The National Audit Office's report on the state's promotion of the national minority languages

Mirja Räihä (S)

Mr. Speaker! Today we are debating the National Audit Office's report on the state's promotion of minority languages. The committee proposes that the report be added to the records.

The National Audit Office's overall conclusion is that the state's efforts are not sufficient to reach the goal of keeping the national minority languages alive. The state can use its resources more effectively, for example by distributing the resources over a longer period instead of focusing them on short-term initiatives.

The Swedish National Audit Office also assesses that better state coordination of teaching in the minority languages is needed and clearer information about the paths to teacher training in the minority languages. Furthermore, information and support in the area need to be gathered in a more accessible way.

The report does have something good in it. Now there are funds for the language centers in and with the instruction to the Institute for Languages and Folklore where funds are permanently allocated to the language centers. Isof has, throughout the entire mandate period so far, had to live with uncertain funding. The future will, of course, have to show whether the allocated funds are sufficient. I usually say that this is coffee money in the state budget. It is enough for coffee but not for coffee and cheese.

Mr. Speaker! One must remember that the government cut the funds for the language centers in the budget for 2025. To save the operations, funds were later moved from the county administrative boards in the regulatory letter. It was money at the county administrative boards that was intended to support the administrative municipalities, including with the startup of minority language preschools and elderly care homes for those who need help in their own language in the autumn of life.

Many municipalities consider that the work was hindered or even made impossible by the decisions in the regulatory letter. In addition, national minority organizations also received reduced grants. For example, the delegation of the Swedish-Finns states that they are given poorer opportunities to respond to the referrals that the state actually sends to the organizations. This does not promote minority policy either.

Now another report on minority languages has been released, written by MUCF and the Sami Parliament. MUCF received the follow-up assignment on January 1 of this year. That report is at least as critical as the one from the National Audit Office. MUCF and the Sami Parliament write as follows:

"The authorities' prerequisites for the minority policy work are heavily influenced by the government's governance. The monitoring authorities have repeatedly pointed out the need for a clearer and more long-term state governance so that the rights of national minorities can be met. National minorities emphasize that the lack of a clear political direction constitutes a serious obstacle to achieving the goals of minority policy."

It is further written: ”National agencies consider the most important measure to strengthen their conditions to implement minority policy to be that the policy area is gathered together to a greater extent, with prioritized measures and coordinated assignments. To achieve this, we propose that the Government designates strategic agencies that receive instruction-compliant assignments to have a unified responsibility for national minorities' rights within the agency's area of operation. The assignments shall include reporting requirements and have earmarked funding. The monitoring agencies also need long-term funding to be able to carry out their assignments in a purposeful manner.”

So this is what MUCF, which is now the follow-up authority together with the Sami Parliament, says.

Mr. Speaker! It is important to strengthen the authorities' conditions, but equally important is that there is functioning consultation between the government and the representatives of minority groups. That function is severely lacking today. The dialogue meetings are short and often one-way, or the dialogue is completely absent in important issues. One such example that can be mentioned is Jarmo Laini's investigation National minority languages in schools – improved conditions for teaching and revitalization.

The investigation on minority languages in schools was indeed commissioned as early as 2016, but the current government has only written it off or thrown it "on the scrap heap," as the news site Dikko wrote. The investigation has been written off by the government without justification and without consultation with the minority groups. The only answer I have received from the responsible minister is that the investigation was old.

This is the answer to my written question to the Minister for Education: "The government has therefore previously proceeded with parts of the proposals in the report. The report is now eight years old. The decision to write off the report does not, however, mean that the government cannot proceed with the proposals or the issues being considered, and thus the decision has not been judged to justify consultation with the minority groups."

The quote is taken from a written response to me from the Minister for Education. There were many negations in the response, and it is difficult to understand. But I have interpreted it as that they are laying this down without even talking to anyone who is affected.

Mr. Speaker! Certainly, a consultation would have been more than justified. Admittedly, as one of the proposals in the investigation, the possibility of reading minority languages within upper secondary school without prior knowledge has been introduced. However, there are a number of other proposals in the investigation, and there are reasons to at least speak with those who are affected.

The National Audit Office naturally submits a number of recommendations, and so do MUCF and the Sami Parliament. The important thing is to collect both the National Audit Office's report and the follow-up agency's report. My urge is not to let the reports gather dust in a filing cabinet, but to use them to strengthen minority languages in Sweden, revitalize languages that have been spoken in Sweden for hundreds of years, and let people with minority languages reclaim the language.

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

Jessica Wetterling (V)

Mr. Speaker! I have truly spent an entire morning here in the chamber. In my previous speech, I promised the previous Speaker that I would speak about national minorities, but now there is a new Speaker. Oh well!

Mr. Speaker! I would like to begin by moving for approval of reservation 1. In this report, the government's assessment of the conclusions and recommendations provided by the Swedish National Audit Office in its review of how well the state promotes the national minority languages is addressed.

Mr. Speaker! No party in this chamber can truly claim that the National Audit Office's conclusions came as a surprise. The National Audit Office has indeed conducted a good, solid, and important audit. But a common thread during my time in the committee is precisely reports and findings that the state completely fails in its commitments towards the national minorities and the minority languages.

It was just as clear in Lennart Rohdin's report Minority Policy Conclusion, which was published in 2022 and was commissioned by the Swedish-Finnish delegation. It showed that Sweden had failed, point by point, in its commitments towards the national minorities.

Or as I said in one of my very first debates in this chamber as a new Member of Parliament in 2019, when the government's white paper *Nystart för en stärkt minoritetspolitik* was debated:

"The report contains many beautiful words. The importance of participation, self-determination, and influence are mentioned, as is the need for a holistic approach for strengthened minority policy and that an increase in knowledge needs to occur. It is stated that better cooperation is needed, as well as a more systematic way of working, better follow-up, strengthened coordination, and equal conditions for participation in consultations. It is further stated that the differences are large between municipalities and county councils within and outside the administrative areas. In short, many challenges remain. – – – It is precisely this that is required moving forward – more active action and fewer beautiful words – if one is serious about wanting a new start for a strengthened minority policy."

It might be a bit meta to quote myself seven years later. But unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, I must state that the result is far too meager. Many years have passed, but regardless of the color of the government, the results and the progress are far too small.

Most recently yesterday, as previous speakers mentioned, another depressing but so important report arrived, which confirms the consistent picture presented by the policy through reports but above all in the meeting with the representatives of the minorities.

Yesterday, the report from MUCF and the Sami Parliament on the development of minority policy during 2025 was released. It also shows that the management of minority policy is fragmented and short-sighted. Despite recurring recommendations to the government, an overall picture of how the minority policy goal is to be achieved is lacking. This is shown in the report from MUCF, which considers that a much clearer political direction, long-term mandates, more resources, and better conditions for follow-up are now required.

In the follow-up of the minority policy, it is noted that over 400 government assignments have been decided within the area since 2010. The many and short assignments have led to a fragmentation, and there is a lack of a picture of how the activities of different agencies should interact to jointly contribute to the fulfillment of the goals.

The report also points out a decline in the conditions for national minorities' participation and influence. Representatives for national minorities experience that there is a lack of forums for real influence and that much of the responsibility lies with the minorities themselves to take initiative to influence decisions. At the same time, the levels of the appropriations and state grants to organizations representing national minorities are insufficient and have been reduced.

The government has, in fact, during 2025 reduced a number of state grants within minority policy, which has had negative consequences in relation to both national minorities' and municipalities' opportunities to contribute to the implementation of minority policy.

Mr. Speaker! Everything points in the same direction. The picture shows that there are deficiencies in the governance and a lack of long-term perspective, and that the policy does not live up to its own goals.

Mr. Speaker! Sweden has recognized the national minority languages Finnish, Yiddish, Meänkieli, Romani Chib, and Sami. These are and were not just symbolic recognitions. They are also a recognition of rights. With that follows a responsibility that the state does not come anywhere close to fully fulfilling. The consequences are clear. The conditions for participation and influence have even deteriorated.

Organizations representing minorities lack sufficient resources. State grants have decreased. The responsibility for driving issues is all too often placed on the minorities themselves. No one should be able to consider this an acceptable situation.

We also know that discrimination, racism and vulnerability are still a reality for many within the national minorities, something that has also repeatedly been raised and highlighted in recent years.

Mr. Speaker! It is not enough to merely state all these deficiencies. A clear change in policy is also required.

First and foremost, the state must move from short-term projects to long-term commitments. It does not work to present hundreds of temporary government assignments that create short-sightedness and lead to reduced impact. Increased and permanent funding and much clearer assignments to agencies are required, so that the work can be carried out systematically and persistently.

Furthermore, the position of minority languages must be strengthened in practice. It is about expanding and securing the language centers, which previous speakers took up, about strengthening education in minority languages, and about solving the acute shortage of teachers. Here, both the Swedish National Audit Office and MUCF are clear: Without education and competence supply, the survival of the languages is threatened.

The rights that one is recognized with need to become real in people's everyday lives. One should be able to use one's language in contact with authorities. There should be service, education, and culture in minority languages. And it should not depend on where in the country one lives.

Perhaps the most important thing, Mr. Speaker, however, is that the influence must be strengthened. It is clear that the national minorities experience a lack of real forums for influence, which in itself contradicts the intentions of the minority policy and against fundamental democratic principles. Consultations shall not just be a formality. They shall be real, occur at an early stage, and provide influence in practice.

We in Vänsterpartiet therefore consider that the minorities' own organizations must be given stronger conditions, both economically and politically, in order to be able to participate in decision-making processes.

There is a common thread in all the reports, so also in the National Audit Office's review. The problem is not a lack of knowledge about what needs to be done. The problem is a lack of political will to do it.

That Sweden, 25 years after ratifying the Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, has not moved forward is striking and deeply regrettable. It is simply not sufficient. When it comes to minority policy, it is not only a question of democracy or justice but also of taking responsibility for the state's historical abuses.

We in Vänsterpartiet want to see a policy that takes this responsibility seriously by securing long-term funding, through strengthened education, through real influence for minorities, and through a state governance that leads to results. We want the languages not only to survive but also to live and develop.

Many of the proposals Vänsterpartiet has submitted are treated in other reports than this, but in conclusion, I still want to say a few words about the language center. Since the next speaker is a Moderate, it might be somewhat interesting even for him. This is, in fact, a clear example of waste of public funds. This is something that Moderates, among others, are usually not particularly fond of.

Since 2022, the Institute for Languages and Folklore, Isof, has been tasked with operating language centers for the national minority languages Finnish, Yiddish, Meänkieli, and Romani chib. The Sámi language center, which was established in 2010, is operated by the Sámi Parliament. The national language centers shall provide support and knowledge that facilitates for language speakers throughout the country to maintain, reclaim, and develop their language. The language centers shall actively promote and stimulate increased use of the languages, assist with expertise, and spread knowledge about the languages and how they are revitalized.

The long-term goal of the measures is to increase the use of the languages both at the individual level and in society as a whole, as well as to promote a functioning transmission of the national minorities' languages and culture to the next generation. The purpose is quite simply that the national minority languages should live on in Sweden.

The Swedish National Audit Office's review finds that both Isof and the Sami Parliament work effectively with language centers when the conditions are met. They work based on the specific needs of the languages and include language speakers in their work. However, the Swedish National Audit Office assesses that the government's short-term management of the language centers has led to losses in efficiency.

The National Audit Office emphasizes that significant resources have been lost when Isof and the Sami Parliament were practically forced to phase out and subsequently restart the language centers as a result of the government's late and short-sighted decisions. At the same time, Isof has invested significant resources to train staff, find suitable forms for the work, and inventory the need for interventions. The Sami Parliament has also done this. They have then had to lay off staff and phase out in order to subsequently start up again. If this is not a waste, I would like to be informed by the Moderates as to what it is.

In my opinion, it is very important that further measures are taken to secure a long-term and permanent operation at the language centers. After the funding of the three-year build-up phase 2022–2024, the government has instead chosen to significantly reduce the permanent funding. Thereby, the work stalls and is phased out.

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

Mats Green (M)

Mr. Speaker! The national minority languages Sami, Finnish, Meänkieli, Romani chib, and Yiddish are a living part of Sweden's history and cultural heritage. They are languages that have carried stories, traditions, and identities through generations. If the language disappears, the culture also disappears. Sweden has committed itself to keeping these languages alive, and it is a commitment that we take seriously.

The National Audit Office has audited the state's efforts during the period 2019–2024, and the conclusion is clear. The efforts have not been sufficient. The work has been characterized by short-term investments rather than long-term structures. The coordination of the teaching has been lacking. The information provided to those affected has been difficult to access. This is criticism that the government welcomes, agrees with, and has already begun to address.

Let me be concrete regarding what has actually been done, Mr. Speaker.

The responsibility for the language centers for Finnish, Meänkieli, Yiddish, and Romani Chib has been permanently included in the instructions for the Institute for Language and Folklore. This is a direct response to the criticism regarding short-sightedness. Instead of time-limited project funding, the work now receives a stable and lasting foundation.

The coordination of minority policy will be centralized at MUCF from 1 January of the current year.

The website minoritet.se is being reviewed to become more accessible and user-friendly.

In May last year, the government decided on a new ordinance on state grants for distance learning in national minority languages, which entered into force on 1 July 2025 – with the concrete purpose, Mr. Speaker, that more students should be able to receive instruction in their minority language regardless of where in the country they live.

Mr. Speaker! Sweden has repeatedly received criticism from the Council of Europe regarding the work on minority policy. A language shift process is underway, which is causing fewer and fewer people to speak the minority languages. This is serious, and it is correct of the National Audit Office to point it out. The Government also shares that view, as has been clarified, and takes it seriously that we have not yet reached the goal.

But, Mr. Speaker, there is also another side to that coin. The Government does not share the Swedish National Audit Office's assessment that the follow-up of the agencies' work has been insufficient from the Government Offices' side. The measures now being taken are precisely the structural changes that are needed, not new investigations but concrete assignments built into the agencies' regular operations.

It is also worth noting that the number of students and school principals applying for state grants for distance learning in minority languages is already increasing. This is a sign that the policy is beginning to yield results.

Mr. Speaker! As a Moderate, I also want to emphasize something principled. We argue that authority communication should, as a rule, take place in Swedish. But the national minority languages are and remain, of course, a natural exception, not out of compulsion but out of conviction. These languages are part of the Swedish cultural heritage and have a completely different and stronger protective value. That distinction is important, and we stand by it.

The committee proposes that the Riksdag place the report in the records. The Government has taken the National Audit Office's review seriously and responded with action. Now it is a matter of following through, for these languages deserve a state commitment that truly lasts over time, Mr. Speaker.

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

Jan Riise (MP)

Mr. Speaker! Thanks to the previous speaker for the support for the minority languages!

Last Thursday, I was at the Concert Hall here in Stockholm and listened to the Swedish National Orchestra, which is not the Philharmonic but the Gothenburg Symphony. After Sibelius's fifth symphony, which was written during the First World War, followed a fantastic hour with Katarina Barruk and the conductor and solo violinist Pekka Kuusisto, with songs and poems in Sami to music by, among others, Philip Glass. I will return briefly to this later.

We in Miljöpartiet welcomed the Swedish National Audit Office's review of the state's work with the national minority languages. The report confirms that the initiatives made up until 2024 had needed a more long-term and strategic funding.

I need to make a small clarification immediately. It is important to keep in mind that minorities and minority languages are not quite the same thing and are not treated in the same conventions. When it comes to regional and minority languages, it is a convention from the Council of Europe that protects and promotes these languages. For the Swedish part, it concerns, as mentioned, Romani chib, Yiddish, Finnish, Meänkieli, and Sami. The European Charter aims to promote and protect these languages and, of course, also other European regional and minority languages.

The languages are naturally closely linked to the different minorities that speak them, but not entirely and fully. There are Sámi people who speak meänkieli, Tornevians who speak Sámi, and Swedish-speaking Finns who speak Swedish. For many Jews, Yiddish is not an everyday language but perhaps more of a cultural heritage, and Romani chib comprises about twenty different dialects or varieties.

But in which case: The Language Charter is intended to protect and promote regional and minority languages. The Charter speaks of use in the judiciary, administration, media, and cultural life. It was ratified by Sweden in 2000 and thus differs from the convention on minorities through its focus on language as a cultural resource.

Mr. Speaker! Sweden has committed itself through legislation and international commitments to protect and promote the national minority languages. Despite this, Sweden has for a long time received recurring criticism from, among others, the Council of Europe regarding deficiencies in the implementation of minority policy. Furthermore, a clear language shift process is occurring simultaneously, which results in fewer and fewer people speaking the minority languages.

The government's short-sightedness has weakened the language policy. During the period 2022–2024, following a decision by the red-green government, 90 million kronor per year were allocated to strengthen the minority languages, with an explicitly long-term ambition. The Swedish National Audit Office's observation that parts of these resources were not used in full is important but should not necessarily be interpreted as the resources being oversized. On the contrary, the review shows that building up functioning structures, operations, and competence takes time and requires stable and predictable conditions over time.

For me and Miljöpartiet, it is central that the state's role in this context is precisely to create long-term and good conditions for the minorities' self-governance and empowerment. It is not the state's task to micro-manage how resources are used, but the state needs, in consultation with the language carriers, to indicate a clear direction and ensure stable frameworks over time.

In this context, it is also important to emphasize the importance of minority languages standing independent and equal. In Sweden, each respective minority language is not exclusively owned by a specific national minority. As I mentioned, it does not always correlate: Finnish Roma have Finnish as their language, and Sámi in northern Tornedalen often have meänkieli as their language. The right to a minority language belongs not to the minority, but to the speakers of the minority language.

Mr. Speaker! Language centers play a crucial role in the work of revitalizing the national minority languages. The Swedish National Audit Office assesses that both the Institute for Language and Folklore, Isof, and the Sami Parliament work effectively with language centers when the conditions are met, among other things by involving language carriers and adapting the efforts to the different needs of the languages. It is therefore pleasing if the government contributes to ensuring long-term and instruction-compliant mandates for this activity. The deficiencies that the Swedish National Audit Office points out are primarily about short-sightedness and inconsistency, not about the level of ambition having been too high.

The Sami Language Centre has also been negatively affected. The Sami Parliament invested significant resources in recruiting staff and building up operations in more locations and for more Sami languages, only to subsequently be forced to lay off staff and scale down the operations again as a result of reduced appropriations. The uncertainty surrounding the funding has led to lost continuity and reduced capacity to act.

Mr. Speaker! Then we have this issue with deficiencies in teaching and coordination. Access to education in the national minority languages is a law. The lack of qualified teachers makes effective national coordination crucial, not least through distance learning. But Skolverket's possibilities to coordinate the teaching are limited by lack of governance, insufficient information on where the needs are greatest, and a regulatory framework that does not fully support the goal of keeping the minority languages alive.

The Equality Ombudsman has shown in several reviews that children's right to education in their national minority language is not always met in practice, despite clear rights in the law. When children's right to education in national minority languages varies in practice between municipalities, it represents an erosion of these rights.

The Equality Ombudsman has also pointed out the need for clearer responsibility and better follow-up regarding the rights of minorities. Without a unified and long-term follow-up, there is an obvious risk that the rights will be eroded in practice, even though they are regulated in law.

Mr. Speaker! To summarize: Miljöpartiet does not share the government's assessment that current governance and resource levels are sufficient and appropriate. Short-sightedness, inconsistency, and reduced resources risk further weakening the position of minority languages.

The cultures and languages of the national minorities must be supported broadly, as part of Swedish cultural heritage and diversity. Several entities, including language centers, need to contribute with opportunities to use the languages. And the public must provide relevant and correct information about the national minorities' linguistic rights.

Last but not least: Ume Sami is spoken today by a few people. It is perhaps not quite as bad as the conductor Kuusisto expressed it during the concert last week: a language spoken by Katarina and her brother. But the situation is serious.

I thought I would read a few lines by Katarina Barruk, but not in Ume Sami, because I cannot do that. They are translated into Swedish. They are about her great-grandmother, whom she told about at this concert, which I thought was fantastically good:

My mother had to give way so that we could stay. She had to take the long way south for us to have the right to stay in our own home.

She was therefore talking about this matter of having to go to the king, as it was then called, to obtain the right to remain in the places where they lived.

With this, I move for approval of reservation 3.

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(Decisions were made under § 17.)

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