The National Audit Office's report on state funding to civil society

Amanda Lind (MP)

Madam Speaker! Sweden's civil society is fantastic. It engages millions of people in many different areas and is an important part of our democracy and a rich society throughout our entire country. Civil society contributes to public health, a rich cultural life, a living countryside, integration, and meaningful leisure time for children and young people - to name just a few examples. Even more important, perhaps, is that in civil society and association life, people with many different backgrounds and circumstances are given the opportunity to meet, grow, and improve their local community while they practice democratic decision-making. That, Madam Speaker, has built Sweden strong.

For Miljöpartiet, it is a self-evident starting point to provide the organizations of democratic civil society with better conditions. It is about clear, sharpened democratic conditions and effective and correct follow-up, but also about reduced red tape and strengthened and long-term support – all to release the power that is created when people work together for the common good. I am convinced that we need more meeting places and activities where we do just this – not fewer. They make our society better.

Madam Speaker! In the Swedish National Audit Office's report Trust and Control - State Granting to Civil Society, the effectiveness of the state's granting to civil society is examined. The report states that more measures need to be taken both to ensure that funds are not paid out on incorrect grounds and to facilitate for civil society so that increased control does not entail an unnecessary administrative burden. It is also about increasing the accessibility of the grants that are available to apply for.

Madam Speaker! The recommendations submitted to the government and which have been addressed in the letter are seen by Miljöpartiet as relevant. We agree with the government's assessment that they should be handled further. The proposals concern establishing a central database to make state grants to civil society accessible. They also concern establishing national support functions regarding the granting of grants concerning, among other things, violence-promoting extremism. They concern giving the granting authorities a mandate to develop and strengthen their control and improve civil society's opportunity to live up to the grant requirements.

I would like to make a few comments, Madam Speaker. The National Audit Office's proposal for a central database has several important points. It is, of course, both about making fraud more difficult and about increasing transparency regarding which grants can be applied for by civil society organizations. The National Audit Office also notes at the same time that this is an issue that needs to be investigated further, especially with regard to any sensitive personal data. Miljöpartiet assumes that the government will promptly take that issue forward.

Madam Speaker! Regarding the national support function concerning the granting of grants, including those regarding violent extremism, the Green Party has already previously pointed out in the chamber the importance of establishing such a support function. The proposal was submitted based on an investigation that was commissioned during our time in government. We think it is positive that the government has now taken steps to realize this.

Madam Speaker! It is important to emphasize two things. First and foremost: In the ongoing work, we want to point out the importance of analyzing the consequences for civil society when designing the proposals. The Government establishes this in its communication. It is also about the importance of a strong and independent civil society and that a purposeful and effective control should not entail an increased administrative burden for civil society. It is up to the Government to prove this.

Another important aspect is that if there are not sufficient appropriations to the authorities that are to carry out the controls, the control will also not be sufficient. The Swedish National Audit Office notes that MUCF is the authority of the four that have been audited which has the most developed control activities. The Swedish National Audit Office also notes that the previous government has provided the conditions for this through a clarified mandate and increased appropriations. The Green Party therefore wants to emphasize the importance of long-term and sufficient appropriations to the granting authorities. There must be a real possibility to develop the necessary control.

Madam Speaker! When it comes to the new democratic conditions, we in Miljöpartiet are concerned that the work in the Government Offices is taking too long. We are eager for new legislation to be put in place that fulfills the purpose that no anti-democratic activities shall be granted public support. The legislation must at the same time be applicable for the broad, democratic civil society.

When the previous government submitted a bill on democratic conditions, the Green Party submitted a couple of amendment proposals that we continue to advocate that the government consider. These concern partly the applicability for civil society organizations, and partly tightening the wording against so-called conversion attempts.

Madam Speaker! Miljöpartiet advocates that the government urgently intensifies the work to complete the bill on new democratic conditions and submits it to the chamber so that we can continue the discussion here.

(Applause)

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

Azadeh Rojhan (S)

Madam Speaker! I stand here today on the occasion of the National Audit Office's review of the state's grant-giving to civil society. Civil society in Sweden consists of over 220,000 associations and organizations. Together they bring together more than 6 million people who are engaged in sports, culture, outdoor life, religious communities, folk education, and other activities conducted within the association life.

The importance and incredibly vital role of civil society in our democracy, I will return to when we debate policy for civil society here in the chamber later this autumn. I am now focusing on the National Audit Office's review, which reinforces the Social Democrats' criticism of the government's tardiness in getting the Act on Democratic Conditions in place.

Every year, the state allocates over 20 billion kronor to civil society in order to create more stable conditions for this sector. This places a great responsibility on both politics and the sector itself to ensure that tax revenues are not used for activities that may be discriminatory or stand in conflict with democracy and human rights. It is about safeguarding civil society as a place for engagement, as a bearer of votes, and as a democratic school.

Madam Speaker! Regrettably, however, during recent years, a number of revelations have been made regarding how organizations receiving state support have deviated from fundamental democratic principles and human rights. As examples, organizations that have allowed same-sex marriages or that have denied women the right to enter into marriage without a male guardian or to obtain a divorce, as well as free churches that conducted conversion activities for LGBTQI persons, can be mentioned.

It was also on the grounds of these irregularities that the previous S-led government during 2022 submitted a bill proposing a new democratic condition for state support to religious communities and civil society. The legislative changes were proposed to enter into force on 1 January 2023. But unfortunately, that bill was withdrawn by the current government.

If we had had this legislation on democratic conditions in place, we would have created the conditions for granting authorities to, by law, require fulfilled democratic conditions when providing support to religious communities and civil society organizations and to demand reimbursement from operations that do not meet the requirements. The withdrawal of the bill means that religious communities that today do not live up to democratic principles and human rights can continue to receive state grants.

We share the government's analysis that increased control should not result in an unnecessary administrative burden for civil society and that it is important that the security and independence of civil society are ensured. Increased control should not mean obstacles for civil society organizations to be independent. But the government's lack of proficiency in this matter damages trust in civil society and religious communities and hinders the possibilities to take measures against radicalization, violent extremism, and restrictions of human rights, as well as the possibilities for democratic development. It is important that the government recognizes the need to promptly introduce a new democratic condition.

We therefore mean that the government's response to the National Audit Office's letter is insufficient and that the state grant system should be supplemented with a law on democratic conditions.

In view of this, I move for the approval of the Social Democrats' reservation 3.

(Applause)

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

Jonas Andersson (SD)

Madam Speaker! We are debating the Culture Committee's report on the National Audit Office's report on state grant-giving to civil society. I move for approval of reservation 1 from the Sweden Democrats.

Swedish civil society provides meaning for incredibly many people. It provides education, strengthens physical and mental health, and contributes to the cultivation of talent when it comes to various cultural expressions, such as music or dance. That civil society strengthens individuals naturally also strengthens our entire society. The importance of civil society for Sweden becoming a good country to live in can hardly be overestimated.

Madam Speaker! For civil society to flourish and be the positive force that we want it to be, it is of the utmost importance that there is order and clarity when public grants are distributed to organizations in civil society. Unfortunately, this has not been the case if we look back in time. The fact that the Social Democrats held government power during the two previous terms has left deep marks in Swedish civil society policy. The Sweden Democrats and the government parties therefore have a very extensive task to perform during this term when it comes to putting a stop to the grant chaos that, not least the Social Democrats, have laid the foundation for in civil society policy.

The Sweden Democrats and the government have begun the spring cleaning of state funding to civil society. We are tightening control and follow-up regarding state grants to folkbildning, and shortly a bill will be on the Riksdag's table regarding democracy conditions for state grants to civil society. It will be a sharper and more impactful bill than the one submitted in 2022 by the Social Democrats when it comes to stopping state grants from falling into the hands of Islamists and other villains. The proposals from the Sweden Democrats in this report would further strengthen civil society, in addition to what we are already doing together with the other Tidö parties.

Madam Speaker! The National Audit Office has reviewed the efficiency of state grant-giving to civil society. The overall conclusion is drawn that the auditing authorities' grant-giving is not sufficiently efficient and that increased control is necessary.

Against the background of the government's communication, which is a response to the National Audit Office's review, the Sweden Democrats have submitted several sharp proposals. We believe, like the National Audit Office, that a database of all available state grants and the organizations that receive these is needed. But we Sweden Democrats want to go further than that. We also propose that corresponding grants at the municipal and regional level should be included in such a database. The overview that it would provide would be very valuable for the authorities working with these issues. It is actually madness that such a database does not already exist in Sweden, I must say. It is clear that such a database needs to be put in place urgently. It will be able to contribute to us being able to counteract fraud and irregularities at an earlier stage.

The Sweden Democrats have a reservation in the report, and it concerns the issue of a national register of representatives. Such a register of board members, authorized signatories, and the like in the organizations that are eligible for state grants and corresponding grants at the local level could be an important tool for the authorities in the fight against Islamists, fraudsters, and others who attempt to exploit public grants to civil society.

That a register of interests is significant follows, among other things, from the problems that exist with persons who have connections to the Islamist network Muslim Brotherhood, sit on dual chairs in different organizations in Swedish civil society and in this way are involved in and receive grants from several different sources. This problem has Sameh Egyptson accounted for in his prominent thesis, which was submitted this year.

This debate focuses on the Swedish National Audit Office's review of state funding to civil society. Another review, which has points of contact with this one, is the one presented this week regarding the General Inheritance Fund and how the funding occurs there. Even there, it becomes clear that tax money is leaking like a sieve and ending up in the wrong pockets when it is distributed to organizations in civil society. I mean that it shows that the Sweden Democrats are correct in civil society policy when the Swedish National Audit Office also presents in that review exactly those proposals that I have just detailed: a central database for public grants and a national representative register.

Madam Speaker! Through the Tidö Agreement, much is being achieved that is good when it comes to civil society policy. With the proposals that the Sweden Democrats stand behind and which I have set out here today, we can go even further when it comes to strengthening the constructive forces in civil society while simultaneously stopping the destructive forces.

In this speech, Leonid Yurkovskiy (SD) agreed.

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

Vasiliki Tsouplaki (V)

Madam Speaker! I welcome that the National Audit Office has conducted this review of the granting of grants to civil society at a selection of government agencies. As the Social Democrats and the Green Party have previously stated, it is very important that the grants are distributed in an effective manner and that there is good follow-up of the activities conducted with the help of the state funds. Swedish association life is a matter of concern for a majority of our population. Around 6 million are active. It is a fantastic figure.

There is strong support for tax revenue to be used to support, for example, sports, outdoor life, organizations working with social issues, environmental associations, and cultural activities. There should be low thresholds for those who want to be voluntarily engaged and it should be easy to do the right thing when it comes to applying for and accounting for public funds.

Therefore, I stand behind the National Audit Office's conclusion that it is at the agencies that a greater effort needs to be made to build up an effective grant distribution and minimize risks of fraud and double payment for the same activity from, for example, two different agencies.

What is said in the report regarding the difficulty for associations to even find out which grants are available to apply for is an important point. With a unified database and a more unified set of regulations, it will become more transparent and easier for the associations to find the grant that suits their specific activities.

Madam Speaker! In this context, I want to highlight a more general concern regarding the granting of grants to civil society and the government basis' view on free association life. In area after area, the government and the Sweden Democrats are making cuts that affect people's ability to educate themselves, organize themselves, and influence the social debate by making their voices heard.

The Tidö parties are worsening the safety and legal certainty for people with a foreign background and are simultaneously removing the grants to the associations within the Sio network that organize just that target group. They have pushed for NATO membership and increased involvement in international conflicts and are simultaneously removing the support for the peace organizations. The consumer organizations are losing state support for unclear reasons. Perhaps it is connected to the Sweden Democrats' idea that the consumer associations are too ideological.

One is conducting an environmental policy that increases harmful climate emissions and simultaneously portrays critical environmental organizations as threats to democracy. The party-political opposition is to be weakened by pulling the rug out from under funding through lotteries. One is also cutting significantly in the study associations' grants. We will talk more about that in the next debate.

Madam Speaker! If I am to try to find something positive, I note that the government is prepared to make several important interventions to ensure that the grants to non-profit organizations are not used for anything other than the intended purpose. Therefore, I take the opportunity today to express a wish that this could also be the case for the welfare companies in the future.

Unfortunately, the government today makes a distinction between different types of grants depending on which form of association the recipient has and allows limited companies to use tax funds intended for, for example, care and school for completely different things. In this context, the expression "to sift mosquitoes and swallow camels" fits well.

Here in the speaker's chair, we hear time and again the right side worry about coffee receipts that have not been accounted for by the volunteer treasurer. But one has no qualms when it comes to million-dollar amounts distributed to shareholders in school companies or healthcare companies. For me, it is important that all the actors who receive financial support from the state use the funds for exactly that which we, in a democratic manner, have said the money should go to.

Madam Speaker! Finally, I would like to say something about the upcoming proposals for new democratic conditions for association life. From Vänsterpartiet, we have previously been critical of parts of the democratic conditions presented by the previous government. We hope that moving forward we will receive a regulatory framework that can continue to be built on a high degree of trust, independence for civil society, and opportunities for organizations to receive support to do right in combination with careful follow-up from responsible authorities.

We see that as the right way forward to continue having a strong civil society that can be a voice for its members and that gives people in our country good opportunities to contribute their ideas and experiences to the public debate and before political decision-making. The strong democratic society is guaranteed by all the engaged people outside of this house. It is our job to create good conditions for that engagement.

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

Jonas Andersson (SD)

Madam Speaker! This is actually a debate about the National Audit Office and the audit that has been carried out of the state grant system. Now Vasiliki Tsouplaki herself mentioned the question of the party lotteries. It does, of course, have a connection to civil society. I can still understand that one can bring in that question from some corner.

To be honest, I don't really understand what the Left Party's concern in this issue is about. If the share of the lottery market that is currently held by, for example, large power parties were instead held by Swedish civil society, the local football club in the small town, it rather increases the chances that the money from those lottery purchases goes to that type of civil society and association life.

Doesn't the Left Party think that it would be something good that could rather strengthen civil society?

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

Vasiliki Tsouplaki (V)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Jonas Andersson, for the question!

It is perhaps a somewhat larger debate. A proposal from the investigation regarding the party lotteries has now been submitted, where the investigator does not advocate for a ban. I have seen that the argument is raised that if one were to ban the party lotteries, people could buy other lotteries, and that would benefit the rest of the association life.

That possibility already exists today. One chooses for oneself which type of lottery ticket one wants to buy. Do I want to support IOGT-NTO, do I want to support the Socialdemokraterna, or do I want to contribute to another activity that I sympathize with? It is up to the Swedish people to judge.

Obviously, there are very many people who want to support the popular movement that the Social Democrats are a part of. I think it is a very strange conclusion that there is only a fixed number of tickets that people can buy.

If you are not allowed to buy the Socialdemokraternas or Moderaternas lotteries, you will buy the other associations' lotteries. It doesn't quite hold up logically, Jonas Andersson.

(Applause)

(THIRD DEPUTY SPEAKER: As has been pointed out, it is not that investigation that is to be discussed, but the National Audit Office's report.)

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

Jonas Andersson (SD)

Madam Speaker! I believe the opposite of what Vasiliki Tsouplaki does in this case. People have limited resources to work with. I do not think they want to spend savings on lotteries.

When they do that, it is obvious that the money coming in here could have gone to lottery purchases from other associations in civil society. I believe somewhere Vasiliki Tsouplaki should still understand that.

Vänsterpartiet otherwise likes to talk about how people have smaller margins and less to live on now, and that is true. In that case, this is rather something that could be positive for civil society.

Then, of course, there are plenty of other problems surrounding this linked to how the legislation has been rigged to one's own advantage. One has been able to sell lotteries on credit. One has had a very aggressive way of selling it. One has called vulnerable poor pensioners and the like with purely horrible scripts that one has used when doing so.

I see it rather as something positive. There is another problem when it comes to the policy for civil society. Vasiliki Tsouplaki is worried that there will be less money left over. I believe we would have been in an infinitely much better position if Vänsterpartiet had cared a bit more about ensuring that the money paid out goes to the right things. It is a question that you do not seem to have any engagement with at all. It is just about having higher budget items. But you do not put forward sharp or good proposals for the money to go to the right things. I can only regret this.

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

Vasiliki Tsouplaki (V)

Madam Speaker! I thought I just said from the rostrum that I stood for the review. It is very good that the National Audit Office has conducted the review with the four agencies it has looked at. Resources were also needed, primarily for the agencies. One should not impose a greater administrative burden on the voluntary sector. That was what I was trying to convey. I regret if I was unclear about that.

It is very important that we do not constantly see individual deviations. I mentioned that it is 6 million people who are engaged in association life. It is a very small proportion who exploit the system and who cheat in various ways.

Then we must not set up a system that assumes putting the small group in place and, in that context, risks undermining the commitment and power of all the other millions of people who are engaged in civil society. That is what I worry about. On the other hand, it is very important that the money goes to the right things.

When we now speak about the lottery issue, I think it is important to say that people should have the opportunity to be part of the organizations they want to be part of and to support the organizations they want to support. I assume that those who today buy the Social Democrats' lottery – I do not know who they are, as they are not my members – would in that case choose other ways to support the party through contributions in different ways.

I still do not think the argument that one would then buy other associations' lottery tickets holds up. If the Sverigedemokraterna and Jonas Andersson want to safeguard civil society's conditions when it comes to, for example, obtaining funds in different ways, it would be appropriate to stop cutting the state supports that I listed. It is about support for consumer organizations, ethnic organizations, and peace organizations. It is a series of grants that are disappearing. And not least, the study associations are affected, which will lose a third of the state support. There, civil society's money disappears with this government's and the Sverigedemokraterna's policy.

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

Catarina Deremar (C)

Madam Speaker! Large parts of our common society function and develop thanks to civil society, that is, the association life which is unique in many ways. If we compare ourselves with other countries, it is fantastic what association life we have here in Sweden and the Nordic countries. We see it within sports, culture, outdoor life, folk education and religious communities, to name a few.

Here, people from different parts of our society meet on equal terms. They develop and preserve what is important for the local community. Individually, in the small association, it can feel lonely, but collectively it is an enormous force and of great benefit to our entire society. More than 6 million people are engaged within civil society. That is a large part of us who live in Sweden, so this is a matter of importance for us.

When it comes to the granting of grants to civil society, there are about eighty regulations and about forty agencies that administer this. It is perhaps precisely this that causes errors to occur in the granting of grants. It is therefore positive that this has been looked at in order to rectify the errors that exist.

Fundamentally, the granting of grants is based on trust. It is important that grants are given on the basis of correct information and that the money is used for what it has been said it should be used for. There simply must be order and regularity. I believe we are very much in agreement on that in this chamber. Controls need to be carried out. The National Audit Office also highlights this. That is positive. But it must not occur to such a degree that it hinders development or becomes too overwhelming for the association life, so that the association stagnates in its development or the activities disappear.

Despite this, I do share the government's analysis that the granting of grants should be efficient and correct. I also look forward to the report on the democratic conditions for grants to civil society coming to the Riksdag. We have been waiting for that for a while.

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

Roland Utbult (KD)

Madam Speaker! I vote in favor of the committee's proposal and against the motions.

I would like to start from a slightly different angle, namely with the effects of the grant funding that does work, and start with a small account of what happened to me the other day.

Last night I walked from Stockholm Central to Cityterminalen to take the bus to my overnight apartment. It was a bit chilly. I saw a long, winding queue of people waiting to be offered food. I understood that they were homeless or otherwise vulnerable. Now they were getting an opportunity to get something to eat. It is always a sad sight to see the enormous needs that exist among people.

At the same time, I saw a sign where it said By your side. It is an organization that protects the vulnerable and gives hope. I have checked a bit what kind of organization it is. They work specifically with pensioners who live in deep poverty.

I ask myself: How many people live and reside at Stockholm Central? The figure I hear is that it is 300 people. I see approximately ten or twelve people every time I come to Centralen, people who in some way signal vulnerability. But it is, therefore, many more.

The Salvation Army has started a project with a bus. The objective is to reach out to people who live and reside at Centralen and lift them out of vulnerability and into a dignified life. The objective this year was to reach out to one person a month and, so to speak, save that person from their degradation. It has now been just over two months, and the Salvation Army now - if one may use statistics in that way - stands at five people. It is five people who have left Centralen to get a meaningful life and a way forward, which is three more than what was the objective. Imagine that five people during this year have been lifted up from their degradation to a new start in life!

Madam Speaker! We are therefore debating the government's communication regarding the National Audit Office's report on state grant funding to civil society. The National Audit Office has audited the state's grant funding to civil society and submitted its report in April 2023. It concerns an audit of funds that go to civil society organizations with involvement in, among other things, sports, culture, outdoor life, religious communities, folk education, and other activities conducted within the voluntary sector.

We Christian Democrats welcome the Swedish National Audit Office's review and agree with all essential points in the observations they make. This includes, among other things, that expanded control is necessary for state grant-giving to civil society to be effective and correct. State funds should only go to activities that have the right to receive support, not least to maintain confidence in the system. It is also important that grants do not go to activities that conflict with fundamental values in society.

In Sweden, as we have heard in the debate here, more than 6 million people are engaged in civil society in some way. It was some of them that I met last night. It can be about being a leader in the local scout troop, singing in a choir, playing football, or being active in a church's soup kitchens for the homeless. There are so many volunteers, volunteers, who step up and make this society function. It is absolutely fantastic! We Christian Democrats see it as both natural and obvious that the state is involved and supports these civil actors, so that we have a strong civil society.

One of politics' most important tasks is to safeguard the independence of these voluntary associations, to strengthen them and simplify their operations. The Christian Democrats are the political voice that has most clearly acted for a strong civil society.

We see it as equally important that the National Audit Office audits precisely the funds and grants that go to civil society. To ensure correct payments, the government commissioned the National Property Board of Sweden in December 2022 to map out and analyze the work of ensuring correct payments of state support to civil society. This was reported in December 2023.

For the government and the Christian Democrats, a functioning oversight activity is very important. The National Audit Office reported, among other things, three general areas for improvement in the work for correct payments: It is about strategic risk analysis work – that the organizations need to work better at following up and analyzing their grant-giving. It is about making systematic and risk-based controls. It is about improving their system support.

But we also want to emphasize trust. Civil society does a great and invaluable work with its social and humanitarian efforts but also to strengthen democracy. Therefore, the state needs to trust these organizations while at the same time not being naive towards the risks and those who want to exploit the system.

The National Audit Office has recommended that the government task the granting authorities to strengthen their control. We agree with that. It is also important that increased control does not entail unnecessary administration for the organizations. This has already been put forward here by both the Social Democrats and the Green Party. We are therefore in agreement on that. There shall be increased control but not more administration.

The increased control should also not prevent the organizations from acting independently, we believe. MUCF, the Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society, has, as the National Audit Office has noted, taken measures to develop the control activities regarding the granting of grants. We continue to have a dialogue with the agencies regarding the tightened control.

In conclusion, the report Democratic conditions for grants to civil society is currently being prepared - several of you here have been involved in the democratic conditions - and the report Right recipient - Review and integrity, where a number of the observations made by the National Audit Office can be found. The Government intends to return regarding the democratic conditions.

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

Amanda Lind (MP)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Roland Utbult, for the speech and for a very fine and vivid example of the enormous importance civil society has for people, not least vulnerable lonely people, all around our country! I appreciate that the member highlights the value of civil society in that way.

I also know from previous debates in this chamber that the Christian Democrats safeguard a strong civil society. I want to emphasize what is stated in the government's communication regarding the importance of a strong and independent civil society and that a purposeful and effective control should not entail an increased administrative burden for civil society.

I will direct my question to Roland Utbult, who represents Kristdemokraterna, who holds the ministerial post when it comes to civil society policy.

As the member said, work is now being done on the democratic conditions. A government bill is being prepared for the Riksdag. In the bill that was submitted to the chamber last time, there were proposals that civil society reacted to and which risked involving an increased administrative burden and a difficulty of implementation for civil society.

Then my question to Roland Utbult is: Is this something that the government has addressed in the upcoming proposition, and can the member guarantee that the proposals they plan to present do not entail an increased administrative burden for civil society?

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

Roland Utbult (KD)

Madam Speaker! I cannot predict exactly what will happen. What the member mentioned is correct. The Government has stated that there shall be increased control but no heavier administration.

We have to see this in a larger perspective, I think, when it comes to the conditions for democracy. That the proposal that existed was recalled, I believe, is because flaws were identified. The member also says that there were some doubts.

What I hear Minister Forssmed saying is that one wants to meet with the civil society organizations so that one gets a good basis for the democratic conditions and can improve them. One saw, in fact, deficiencies in what existed.

I believe the member may be more inclined to describe the negative aspects of the previous proposal because I believe the member may have been involved in some way. But regardless, the government's intention is to create a good basis, so that it works. I understand that it will take time. I may also be a bit impatient in the meeting with the minister, but that it takes time means that it will be reviewed thoroughly.

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

Amanda Lind (MP)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Roland Utbult, for the answer! No, that bill was submitted by the S-government that took office after the Green Party had left the government.

It is important that this issue is monitored, and I hear that it is something the Christian Democrats are working for. I hope that success is achieved in the dialogue with their coalition partners on the Tidö side.

I also want to come to another issue. It has been raised in the debate that there have been a number of very concerning cuts in the support for civil society in various places in the state budget over the recent years. Folkbildningen has seen its grants cut by a third. This concerns the support for peace organizations, consumer associations, and ethnic associations, and also the aid, of course. This is happening in a situation where the need for interventions from civil society is greater than ever.

The Chairman himself addresses the great vulnerability that exists among people. We have involuntary loneliness. We have children and young people who move too little. We have a cultural life that is being impoverished across the entire country. To make these cuts in that situation, I think, naturally, is appalling.

I have heard in this chamber that certain parties, not the member's party but other parties, use these types of audits from the Swedish National Audit Office and others to justify the cuts. This can make me very concerned and sad in a situation where we, as we have said, are in greater need than ever of a strong civil society for a growing population.

I share the view on the proposals that the government now chooses to proceed with regarding how we should tighten the control and follow-up. It is important that we have a robust system, but I do not want to see these reports being used as a reason to make cuts. Can the member promise that Kristdemokraterna will work against that type of cuts on civil society moving forward?

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

Roland Utbult (KD)

Madam Speaker! The Christian Democrats are a deeply democratic party. We safeguard democracy, and we know that civil society is extremely important for maintaining democracy and for strengthening democracy. I hope there is no doubt about that.

When it comes to grants and funding, we unfortunately have to talk about priorities – that is how it is. Every time this comes up, one wishes they had more money for both the right and the left, which they could distribute. But we do not have that. Then one has to prioritize. What is it that is most important in our society right now?

When it comes to the student unions, we have tried to explain to them that healthcare is a very high priority. We prioritize the justice area, not least defense given what is happening, the situation of the elderly and so on. The government makes those priorities. I support this, because when it comes to healthcare, we must try to get more care beds, fewer queues and fewer people in the queue.

My answer is that popular education in the large whole actually receives over 4 billion in total - the folk high schools and study associations. It is a lot of money. The Popular Education Council has also said that the money that the study associations receive is actually supposed to be enough for them to manage the situation because it is quite solid.

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

Carl Nordblom (M)

Madam Speaker! I and the Moderates, just like the government, welcome the Swedish National Audit Office's review and agree with its content. It is problematic that there are and have been such large deficiencies in the granting of grants to civil society. The previous attitude that the granting should be based solely on trust feels a bit naive in hindsight.

Trust is of course something fine and good, but when it comes to the tax money of the bus driver, the nurse, the sole trader, or the teacher, I would prefer accuracy and control. Because that is exactly what this is about. Hard-working wage earners in Sweden have a high degree of willingness to pay tax. This is good, but it must also be protected. It must be protected by ensuring that the tax money is handled efficiently with respect and goes to the purposes for which it is intended.

Madam Speaker! Unfortunately, a majority of reviews and reports, not least the one we are debating here today, show that is not the case. Positively, however, I think, is that almost all the parties in the Riksdag want to move in the same direction to tackle these problems.

The Moderates and the government view positively the proposals for measures that the Swedish National Audit Office highlights in its report: a central database, national support functions to prevent abuse and extremism, to give mandates to granting authorities to develop and strengthen their control, and to give mandates to granting authorities to improve the recipients' opportunities to meet the grant requirements.

Some of the proposals must be investigated and analyzed while other measures are already underway. Among other things, we can read in the budget bill that the Crime Prevention Council has received funds to establish a central support function to prevent money from going to extremism or criminal movements.

In addition to this, two of the auditing authorities have also been tasked by the government to strengthen the control of the payments and to increase the possibility for the recipients to live up to the requirements. The government is also now processing the proposals that have been received from Statskontoret as a result of the report Correct payments of state support to companies and other legal entities. The government has also announced that the bill with new democratic conditions will be presented in the near future.

The Government is driving and will continue to drive increased accuracy and control within the granting of subsidies. It is also positive that, with reservation for certain differences of opinion, there is a large consensus among all parties on these issues and on how we work forward to tackle these problems.

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

Azadeh Rojhan (S)

Madam Speaker! I thank Carl Nordblom for the speech. I think it is important to ask the Moderaterna the same question that another member asked here earlier. There is a lot of talk about control and about transparency. We Social Democrats demand the same in this area in order to protect civil society. But I wonder: Do the Moderaterna have the same attitude toward control and the need for control in other areas beyond civil society, or do you mean that civil society is the only problematic area we have and that needs this particular control?

Within the welfare sector, where there are companies exploiting tax funds, you see no problems. The hard-working people, as Carl Nordblom himself referred to, see that their tax funds disappear to dubious companies abroad and to extremism through the exploitation of the school system and so on. Is civil society particularly affected, do Carl Nordblom and the Moderaterna believe?

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

Carl Nordblom (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Azadeh Rojhan for the question. Every wasted tax krona is a theft from the people. That is the case in all areas of society.

Regarding the examples that the member highlights, I share the member's view on those issues. The Government has, among other things, introduced a payment authority precisely to tackle the problems that exist within welfare crime.

It is for the sake of civil society, which I believe the member said, that we must increase the accuracy and control and hold accountable those few individuals and organizations in civil society that do not behave. There are few bad examples, but they create a lack of trust for civil society as a whole. That is, at least, not what I want.

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

Azadeh Rojhan (S)

Madam Speaker! Then I ask: Why are the democratic conditions not in place? When we have a finished proposal that can enter into force and become legislation, why is it then withdrawn? Today we are left without the guidelines and frameworks that would have been needed to tackle the problems that we see within civil society.

I hope that one day we stand here and discuss proposals from the M-led government that also regulate fraud within the welfare sector, that we see that one is equally tough on those actors within the welfare sector who exploit the school system and the healthcare system - criminals who are given the opportunity to launder their money through this activity which we otherwise should trust and where Swedish tax funds should be used for the right purpose.

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

Carl Nordblom (M)

Madam Speaker! I truly welcome the Social Democrats' commitment to these issues. The democratic conditions, I believe, Azadeh Rojhan and I stood here and discussed about a year ago.

The democratic conditions that the previous S-government presented a month before the 2022 election were - as we heard from previous debaters - not anchored in civil society. They were not sufficiently anchored in the Riksdag to even gain a majority and be able to pass.

Madam Speaker! I think it is good that this government took back the democratic conditions that were on the table. They are being carefully reworked so that they both have an anchoring in society and in civil society and have support here in the Riksdag where they are to be voted through.

Like Azadeh Rojhan, I am very much looking forward to these democratic conditions being in place so that they can begin to take effect, because we see both problems.

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(A decision was to be taken on 14 March.)

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