. Therefore, we must be afraid for it, not just in mere words but through our actions.

My appeal to you who are listening to tonight's debate is that you make it a habit to take the opportunity to refuel or shop at the small gas station or shop out in the countryside when you are traveling around the country. It may cost a few extra kronor, but at the same time, you contribute through your actions to keeping all of Sweden alive.

Madam Speaker! Few things made life so strenuous for people in Sweden's rural areas and small towns as the Magdalena prices on gasoline and diesel. When hard-working taxpayers who lacked alternatives to their own cars were forced to pay up to 30 kronor per liter for diesel, both families and companies were brought to their knees. It was not only the fuel bill that became high. Even the prices on goods and services skyrocketed. As surely as amen in church, it led to inflation escalating. Now, thank goodness, the Magdalena prices are but a memory, and so too are the new and, for people outside the big cities, hopelessly bad travel deductions that the Social Democrats had introduced if we had not had a change of government in 2022.

Before I conclude, I want to return to two of the Sverigedemokraternas staple issues within this policy area.

One is that it is time to evaluate the outcome of the reform that was made a few years ago when the responsibility for regional development was moved from the county administrative boards to the regions. Has the reform contributed to increased regional development, or has it not? Should the county administrative boards regain all or parts of the mandate, or are the regions carrying out the mandate in a satisfactory manner? We have, in fact, a collective responsibility to ensure that the funds distributed do as much good as possible.

The second is that a larger part of the enormous production values created out in the country must to a greater extent benefit the local communities. We advocate for a regionalization or municipalization of the property tax for industrial and power production facilities. This would benefit all the country's regions to varying degrees, according to the calculations we have had performed. Such a model would in a reasonable way compensate municipalities where a large extraction of natural resources occurs without them getting a share of the profits, as it functions today. We are completely convinced that we must start moving in such a direction to reach a higher degree of acceptance for larger industrial establishments.

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

Monica Haider (S)

Madam Speaker! The transport support is a state regional policy support aimed at reducing the high freight costs that companies in northern Sweden incur due to the long distances to the market. The primary significance of the support is to strengthen the competitiveness of companies in the support area and thereby contribute to regional development, employment, and the maintenance of an industrial base in northern Sweden.

Northern Sweden's industrial companies have been hit hard by significantly increased track access charges and thus significantly increased transport costs on the railway. Therefore, more freight has been shifted over to trucks.

The government has now decided to reduce the transport support and further worsen the conditions for industry in northern Sweden. It has been decided to reduce the transport support by a total of 80 million.

Was this Eric Palmqvist's intention with the transport support, which he has been quite proud of in many previous debates on regional development? Was it the intention that the small businesses in the inland of Norrland should pay this price?

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

Eric Palmqvist (SD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member Haider, for the question!

The transport support can be applied for by companies in the four Norrland counties. It is correct, as the member states, that a small reduction of that support has been made. What is interesting in this context is to look at the costs for transport after the reduction.

A lot of goods are transported today by road, primarily with diesel-powered vehicles. The member can certainly recall what a liter of diesel cost before the reduction and what it costs today. One reason why the adjustment could be made is that we do not have Magdalena prices on diesel today. The second is that there are actually question marks surrounding the transport subsidy. I think it is a good subsidy, but the National Audit Office does not fully share that analysis. The National Audit Office has shot this down quite harshly.

We have also seen that the requested amount has not reached the budgeted amount during certain years. There has not been a 100 percent utilization rate of the transport grant.

If we can keep transport costs reasonable in the country, one hardly needs any support at all. Such a support is actually some form of failure resulting from the fact that transport is expensive in Sweden. Perhaps we should start at that end and make Sweden a bit cheaper to transport both people and goods in.

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

Monica Haider (S)

Madam Speaker! I thought the support had been introduced because the distances in Sweden are so long. I thought that there was a transport support because it is very far to carry out transports to northern Sweden. 80 million out of over 400 million is not a small reduction in my opinion. But the government refers to the fact that outbound transports no longer entail higher additional costs than inbound transports. According to companies up there, this is not the case. They claim that the transport costs for several of the support-eligible companies are significantly higher.

I want to ask Eric Palmqvist which analyses form the basis for the reduction of the transport support. I am not only referring to the fact that funds that were not fully applied for were returned to the budget.

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

Eric Palmqvist (SD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member Haider, for the questions and comments regarding the transport subsidy! It is good that the transport subsidy also engages Social Democrats.

The longer the distances for transport, the more one is affected by high prices. They are connected. If there are very long distances, which is the case in the inland of Norrland, and one is far away from the European market, high fuel prices hit very hard.

We have lowered the fuel prices, and world market prices have also influenced this. We have much lower fuel prices today. Therefore, it is reasonable to adjust the transport subsidy based on that. They are connected.

The best transport support we can give Swedish companies is to have Jimmie prices and not Magdalena prices at the pump.

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Anders Ådahl (C)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member, for the speech! I was struck by the part where the Member vividly described the importance of local trade for the local community. Often, the merchant is an agent for Systembolaget and other things. One can place one's bets on horses and football and trade one's goods, whatever they may be.

I often travel to northern Värmland myself. Then I always go into the local shops to shop and support them. I share the member's view on this.

I entered an interpellation debate with Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer just before Christmas. It concerned theft against local business owners. The Center Party's criticism was that the police do not have the possibility to prioritize the countryside and theft when the spotlight is directed towards larger and more serious crime.

My first question to the member is therefore: What do the Sverigedemokraterna want to do for safety in the small community?

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

Eric Palmqvist (SD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member Ådahl, for the questions and the commitment! And welcome to the committee! This is our first joint debate. I also want to thank the Member for sharing the view that one should shop at the local gas station or grocery store when traveling around the country.

I fully share the member's view on the problem of quantity crimes directed not only at traders but also at contractors and small business owners in the countryside. As the member surely knows, the Sverigedemokraterna are one of the parties that strongly drive the issue of more police, increased police presence, and strengthening of the justice system. There is actually no line of conflict here, rather this is Sverigedemokratisk policy.

The member has surely also noticed that the government has made major investments in the area of crime policy. But that is perhaps not exactly what we are to debate today. However, I fully share the view on the description of the problem and am a party ambassador for these issues. I believe that we should allow the police to be able to concentrate their efforts even in rural areas and not only in urban areas. I fully agree with the member in this regard.

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

Anders Ådahl (C)

Madam Speaker! It may be perceived as unfortunate that we agree with each other when we are debating, but I think one can have it that way as well.

In my second question, however, I do not think we are quite on the same page. It concerns the demonstrations of competence.

From this summer, a wage level of 33,390 kronor shall be set, which is 90 percent of the median wage in Sweden. We must remember that especially Stockholm and large municipalities such as Gothenburg and municipalities down in Skåne drive up the median wage somewhat extra compared to the Swedish countryside, smaller municipalities, and smaller towns. Very many who today work in elderly care, at health centers, in local industry, in warehouses, and in local trade will be forced to leave our country. How does this square with regional development and a care for Sweden's countryside?

According to the Center Party, the government and the Sweden Democrats are conducting an incredibly poor policy when they intend to send people away at the door when they are needed to keep all of Sweden alive. Is there any answer from the Sweden Democrats as to why they are doing this?

(Applause)

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

Eric Palmqvist (SD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Anders Ådahl, for the question! It concerns an interesting and complex policy, which does not actually concern this committee in the first instance. But such is the case with questions; they overlap the different committees' areas of preparation. This is actually a labor market policy and migration policy issue to a much greater extent than a business policy issue.

As the member surely knows, we have high unemployment in many parts of the country. To a very high degree, it is about achieving a functioning matching and that people take the jobs that exist and do not just view their own locality as the place where they are to get a job. There are actually employable people in the country who must start taking the jobs that exist.

When the Sweden Democrats entered into negotiations with the Tidö government, it was a Sweden Democrat basic view that one should rather have an assessment of which industries should be allowed to have labor migration and which should not. But one ended up in the dilemma of who should make such an assessment, and it would lead to a rather sluggish apparatus. Therefore, it was agreed to have a wage floor as a requirement. It is a blunt tool and can be considered misplaced, but in this situation, it is what one has landed on.

I am convinced that if Member Ådahl, in the event that there is a change of government this autumn, becomes part of Magdalena's government support, he will have to get used to making compromises and perhaps agree to things that he had not really intended to. It may go in the direction that he had intended, even if it does not turn out fully as he wanted.

We primarily requested, in fact, a matching.

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Monica Haider (S)

Madam Speaker! Sweden must hold together. It is a political responsibility. Regional development policy is ultimately about people's everyday lives. It is about the opportunity to have a job, to be able to start and run businesses, that children have a school nearby and that there is healthcare, school, care, pharmacies, fuel, and a grocery store – simply to be able to live and work in all of Sweden.

We stand behind all our reservations, but I move for approval only of reservation 12.

Madam Speaker! Sweden is starting to drift apart. The gaps are widening between large cities and smaller towns and between expansive regions and municipalities that struggle to both provide welfare and maintain local business. The gaps between people are also increasing.

Today there are 100,000 more unemployed than when the government took office. Bankruptcies and layoffs have increased, and in this, the government is worsening the situation. People are simply becoming poorer. We need a new policy to create new jobs and welfare. Sweden needs a new direction.

Madam Speaker! The policy we advocate aims for all of Sweden to live and grow and for the developmental power that exists throughout the country to be strengthened and utilized. The gaps between people and between city and countryside shall be reduced.

To meet our time's societal challenges, every region must be given the opportunity to develop based on its unique conditions. For Sweden to be able to lead the green industrial transition and create new jobs, we believe that regional development policy needs to be in harmony with many other policy areas. Not least, a functioning labor and skills supply is an important part of a powerful regional growth policy, but also housing construction and digitalization.

We want small and medium-sized enterprises to receive better support to develop and reach new markets by, among other things, developing regional export promotion. We want to see regulatory simplifications and high-cost protection for sickness benefit, and we also want to review the long payment times.

We want the government to continue the relocation of agencies from the large cities in order to increase efficiency, utilize the expertise in the whole country, and contribute to regional development.

Madam Speaker! We know that smaller and sparsely populated municipalities face specific structural challenges. These are demographic changes, skills shortages, long distances, and vulnerable services. Therefore, we want to strengthen the state support for business development in small and sparsely populated municipalities in order to be able to drive strategic development work. It is about targeted interventions for entrepreneurship, innovation, and skills supply.

All too often, laws and regulations are designed with a metropolitan perspective as the norm. The consequences for the countryside are analyzed in hindsight, if at all. We believe that a clearer rural perspective must be introduced earlier in the legislative process. It is about justice and about ensuring that decisions made here in the chamber do not systematically hit harder against people in sparsely populated and rural areas.

Madam Speaker! Commercial and public services are fundamental. Access to services is a prerequisite for regional development. Without a grocery store, gas station, or pharmacy, attractiveness decreases rapidly.

Even though the government points to existing support, we see how shops are struggling with small margins and high costs. We want to ensure that the support systems are sufficient, accurate, and long-term. We believe that measures are needed to simplify the establishment of new grocery stores. Often, a grocery store in the countryside is not just a grocery store but a meeting place for the entire area. There may be a café, library, gas station, charging point, and so on. It is simply a place to meet. This I know from my own experience from where I live.

But it is also about public service. The state's presence has for a long time been centralized, until the Löfven government changed course and made a decision to decentralize Agency Sweden. New agencies were to be placed outside metropolitan areas. The systematic follow-up of agencies' locations was also to be resumed.

Authorities have been centralized and relocated to Stockholm during this government. It affects safety, trust, and access to support.

The state must be present throughout the entire country – not only digitally but also physically. It is a matter of legitimacy and cohesion. When service disappears, the entire region is weakened. Access to commercial and public services is crucial for regional development.

During this parliamentary term, we have seen how state service offices have been closed down. In other places, opening hours have been severely restricted. For the person who lacks digital habits, has a disability, or needs personal guidance, this means a very concrete deterioration. It is not enough to say that service is available digitally.

In many smaller municipalities, it is already a long way to the nearest government office. When the opening hours are also shrinking, trust in the state is eroded. It affects business owners who need support, elderly people who need help, and newcomers who are to enter society.

A state that withdraws from the countryside risks creating an A-team and a B-team when it comes to access to services. It is not acceptable. Service centers must become more numerous, not fewer.

More stable conditions are needed for local development.

The government has now finally reached a decision on compensation to municipalities for wind power expansion. It is good that that issue has finally received a solution. Local communities that contribute to the energy transition shall also receive a share of the benefits.

But regional development is about more than individual decisions. It requires a coherent policy where the state, the regions, and the municipalities pull in the same direction.

We Social Democrats want to strengthen business development in smaller and sparsely populated municipalities. We want to see a clearer state presence throughout the country, functioning services with reasonable opening hours and relocation of state agencies.

Madam Speaker! Sweden's competitiveness is built on the entire country: the industry, forestry, small businesses, and the innovation environments. All of this is not only found in the large cities.

We need a new policy to create new jobs and welfare. Sweden needs a new direction.

(Applause)

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

Eric Palmqvist (SD)

Madam Speaker! I have a few questions for Member Haider.

I can agree with much of what Member Haider stated. As far as that is concerned, everything is fine. But some of the things she raised in the exchange of remarks we had earlier and in her speech just now still make me take notice. It concerns issues where the Member speaks out against the Swedish National Audit Office.

In our exchange of remarks, it concerned the transport subsidy, which the Swedish National Audit Office has directed quite harsh criticism towards. I do not share everything in that criticism, but nevertheless, the criticism is there. Then the Swedish National Audit Office has audited the subsidies to commercial services and says that they are effective and sufficient. The member does not seem to share that view.

When it comes to the outsourcing of government agencies, something that I personally consider positive, the National Audit Office has conducted a review and provided some quite deep descriptions of problems.

My question to the member is: How do the Social Democrats and the member view the Swedish National Audit Office as an institution and the conclusions that the Swedish National Audit Office shares with us members of Parliament?

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Monica Haider (S)

Madam Speaker! The Swedish National Audit Office is a very important body that we have at our disposal when it comes to analyzing various activities. I can agree with a good deal of what the Swedish National Audit Office concludes, but obviously not everything.

This regarding the transport subsidy is quite interesting. It almost seems as if Member Erik Palmqvist is now critical of it. In many debates, also back in time, he has been very clear that it is important for the transport companies in northern Sweden. It does not seem that the Member any longer agrees with that.

I am absolutely not critical of the support for commercial services. I think it is good that the government has increased the support for commercial services. It is very important. I would argue that we are in very much agreement on that.

Regarding the Swedish National Audit Office's report on government agencies, it was actually quite ambiguous. After a while, once the agencies have established themselves in new locations, it has shown that it works very well. It is very good that one can get academic jobs in more regions than the metropolitan areas. We see ourselves, for example, that the Agency for Youth and Civil Society Issues, which is located in Växjö, has meant very much for Växjö or for the entire Kronoberg Region.

It is important that we have government agencies throughout the country.

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Eric Palmqvist (SD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member Haider, for the answers!

I do not always share the full conclusions from the Swedish National Audit Office either, but it is nevertheless interesting that during today's debate we have encountered three areas where one does not seem to fully share the Swedish National Audit Office's views.

I thought I would stay a bit with Statens servicecenter, as the member also mentioned.

That the government is making a saving of approximately 150 million on an agency that has an annual budget of approximately 1 billion can perhaps be seen as reasonable given that the pressure has significantly decreased at many of the offices. They describe the situation themselves: Some have very low occupancy. There has been an IT maturation, and apps and the like have taken over much.

I am going to make a comparison. In 2012, the authority had 230 employees. Eleven years later, it had 1,600 employees. Something rubs me the wrong way. It becomes a bit of that socialist Agency Sweden where one lets authorities just grow and grow. One simply never has a requirement that they should become more efficient.

Somewhere, one actually must be able to say: If you have offices that are not visited as much, perhaps they should be merged, mobile units should be used, someone should be hired elsewhere, and the like.

It is called efficiency. I know that it may hurt the member's party to hear that word, but it is something that we consider fully reasonable. State presence, yes, but it must be more efficient.

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Monica Haider (S)

Madam Speaker! Regarding Statens servicecenter, it is a larger organization than the service offices. It is not quite reasonable to talk about the total budget for Statens servicecenter, which does very much more than having offices out in the country.

The Löfven government had a plan for how to expand the service centers across the country to improve accessibility to various agencies. It was not that one did not rent space somewhere. In Älmhult, where I myself live, one rents an office, the old Gotthards office. It is not that one has its own premises. There has never been a discussion.

The strange thing about these savings, of 150 million, is among other things that one could terminate a lease just because the rental contract was expiring. It didn't matter at all whether the office was needed or not. It was not a question. The government decided that you should save 150 million on the service offices. Please execute! Then the management was obviously forced to do so to meet its budget.

One had no clue whether it was good or bad or if there were few people at those specific offices. Furthermore, you have worsened the opening hours, so it is very difficult for people to know when the service offices are open and not.

I have nothing against it being mobile or that one hires in [services] from the municipality. But it is very important that the state authorities are available out in the country. I actually thought that Eric Palmqvist and I were very much in agreement on that, but apparently we are not, and it really pains me.

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Jesper Skalberg Karlsson (M)

Madam Speaker! Sweden is a fantastic, elongated and varied country. We live differently. We work in different industries. The conditions look different. But we have one and the same social contract. That contract is simple: If you behave correctly, society will work for you. It should be possible to live, exist and succeed in the entire country. That is what regional development is ultimately about.

The Committee on Industry proposes that the Riksdag should reject all motions in this report, not because there is a lack of challenges, but because regional development requires long-term perspective, stability, and an economy that holds – not the outliers proposed in any of the motions.

Madam Speaker! For us Moderates, regional development begins with jobs and companies. It is companies that create employment opportunities. It is people who set their alarms and go to work every morning who build the municipalities' tax revenues. It is a growing economy that allows us to invest in roads, broadband, safety, and welfare.

Here I think it is important to state: Sweden is on the right track. Growth is now higher than the average in the EU. Unemployment has decreased for six consecutive months. The inflation rate is close to the Riksbank's target. After a period of high inflation and economic uncertainty, we have regained control.

It is not a coincidence. It is the result of a responsible economic policy. We have held the public finances steady when the pressure has been hard. We have prioritized bringing down inflation even when it has required sacrifices. We have lowered taxes for ordinary families and companies so that it will pay off better to work and invest. An ordinary family keeps approximately 5,000 kronor more per month today compared to 2022.

Madam Speaker! A growing economy may sound like an abstract figure in a forecast. But a growing economy is the difference between a closure and a new hire in a smaller town. It is the difference between being able to expand the school and being forced to postpone the school's renovations. It is the foundation for regional development.

Madam Speaker! Regional development does not begin with grants. It begins with jobs. It begins with companies daring to invest, with people being able to support themselves and their families, and with municipalities thereby obtaining a stronger tax base. When the economy grows in the country, faith in the future also grows.

At the same time, we know that public corporate support in Sweden is extensive. It is sometimes difficult to get an overview. There is a risk of overlap. There is a risk of lack of follow-up. It is not a fair model in all parts for the taxpayers or particularly effective for the companies. Therefore, this government has prioritized the work on simplifying regulations. The Simplification Council reviews regulatory frameworks and proposes concrete changes. The Implementation Council ensures that EU rules do not become more complicated than necessary when they are introduced into Swedish law. And several agencies have received clear mandates to reduce the administrative burden on companies.

It is about something as fundamental as the state not being a brake. Shorter processing times, clearer decisions and fewer unnecessary requirements are not technicalities. They are the prerequisites for companies to dare to grow and dare to hire.

Madam Speaker! It can be mentioned here that the receipt hassle for entrepreneurs has decreased because the requirement to keep paper copies has been removed. The administration is now decreasing for all sole traders, and profitability is improving for the vast majority, with the new 3:12 rules. Furthermore, the aviation tax has been abolished. Loading at the workplace has been made tax-free, and the funds for infrastructure investments have increased.

Madam Speaker! As someone coming from a tourism county, I know how crucial the tourism industry is for many smaller towns. There, the regulatory simplifications have proceeded particularly quickly. We have abolished the old danstillstånd, we have removed the permit requirement for hotel operations, we have enabled farm sales of locally produced alcoholic beverages, and by the summer, the old food requirement will be scrapped. For a brewer, wine producer, or restaurateur in the countryside, this is not symbolic politics. It is the difference between the business being viable and not.

Madam Speaker! Sweden is strong because we stick together. We have a common responsibility for welfare, infrastructure, and security. If we turn the tax base into a regional tug-of-war, we risk weakening exactly what makes us strong. Therefore, some of the motions submitted are misplaced.

It is easy, Madam Speaker, to say that every region should get to keep "its share." It sounds fair. But Sweden is not 290 islands. We are one country. Fairness is not that everyone should manage on their own. Fairness is that all of Sweden should function and grow together.

Mr. Speaker! The EU's cohesion policy is a part of regional development. Funds that support innovation, small businesses, and transition have contributed to investments in several parts of the country, not least in northern Sweden. But every tax crown, Swedish or European, must be used responsibly. We must prioritize projects that strengthen competitiveness and contribute to more jobs and not build systems that live a life of their own. It is perhaps here that the political dividing line becomes clear.

We mean that regional development requires stable rules of the game, order in the economy, and respect for those who work and run businesses. The left-wing parties are happy to talk about new support and new systems but are at the same time prepared to raise taxes and weaken the incentives to work and invest. It is a dangerous combination.

Without companies, no jobs. Without jobs, no tax revenues. Therefore, the policy for a growing economy is crucial, because if the economy does not grow, it matters less how the politicians want to use the money. If the cake does not grow, it is harder to distribute.

Mr. Speaker! We are not there yet. There continue to be large differences between different parts of the country. Demographics is a difficult challenge, and the skills shortage is palpable. The answer, however, is not more complications or short-term solutions. The answer is a growing economy, better conditions for companies, more efficient use of shared resources, and a Sweden that holds together.

The 2026 election, only 200 days away, is about a crossroads. Shall we continue on the path already taken where the economy is strengthened, unemployment decreases, and companies get better conditions, or shall we make a sharp turn to the left with higher taxes and weaker incentives?

We Moderates believe in a Sweden where the social contract applies in the entire country, where it pays to work, where companies can grow and where people feel confidence in the future – regardless of postcode. A fair Sweden, quite simply.

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Birger Lahti (V)

Mr. Speaker! Actually, I should start by demanding trade agreements with the countryside in Sweden. That is how it feels sometimes. My colleagues have talked about trade agreements, and it is stated there that it should be fair when we trade goods and services. I land on the same thing when I think about Sweden's countryside.

We are going to debate regional development policy, considering NU12. In the budget bill for 2026, expenditure area 19 Regional development, the government emphasizes that the goal of the policy is to create development power throughout the country with strengthened local and regional competitiveness. It sounds so nice, so nice. We just heard in the Moderate member's speech that all of Sweden should have the same conditions. I agree with that. That is also what I will conclude in my speech.

The government is barely allocating 4.9 billion to the purpose. I do not claim that there would have been any gigantic difference with our additional 70 million in the same expenditure area. But, Mr. Speaker, for decades Sweden has let the countryside die out, regardless of the color of the government. There are so many towns that contribute so much to this country. If you try to sell to them that this is a fair distribution, then you are mistaken. Ask them!

To allow an entire country to self-destruct just to feed the state treasury – for that is what we are doing – and to be able to build a subway in Stockholm stings the eyes of the population when the newspaper has stopped arriving, when the regional transport has stopped running and when the country store has closed. Then the negative spiral begins to spin faster and faster.

We have long had a prioritization where we can afford to spend state money on household services such as cleaning, window washing, lawn mowing, perhaps pool cleaning, or having an Ikea furniture assembled. These services cost 7.5 billion last year. Regional development, therefore, receives 4.9 billion.

One must create development power throughout the country, the government writes. Is it to happen by pointing with the whole hand and telling the municipalities that they have no say when foreign companies are to open a mine or for the latter to extract uranium? I am convinced, Mr. Speaker, that the development that emerges with the population will be a development that is defended by the citizens and thus also a force that unites the people who are to bear this development power.

Many parts of the country that have been affected by out-migration and which would need state support – I am not talking about grants – just to get the basics to function, do not feel that the state sees them. Again, these parts of the country are expected to be a colony for AB Sverige, which in turn beats its chest in Brussels when it takes on regulations or directives on how we should contribute to the green transition.

There was a time when society ensured that the challenges we faced were fixed. Last autumn, I told a story about a colleague who drove a taxi in the mid-60s when labor was needed in southern Sweden. He drove a taxi from Finland and took unemployed guys with him. Back then, housing and relocation grants were ready. Everything was finished and ready so that they could take on the job. Does it work like that today? Where in Kiruna are they going to live? Where are they going to live in the places where people are missing? The municipalities do not match what is expected to be there. Why is the fantastic market not being built there? It is something that we decision-makers are missing. Today, the state expects someone else to rake the arena so that AB Sweden can once again take the profits – and the countryside gets to be a colony for everything that the green transition requires.

Today we have a government that has tasked the authorities with throwing people out simply because they have a different skin color, do not earn enough, or because they are not Swedish. Sweden has a debt of integration that must be paid off, they say, and therefore the strict migration policy is a must. Taste that! Talk about a change having occurred in our country – throwing out people whom we need! They use the argument of integration debt, but it is the wrong people we are throwing out if that debt is to be paid.

Where are we headed? That is the question we must ask ourselves.

We now realize that the green transition, with everything it entails in terms of more electricity production, more mines, and more from the forest, is part of the solution. Much is now to come from the towns that once released their youth and emptied their farms. Now the towns are to contribute with minerals, electricity, forest products, and experiences for tourists. They see northern Sweden as a park where they shall ease their conscience because they have exploited their own nature.

Mr. Speaker! As a Member of Parliament, I naturally receive many calls and emails from citizens. They contact me in many different ways, including the digital channels. But no question has sparked as many reactions as the electricity market after the January bill arrived in mailboxes in northern Sweden.

I can tell you about a telephone call from a pensioner. She said: I have a pension of 11,000 net, and the electricity bill for January is 10,000. You understand that it is not easy to try to say what the person should do. I understand the frustration.

Mr. Speaker! I understand that we will debate electricity at a later time. Living in the countryside is, of course, associated with challenges. Many times, the understanding is not sufficient among us decision-makers. It would actually be a requirement that all Members of Parliament be put on buses, and they should drive one after another from Skåne to Karesuando – in January. Then the buses should stop every time a house with frosty windows is seen. Then, at the same time, a sign should be put up showing how much the locality contributes to GDP per capita. Then one can feel the distances and see who contributes to AB Sverige.

Mr. Speaker! I am convinced of one thing, namely that we will not succeed with the green transition if we do not get the local population on board in places where it is once again expected that they should contribute with natural resources but only receive crumbs in return.

We lack people, and we lack fair compensation for what we sacrifice. Sweden must not lose this chance. The sparsely populated regions of the Swedish countryside contribute everything from electricity production and minerals to forest products, but they must receive fair compensation in return. Then we will, of course, get growth, which is so popular to talk about. It will become sustainable and accepted. Only then can we get the positive image needed to generate faith in the future and inward migration. Today, it is difficult to sell the towns with 30-degree cold, lots of mosquitoes in the summer, high taxes, and the worst service. In that case, it is not easy to get people to move there.

I vote in favor of reservation 9.

(Applause)

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Lili André (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I would like to begin by moving for the adoption of the proposal in the committee report and the rejection of all motions.

We are debating regional development policy today, and I truly believe that I will have a more positive picture than the Vänsterpartiet member Lahti has given of the regional development in Sweden.

At its core, regional development is about something greater. The goal of the policy is to create development power throughout the country with strengthened local and regional competitiveness. It is crucial for employment, local and regional development, as well as a cohesive economy.

Sweden's competitiveness is largely built on resources and activities outside the major cities, where Sweden's beautiful countryside offers forests, minerals, and energy that enable industrial transition. It offers food production and bioeconomy. The tourism industry and nature tourism create jobs and export revenues.

Mr. Speaker! I can joyfully point out that the Christian Democrats' work for a strong food production in Sweden is yielding results. Today, Arla announces that they are making their largest investment ever, and it is being made in Götene. Hushållsosten will once again be produced in Sweden after a production-related move to Denmark.

The investment does not only strengthen Swedish food production and create new jobs, but it also strengthens our food security and our self-sufficiency. That Arla chooses to place the investment in Sweden is a sign that the government's agricultural policy is yielding results and that the confidence in Swedish farmers is high.

The work of strengthening Sweden's regional development is, Mr. Speaker, about how people shall live, live, work and run businesses throughout the country, not only in our largest cities but also in smaller towns, in industrial municipalities and in the countryside. Towns and settlements in the countryside and in sparsely populated areas shall be given the opportunity to develop based on their own conditions in order to contribute to our common growth and welfare where small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the business sector.

Mr. Speaker! We see results thanks to active work to implement the national strategy for sustainable regional development throughout the country. But it is not enough with only strategies; it is about how we seize the opportunities together, which the investment from Arla clearly shows. It is also about how we talk about our country. Politicians like myself and business leaders have a responsibility to tell about the potential that exists in our long, beautiful country, and that growth engine, the producing part, that exists from Sweden's southern part to our northern regions. We need to market and tell about this.

It is also important to remind, Mr. Speaker, of the investments taking place in our country in the form of business growth and regulatory simplifications, furthermore the potential within agriculture, farming, fishing, manufacturing and service companies. Swedish regional development policy is very closely linked to the EU's cohesion policy, which aims to strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion within the union.

European funds that have an important role for the implementation are the European Regional Development Fund, ERDF, and the Fund for a Just Transition, FJT. The contributions from these funds are aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises, supporting digitalization and export capacity, as well as promoting innovation and smart specialization. The programs also contribute to the green transition, among other things through investments in reduced carbon emissions and circular economy.

Here, we Christian Democrats clearly emphasize the importance of streamlining the use of EU funds to ensure the greatest possible impact and that these programs contribute to strengthening companies' competitiveness, not least in industrial regions where investments in new technology and sustainable solutions create new jobs and strengthen Sweden's position in the global economy.

Mr. Speaker! We Christian Democrats in the government have initiated extensive concrete work. The authorities in Sweden are important for the residents and the companies. About thirty authorities have been tasked with identifying and implementing regulatory simplifications that facilitate for companies, reduce administrative costs, and improve the authorities' service, which strengthens the companies' competitiveness. They shall therefore report on which measures have been taken to facilitate companies' regulatory compliance and to improve the application of existing rules.

Work is crucial. We know that complicated regulations and a lack of coordination between authorities have long been a hurdle for entrepreneurship, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises outside the metropolitan regions. When the regulatory burden is reduced, resources are freed up for investments, for new hires, and for innovation. That is how we strengthen Sweden's competitiveness in practice.

The government has also taken important steps to strengthen the coordination in state enterprise promotion. The agency Tillväxtanalys has reviewed and mapped a large number of state actors and how they work with enterprise promotion measures. The investigation shows that the scope of the support is significant, but there is also a risk of overlaps and lack of efficiency. Therefore, the government is now working to strengthen follow-up, improve coordination, and ensure that the support reaches the right companies and provides a real effect. It is about ensuring that every tax krona is used in the best possible way to strengthen the companies' competitiveness and Sweden's growth.

Mr. Speaker! Again: Regional development is not primarily about moving resources from one part of the country to another, but about unleashing the power that exists in every part of Sweden.

A clear majority of young Swedes carry entrepreneurial dreams. We must take advantage of that. Ung Företagsamhet is one of Sweden's most successful educational initiatives for awakening entrepreneurship in young people. Every year, tens of thousands of students get the chance to start and run real companies already in school. The effect is clear: students from Ung Företagsamhet fare better in their studies, more often become entrepreneurs, and more often take leading roles in working life.

We Christian Democrats want to expand the opportunity for young people to try Ung Företagsamhet. We therefore propose that all upper secondary schools shall be required to offer Ung Företagsamhet and entrepreneurship, regardless of the upper secondary program. This will give more young people practical experience of entrepreneurship, which is particularly important in rural areas.

We Christian Democrats continue our developing work for regional development. We simplify for companies, streamline business promotion, focus on an efficient use of EU funds, and strengthen cooperation between authorities and regions. We are not content with just talking about all of Sweden, but we act for all of Sweden. That is how we build a stronger, more cohesive, and more competitive Sweden.

Mr. Speaker! With that, I once again move for approval of the proposal in the committee report and rejection of all motions.

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Birger Lahti (V)

Mr. Speaker! Member André from KD says that this government is doing everything right and that everything is peace and joy.

We know that the government wants to change, for example, the environmental assessment system for mines. It should be faster to apply for permits and cheaper to open a mine. Criticism came from the CEO of Viscarias. He is at least aware of what it is about when it comes to applying for permits and works with these issues. His criticism was spot on: Small clowns should not come here and try to open a mine. Open a hot dog stand instead.

I want to ask the members if it is difficult and expensive to open a mine in Sweden. Vänsterpartiet does not claim that we should over-implement anything. But if there is something Sweden should be proud of, it is that we have high environmental requirements and know what we are doing when it comes to opening a mine.

Is the Christian Democrats' view that it should be easier to open a mine in Sweden?

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Lili André (KD)

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

We Christian Democrats work with regional development to enable the power, the entrepreneurship, and the initiative for Sweden to live. That is the foundation for regional development. We have much more to do, but we continue on the path we have started. I look forward with confidence to Sweden developing even further.

Mr. Speaker! Member Lahti asked me about opening mines. We Christian Democrats are, of course, extremely keen on mines being opened. For many years, it has been problematic that permit processes and authorities do not cooperate with one another. That is where we Christian Democrats have now worked intensively and hard to ensure that the permit processes are accelerated, which is the major bottleneck for being able to open mines. We have appointed the Acceleration Office, which is a great resource for authorities, the business sector, county administrative boards, and industry to communicate. That is what is required to accelerate the permit processes.

Mining is important for our critical raw materials and for Sweden to be able to invest more in the green transition. It is hard work, but the permit processes can be accelerated, of course without overlooking environmental considerations.

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Birger Lahti (V)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, the member, for the answer!

It is known that there is a deposit of graphite in Nunasvaara outside Vittangi. The local politicians in Kiruna were not so eager to start making a detailed plan for it. Their answer was that they do not have the capacity to have another mine. The government overrode the local politicians, and the County Administrative Board made the detailed plan. The answer from the minister was: You get 30–40 jobs.

I want to ask the member: Where are the residents of Kiruna supposed to get the 30–40 people who are to work in the mine? They have 600 open job positions at Arbetsförmedlingen today, plus a few hundred more with contractors.

One cannot accuse the people of Kiruna of being against mining. Remember that Kiruna has the world's largest underground iron ore mine. They are not against mining, but they are saying how things stand. They cannot handle another mine when they do not have people for it.

What is the answer from the Christian Democrats to the people of Kiruna when the government overrides the local politicians and says that they will indeed get 30–40 jobs in Vittangi? Who are the ones who are supposed to work there? What does the plan look like from the government and the Christian Democrats?

I would like to take this opportunity to clarify that I previously voted in favor of reservation 9.

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Lili André (KD)

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

Our industrial and mining production is extremely important. But it is of course also important to have a good dialogue and good cooperation in the locations where we want to open mines. That should never be underestimated. This government is trying in every way possible to establish a good relationship. And one reason why we started the Acceleration Office was that we saw that a dialogue and an understanding were needed for how certain locations can experience a transition that they have not experienced in many years.

That more job opportunities will be created is only positive. One needs to work for relocation and for people to see an attraction in living up by the mine and working there. The government is making many different efforts for this. It is a long-term task. But we still need to keep our focus on the fact that more job opportunities are important for Sweden.

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Anders Ådahl (C)

Mr. Speaker! We are talking about regional development policy. That lands right in the heart of the Center Party's identity, soul, and history. We were started by small-scale farmers who organized themselves and rose up against the state and big capital. The small-scale farmers were then, as they are now, creative and resourceful entrepreneurs who did business. And if, for example, someone was injured in the village or a neighbor had problems with their plow, people naturally helped each other.

This history and identity have made it so that even today we hold regional and local development policy in very high regard. In the regions where the Center Party is involved in governing in Sweden, which is quite many, it is often the case that the Center Party holds the role of being responsible or co-responsible for regional development. This can, for example, involve creating conditions for the regional business sector by linking higher education and higher education with innovation in the local and regional science parks that exist across the country. It can also involve ensuring infrastructure and public transport so that the labor market regions can lift and expand.

Mr. Speaker! I want to highlight three proposals that the Center Party has in this report.

Firstly, we need to state that Sweden is a country with large geographical differences, large economic differences, and varying local conditions. The conditions for conducting operations, maintaining welfare, and ensuring community services differ significantly between metropolitan regions and the countryside.

Despite this, Mr. Speaker, legislation and national decision-making are still characterized by a general and, in practice, often urban-centric perspective. This leads to rules and governance models that disadvantage the countryside and smaller municipalities and which, in the long run, hinder the possibility of living, residing, and working in the entire country.

We therefore propose from the Center Party's side that a mandatory impact assessment from a rural perspective be introduced in the legislative process. Such an assessment should be carried out systematically in connection with the preparation of laws and regulations in order to identify and counteract unintended negative effects for the countryside. Furthermore, this function should be guaranteed through the establishment of a rural commission with a role that can partly be compared to that of the Council on Legislation. The commission shall have the task of reviewing proposals from a rural perspective.

Let me take the hot example of the competence exclusions now. It has been decided that what is to be governing is a wage level that, from the summer, is based on 90 percent of the median wage in Sweden. The median wage is built up from different parts of Sweden, and the metropolitan regions have a much higher wage level than the countryside. It is clear that the wage level out in the smaller municipalities and in the smaller towns is much lower, which means that there will be many more there who will be excluded. It becomes completely unfair. Besides being an economically stupid proposal, it also becomes distributionally unfair between different parts of the country. Had we had a rural commission, one might have understood at the Government Offices that this proposal, besides being economically stupid, also leads very wrongly considering that all of Sweden should be able to live.

Mr. Speaker! Secondly, commercial services in Sweden's sparsely populated and rural areas play a crucial role in enabling people to live and work throughout the country. The high electricity prices and increased inflation of recent years have caused great strain for many small retailers, especially in areas with a limited customer base. This makes it increasingly difficult for local shops to survive, even though their presence is crucial for both residents and businesses. Furthermore, the bulk thefts hit local businesses hard, and these crimes should be prioritized.

We believe that the support for commercial services must be strengthened. The appropriation for commercial services is divided between eight different items and is administered by several agencies, including Tillväxtverket, the regions, and the county administrative boards. This division risks leading to the funds getting stuck in administration instead of reaching the entrepreneurs who truly need them. Therefore, the government should ensure that Tillväxtverket reviews how the support is handled to ensure that administration is minimized and that the appropriated funds actually reach the business operators in an efficient manner.

Mr. Speaker! Our third proposal concerns the efficient distribution and reinvestment of production values. A fair distribution of the values created through the green transition and through electricity production is crucial for both local development and acceptance for important societal investments. Municipalities and regions that take responsibility for electricity production through, for example, wind and hydropower should be allowed to retain a larger share of the economic values generated locally. The current arrangement, where the property tax on electricity-producing properties primarily goes to the state, means that many rural areas miss out on resources that could have been used for local services and infrastructure.

We should in the same way review how compensation for mines and for minerals should to a greater extent go to the local population. Proposed suggestions aimed at strengthening the compensation to neighbors should be implemented promptly. This could, for example, involve the right to buyout or clear compensation models linked to proximity to facilities. Also, municipalities' compensation upon the establishment of electricity production, such as wind and solar power, should be ensured. With clearer and more just compensation systems, both local acceptance and the conditions for a faster expansion of fossil-free electricity production can be strengthened.

Mr. Speaker! I move for approval of reservation 10.

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Louise Eklund (L)

Mr. Speaker! The goal of the government's regional policy is strengthened local and regional competitiveness. Just as has been mentioned in previous speeches, both regional development begins and ends with jobs, entrepreneurship, and growth. The conditions for achieving such a goal naturally vary depending on where in the country one lives and what the local business sector looks like. For that reason, the regional development policy should be capable of adapting to geographically varying conditions.

The goals shall be the same across the entire country. One shall have the opportunity for housing, work, and welfare. One shall be able to find competence. Not least, we shall have an equal accessibility throughout the country regarding digital communication and transport systems. These objectives are important because they aim to level out regional differences which otherwise risk having major consequences for jobs, growth, and the Swedish welfare.

Much has been done, but naturally there is more to do. Not least regarding the transport systems, there is a fair amount that can continue to be desired, as well as regarding the supply of skills, which has also been raised several times here in the chamber. This has major consequences for Swedish growth when companies cannot find the employees they need. If there is no trained workforce with the right skills available, companies risk being forced to shut down their operations or move them. That this is the Liberals' position is hardly a secret.

Mr. Speaker! The tourism industry has for some time been one of Sweden's fastest-growing industries. It often involves smaller family businesses that are strongly connected to the region where they operate. Many positive examples can be found throughout the country. We have seen that several of the regions that have traditionally produced food have succeeded very well in transforming their industry, so that one does not only have primary production but also creates tourist destinations with a focus on food and drink.

I raise this to show how important the legislative proposals are that the government has pushed through regarding deregulation in the food sector and within the tourism industry. Perhaps the most understated example is the farm sale of alcoholic beverages. That one allows small-scale artisanal farm sales of wine and beer means very much for regional development and for Sweden to be able to continue positioning itself as an attractive food and drink region.

From the Liberals' side, we want to go further and allow wine and beer to be sold in license stores. This would provide further opportunities for Swedish beverage production, while we would, of course, continue to have a safe and responsible sale of alcoholic beverages in Sweden.

In this context, the proposal mentioned earlier regarding the removal of the food requirement should also be addressed. We have the arrangement in Sweden that restaurants need to be able to serve food in order to be allowed to serve alcohol. Furthermore, the food must be prepared in the restaurant's own kitchen. The food requirement also applies to such places where one perhaps does not expect anyone to go at all to order food.

It speaks for itself that it leads to enormous additional costs for restaurants. One must invest in kitchens and staff to cook food that no one eats. It is not only a waste of the pubs' resources but also of natural resources. It also means that a certain type of establishment, such as a wine bar, has no possibility of opening.

The proposal that has been submitted by the Simplification Council is a major and very welcome step for the industry. It means simplified rules for the restaurant industry, and it makes it easier for new types of bars, entertainment restaurants and so on to run their business.

Mr. Speaker! I therefore move for the approval of the committee's proposal.

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Katarina Luhr (MP)

Mr. Speaker! In the best of worlds, everyone has the opportunity to choose where and how they shall live and reside. Today, not everyone has those opportunities. But regardless of whether one has chosen or not, there are many common denominators for what one desires and needs for life to be able to function in a good way.

Today we are debating regional development policy. Regardless of where in the country one lives, one needs access to community services, a grocery store, internet and telephony, communications, energy supply, employment, school and healthcare.

It looks completely different in different parts of the country. If we are to have strong regional development and strong development throughout the entire country, we need to ensure, in all policy areas, the conditions that exist in the countryside and rural areas in Sweden.

But we must also look at the needs of the people who are to live and reside there. Different circumstances also bring different needs for support and help in order to level out living conditions. It is of the utmost importance to listen to what needs exist on the site.

When I have traveled around the country, I have heard recurring requests from north to south. It is about functioning public transport and trains that arrive on time, proximity to healthcare, competence supply, meeting places, a civil society that can contribute to community and activity, and of course all the housing that people are demanding.

I really want to emphasize the importance of the state taking a greater responsibility than it does today to level the differences between different parts of the country. State presence throughout the entire country is a crucial prerequisite for Sweden to hold together and for the trust in the public sector to be able to remain high.

When the state is present in different parts of the country, it creates not only access to services but also stable labor markets and better conditions for regional development. In our budget, we strengthen the state service offices so that more people can have proximity to them. Being able to, for example, have closer access to Försäkringskassan and Pensionsmyndigheten can help many.

When traveling around Sweden, one notices that state presence is not always so positive from the municipalities' perspective. Not infrequently, one hears, for example, voices from northern Sweden talking about state colonization. Resources from forests, mines, nature, and rivers are extracted and contribute to the state's finances without those who live there getting anything back.

They deliver steel but do not get any rails or any trains. They deliver electricity but do not get the power back for several days after a power outage. They build up communities, but the tax revenues end up somewhere else entirely.

There is a clear injustice here, an injustice that can be amplified or bridged through measures. The state needs to become a better listener. The efforts to strengthen state presence need to be adapted to different local and regional conditions so that they also contribute to what the municipal residents need and want.

In the Green Party's reform proposal with the rural agreements, the state signs a contract with rural municipalities, regions and private actors. The agreements are intended to enable local solutions to local problems.

Of course, there are many different ways for the state to support rural municipalities. Not least those municipalities that today have rapid growth due to Sweden's and Europe's transition and new industrialization, or those towns that contribute to upgrading, are of great importance for Sweden and need increased support when it concerns, for example, the construction of infrastructure, housing, and community services. Here we believe that it is important for the state to step in, cooperate, and share risks with the municipalities.

When it comes to all the municipalities that contribute to the climate transition and Sweden's finances with various raw materials or energy production, we believe that the regions concerned should be allowed to receive a share of the revenues they contribute so that the local benefit of the production can increase.

For example, we want municipalities and regions to be better able to share in the profits from the renewable electricity produced in their areas. This could strengthen the economy in rural and sparsely populated municipalities and enable investments in local development.

We also believe that it would be good if neighbors could be granted the right to partial ownership in wind power projects and the opportunity for compensation from the wind power companies.

Establishments of both new industrial projects, mines, and energy production often have a major local impact. We therefore believe that it is important to consult with local communities early on regarding which establishments are to be carried out and how they should be carried out in the best way.

It is very important that local communities are given a clear and constructive place at the table in cases where an establishment risks affecting a local community negatively.

Mr. Speaker! For Miljöpartiet, it is important that we improve the conditions for people to be able to live, work and live wherever they wish, regardless of where in Sweden this is. The state cannot stand aside but needs to contribute by supporting and helping the municipalities in various ways that today take a great social responsibility to build a stronger Sweden.

I therefore wish to move for approval of the Miljöpartiets reservation number 7.

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(A decision was to be taken on 4 March.)

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