The Prime Minister's Question Time

Lena Hallengren (S)

Mr. Speaker! We find ourselves in a time of continued economic crisis, now additionally with a likely trade war, which affects Sweden and households. Many families have for a long time struggled with skyrocketing food prices and ever-increasing housing costs. In all our neighboring countries, the state has stepped in and financially supported families with children in the cost crisis. The result of the Prime Minister and the government in Sweden not choosing to prioritize families with children is increased inequalities, a Sweden that is drifting apart, and now the highest child poverty in the Nordic region. It is nothing less than a scandal.

Yesterday, on April 9, the organization Makalösa Föräldrar also hosted a porridge lunch here outside the Riksdag. They did so to protest against the fact that the Sverigedemokraterna and the government are phasing out the enhanced housing supplement from July 1. I do not know if the Prime Minister was there and explained why the abolition of the enhanced housing supplement is an important decision; probably there is no one else who knows it better.

I was there. I met Caroline Öberg. She is a single mother living in Flen with three children. She works and tries to make everything work. She is already struggling, but with the government's budget proposal, she will lose an additional 1,000 kronor a month. For her, and for many others, this is a real catastrophe.

The enhanced housing supplement is paid out to approximately 100,000 families with children. For many, it is the lifeline that allows them to put food on the table. It is a supplement for those who have a low income that does not cover housing costs or other living expenses. Removing the enhanced housing supplement is a blow to single mothers like Caroline.

My questions to the Prime Minister are: What is the justification for phasing out the enhanced housing supplement, and what else are Caroline and other single parents expected to save on? Already today, one in three single parents foregoes meals so that the children can eat until they are full.

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

Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! I will begin with the complicated customs issue and the trade issues, which are now at a critical point. New reports are coming in almost every hour, or at least every day. We have just gathered the entire Swedish export industry – that is, trade unions, industry organizations, and individual companies, which to a very large extent are exposed to competition in international trade – and discussed what Sweden and the EU are now doing to minimize the risk of a broader trade war between Europe and the USA. It is already a fact that the USA and China are in that situation. Yesterday, a at least temporarily pleasing announcement came that it looks like there are possibilities for negotiations between the EU and the USA.

Free trade is a core Swedish interest. We differ on many different political issues, but the issue of free trade unites Swedish parties, the Swedish labor market, and Swedish industries. It is incredibly important. I want to say this, because it affects the Swedish economy very much – 54 percent of GDP is based on exports.

The great task we had was to bring down inflation. It was inflation that pushed many Swedish households into very small margins. Furthermore, inflation makes it difficult to act with fiscal policy, so it was an important Swedish task to bring down inflation. We have succeeded with that task. However, that does not mean that things have become cheap, but it means that things stop becoming even more expensive over time. It was, in any case, very important.

We have good public finances in Sweden. That means we can act when it is needed. It does not mean that one can give everything to everyone. One cannot have high subsidies that remain so for a very long time. Temporary measures must be temporary. We do, however, have the potential to act if things were to become worse than they are right now. For today, the most important task is to ensure that inflation is fought and that we can use the strength of Swedish fiscal policy.

(Applause)

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

Lena Hallengren (S)

Mr. Speaker! One could hardly get further from the question. I therefore ask the Prime Minister once again: What is the justification for phasing out the enhanced housing supplement, which is currently a lifeline for Caroline Öberg and 100,000 other single mothers and families with children? It is this that makes the finances work. Many already have a deficit, and this pushes them over the edge. I would like to have an answer to that question, and I know that Caroline Öberg and several others are at least as curious.

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

Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! I took Lena Hallengren on her word. The question began with the risk of trade wars and tariffs and those kinds of questions. It affects the Swedish economy very much. It risks driving up inflation again and driving down the economy again. This requires that we have a readiness to negotiate if something happens. If we in general had used the good Swedish public finances to say yes to all subsidy increases all the time, as some want, we would not have had good public finances.

We will return with the complete spring budget in just a few days. At that point, the whole will be revealed. That is important.

A very important thing in this year's budget was that we lowered the taxes on work income for very many people. It increases the margins for those people who have been most affected by high inflation, namely those who do not have benefit incomes that follow the inflation upwards. Now it is time for the wage earners in Sweden to have it better than they have had it previously.

(Applause)

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

Jimmie Åkesson (SD)

Mr. Speaker! I noted that the Prime Minister said that the government has lowered labor incomes. I want to clarify that he meant the tax on labor incomes.

Yesterday, I debated with Magdalena Andersson in SVT's Aktuellt. There, she claimed that the government's policy has led to that thousands fewer are working in Swedish healthcare. I questioned that claim. My view is that it is a false statement. When I asked Magdalena Andersson to state where she had obtained these figures, she referred, among other things, to Region Skåne. There, it turns out, one has instead had a net increase in healthcare personnel over the last 26 months – 656 more nurses, 156 more doctors with specialist competence, 263 more assistant nurses, and 58 more psychologists. This can therefore be considered a least-said bad example to support the claim that thousands fewer are working in Swedish healthcare.

Mr. Speaker! Exactly it was this that Magdalena Andersson claimed: that the government's policy has led to that thousands fewer are working in Swedish healthcare.

My direct question to the Prime Minister is: Is this statement correct?

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

Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! I appreciate the correction. Sometimes a missing word can have some significance. We lowered the tax on earned income, not the earned income itself. I appreciate that you are listening better than I managed to formulate myself.

I did not see this famous debate yesterday. But I have heard about it, and what I have heard evokes both some surprise and a number of questions. That one thinks differently in politics is one thing. But that one provides completely different figures on how reality looks is something else, and it diminishes the possibility of having a sensible debate about what one wants to achieve.

There were strong reasons when we agreed a year ago to provide large supplements to the country's regions to avoid them ending up in a situation where they would need to lay off staff within healthcare due to temporary expenditure increases caused by high inflation. This is what we did then, and my view here afterwards is that it has worked well. The money reached its destination, was used in the right way, and absolutely limited these risks.

As I said, I did not see the debate yesterday and have no exact figures on this. But that thousands have been laid off is simply incorrect. I think someone should produce the exact figures, and I understood that there was also an interest in getting these out on TV yesterday. In that way, we can have a serious discussion about exactly what happened, what the money achieved, and what needs may continue to exist in the future.

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Jimmie Åkesson (SD)

Mr. Speaker! This was a detail, but it is quite serious when leading politicians mislead with dubious or perhaps even directly incorrect statements in the debate.

Next year is the election, and I wonder if the Prime Minister would like to reflect a bit on what we need to do and can do to guarantee an election campaign where voters are not exposed to misleading or directly false information.

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Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! This is a major issue and a discussion that is ongoing in quite many countries right now. In the European Council, we have several times discussed how we ensure that democracies have democratic elections and are neither subjected to international pressure nor, in an unnecessary way, themselves contribute to a kind of flattening of the climate for debate.

My view is that two things are required. For the first, a very careful monitoring of the risk of foreign influence into the election campaigns of European democracies is required. There are many who are on this issue, and it concerns both intentional disinformation and the rapid spreading of incorrect information via social media. This is serious.

Secondly, we must ourselves ensure a decent tone in the debate as far as possible, try to discuss real facts and not spread inaccuracies. This task cannot be delegated to anyone else; here, one must constantly look at oneself in the mirror.

I think yesterday's discussion was a good example of why one should examine the facts thoroughly.

(Applause)

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Samuel Gonzalez Westling (V)

Mr. Speaker! The global situation is worrying. The USA has a president whose unpredictability creates great uncertainty throughout the world. People see their savings go up in smoke as the stock market goes yo-yo, which causes concern.

Even in Sweden, the problems are accumulating, and it is not only due to external factors. Food prices are incredibly high, and many people go hungry. One in three single mothers goes hungry so that the children can eat their fill. I have personally been told this by mothers.

The tax cuts the government has implemented primarily benefit the highest earners, including the Prime Minister himself. A mail carrier or an assistant nurse might perhaps afford one or two extra packs of coffee a month with the tax cut they have received.

A few weeks ago, the government invited the food giants for talks, and according to the CEO of Ica, who was present, the government did not place any requirements on them at all. When I asked the Minister for Rural Affairs, he also said that the government did not place any requirements at all.

Vänsterpartiet has presented a number of different proposals to strengthen competition in the food market. Now I ask the Prime Minister: What does the Prime Minister intend to do? What is the government's plan?

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

Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! Let me first acknowledge that these are enormously turbulent times in the world. We have Russia's war against Ukraine, and I often say that how this war ends will affect security in our part of the world for a generation to come. To this, we add all the uncertainties within trade policy and the risk of trade wars in more places.

In Sweden, there is a genuine Team Sweden. We stand together for Ukraine, and the vast majority of us stand for free trade. This is incredibly valuable.

If we disagree on other things, for example tax cuts. Some would prefer to raise the tax, while the government is careful to lower the tax for those who work so that they get more money in their pockets. We have done this a couple of times, and it has compensated for some of the high inflation. Wage earners get no automatic compensation in the case of high inflation, while the benefit systems are often linked to inflation. It was the wage earners' time now, which was incredibly important.

Sweden has a number of industries where competition is weaker than in other industries. The food industry is one such industry. Matpriskollen makes very large efforts, and their message to consumers is: Be more disloyal! Go and shop where it is cheap! Pressure the stores for lower prices!

Politics does not interfere in the pricing of individual stores, and it should not do so in a country like ours. In the countries that have tried this, the results have been poor. But consumers are important, and the food strategy is important. It is also important to increase competition in Sweden. Therefore, the government marks that we consider these to be important issues, but we do not step in and set the price of individual products. Ultimately, it is the consumers who have and shall have the power, but we can increase the incentives for competition in Sweden.

(Applause)

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

Samuel Gonzalez Westling (V)

Mr. Speaker! I do not think the Prime Minister heard my question. I said that the Left Party has presented a number of different proposals to strengthen competition within the food industry, and the Prime Minister answers that it is the consumers themselves who should solve this by going and shopping somewhere else. Where is one supposed to go and shop when almost all stores are owned by three companies? They have an oligopoly, which is almost the same thing as a monopoly.

I am asking again because I did not receive any answer. The Prime Minister said that the government wants to strengthen competition, but what concrete proposals for this are being presented? I heard nothing about it, so can I get an answer from the Prime Minister to my question?

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

Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! Ultimately, it is about which companies set up and sell food. It is enough to look at my own hometown, Strängnäs. There are several alternatives to the big food giants. It works perfectly well to go and shop at cheaper places. I think Matpriskollen has an important point. We tend to be very conservative in our choices of grocery stores. Competition would increase if one went and bought where it was cheapest more often. That is one way.

Local politicians can be generous by creating the conditions to start new shops. Just by using their planning monopoly, they can increase the opportunities for competition. That is one more way. Ensuring that Swedish food production is generally competitive is also a way to increase competition in the entire industry. There are many ways to do that.

What you always imply, Samuel Gonzalez Westling, is that someone will go in and make price regulations. That is always what comes back, but it doesn't work. Time and again, the same thing has come back.

(Applause)

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Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist (C)

Mr. Speaker! Sweden works when Sweden is at its best, the Prime Minister's youth organization shouts. The Centre Party agrees. But unfortunately, half a million Swedes have no job to go to, and the number of unemployed has increased by 105,000 since the Tidö government took office. This is happening at the same time as the economic and political developments in the world shift from day to day.

In this situation, it is therefore important that the government acts powerfully to otherwise remove obstacles that prevent Swedish companies from growing and hiring, and focuses on a policy that lowers costs for small and growing companies.

Unfortunately, the government is doing the opposite. Since the government took office, employer contributions have increased by over 10 billion kronor. This means that a café with three young employees pays 100,000 kronor more in tax today than they did before the Tidö government took office.

I wonder if the Prime Minister is prepared to listen to the youth organization's song "Sverige jobbar" and lower the costs for companies that want to hire so that more companies will want to grow so that more people have a job to go to. Sweden is at its best when Sweden works.

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

Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! That this government likes that Sweden works and would like to see even more people working is, I believe, quite well known. That is why we, among other things, advocate for a tax policy that systematically encourages people to take an extra work shift when needed and keep a little more money in their pockets.

Swedish unemployment is quite divided. One part concerns what we call structural unemployment, which is long-term and is based on reasons that have nothing to do with the economic cycle. It is largely about immigration, poor integration, poor language skills, and poor other skills. Unemployment is three times as high among those foreign-born in Sweden as among those domestic-born, and it is four times as high in areas of exclusion. This is a long-term integration and immigration failure that primarily must be solved by not building on it further but by teaching people Swedish.

The second point concerns the economy, and there the government returns in our bill with economic stimuli to counter unemployment.

(Applause)

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Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist (C)

Mr. Speaker! I understand that there are many economic stimulus measures to be made, and there is much talk about more Swedish. But I want to go back to the question: How is it that a government that wants people to get jobs and that believes it is the companies that create jobs chooses to make it more expensive for the companies to hire?

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Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! With all due respect: the Centre Party always returns to the employer contributions for young people. To be honest, it is about much broader issues when it comes to who employs in Sweden.

Even if I were to accept this, I have a counter-question, because fundamentally I am in favor of lowering all taxes that can be lowered without it having serious other consequences: With whom on the left side would you in Centerpartiet have any chance at all of lowering the costs for Swedish small businesses?

(Applause)

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Malte Tängmark Roos (MP)

Mr. Speaker! Yesterday I met the organization Makalösa Föräldrar, which hosted a porridge lunch here outside the Riksdag building. One of the parents, a single mother with a permanent employment contract, told me that she had stopped eating breakfast and only eats eggs for dinner in order to ensure that her son gets proper food. Despite this, she is in deficit every month by 4,000 kronor. An average member of Makalösa Föräldrar has two children, earns 25,000 kronor a month and is in deficit by more than 3,000 kronor every month.

In the summer, the government is removing the temporary housing allowance, and then an additional amount between a couple of hundred kronor and over 1,000 kronor every month will disappear for Sweden's most vulnerable families with children.

My question to the Prime Minister is: What concrete measures will the government implement to help the families with children in Sweden who have low incomes?

In this speech, Jacob Risberg (MP) agreed.

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

Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! As I said, the government returns in our bill with the overall policy in this area, but it is well known that we take some basic facts with us. The first is that we inherited a 10 percent inflation from the previous government – 10 percent! To stop that development was the most important thing we could do also for all the country's families with children. Otherwise, everything would continue to become more expensive all the time.

We had difficulty using the strength in the Swedish public finances because of the risk of fueling inflation. Now we have won that battle, at least for now. But now there are new risks internationally that can fuel inflation again. Combating inflation is the most important thing we can do.

We are lowering the tax for those who work so that those who previously have not received compensation for inflation now get a chance to increase their purchasing power. That is what the government is doing.

(Applause)

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

Malte Tängmark Roos (MP)

Mr. Speaker! The job tax credit provides approximately one hundred kronor more per month for a nanny, while the temporary housing allowance, which is now disappearing, could provide more than a thousand kronor per month to the same parent. That discrepancy is crucial for very many parents.

I wonder: How is the government going to compensate the families with children who lose a crucial income in the form of the supplementary allowance?

(Applause)

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Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! As I said, we will return to the overall picture of the economic policy in our government bill. That is how it works in Sweden. Then one will see the whole.

On the other hand, it is quite obvious that temporary reinforcements are sometimes introduced for various reasons. In those cases, one must also dare to stand by the fact that it was a temporary reinforcement for a limited period and that it will cease. One returns to ordinary politics – work, reasonable taxation, education, and all those things that enable people to stand on their own feet. That is the most important effort.

(Applause)

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Joanna Lewerentz (M)

Mr. Speaker! The Prime Minister has previously described Stockholm as the Social Democrats' shop window. Our Stockholm can do better, it was stated in their election manifesto for 2022. Perhaps that was what many hoped for when the Social Democrats took power in both the City Hall and the region after the last election. But what is happening now is that the legs are being cut out from women's healthcare, cuts are being made to public transport, and the number of security guards is being reduced.

Above all, we see how the Social Democrats, in economically tough times, after a long period of inflation and now great uncertainty on the global markets, hit households' wallets hard with increased taxes. I wonder therefore: How do the Prime Minister and the government view the economic policy being conducted in Stockholm right now?

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Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! First, I just want, to avoid any misunderstanding, to say that I really like Stockholm. I do live in Strängnäs, but I have lived in Stockholm for a long time and may live here again.

I have worked intensively with politics in Stockholm with the very toughest social problems that a large city has. I like Stockholm, but I am concerned about the politics being pursued right now because it counteracts the politics that we are trying to pursue nationally. It concerns the economy, without a doubt. When we lowered the tax for those who work to compensate for the high inflation, Stockholm raised the tax and counteracts this, in the city that is perhaps the most expensive to live in in Sweden. It is not good politics.

When we hire more police officers, Stockholm reduces the number of security guards, which counteracts that policy.

When we want to shorten the queues, Stockholm removes various health centers and various healthcare choices. It is also bad politics.

Stockholm has the right to make decisions itself, but it would have been better if Stockholm cooperated with the policy that we pursue nationally.

(Applause)

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Camilla Brodin (KD)

Mr. Speaker! The need for a strong total defense has become increasingly urgent.

We Christian Democrats believe that defense capability is not solely about military resources, but about building a strong sense of community where our citizens, regardless of background, feel involved in defending our country, our values, and our way of life.

We Christian Democrats have now proposed reforms to strengthen the sense of solidarity through expanded civil duty, the introduction of a civil home guard, and recurring general exercises in every civil defense unit – a combination of measures that we believe can rebuild the Swedish people's sense of shared responsibility in society-critical functions in times of war and crisis.

How does the Prime Minister view the connection between social cohesion and the will to defend? What role does civil society play in building up a broader national resilience?

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Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! That was perhaps a so-called leading question.

I am positive about this. I believe it is important. Not least, Ukraine teaches us that strong cohesion, a democracy worth fighting for and a country worth fighting for – even if everything is not perfect; it is not in any country – is fundamental for the population's will to make sacrifices.

Conscription is important so that young boys and girls will feel that it is worth making the personal sacrifice of doing things with a weapon in hand.

Civil duty is important. There are reasons why we have a Minister for Civil Defence for the first time since, in principle, the days of the Second World War. He takes civil defence issues very seriously.

We are reactivating the civil obligation. We are doing it step by step with rescue services, electricity supply and those kinds of things.

All of this is intended to show that one can in different ways be of great use to one's country, but it is based on being prepared to sacrifice a bit of one's own personal convenience for the country's sake.

(Applause)

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Lina Nordquist (L)

Mr. Speaker! Honor-related violence and oppression is a serious equality issue and also one of the darkest crimes of our time. It often involves multiple perpetrators. Both men and women support these isolating, controlling, and threatening situations and many times the violence, and it continues year after year against the same people.

The fight for these individuals must be waged persistently and stubbornly. In this case, the own family is no protection and no support away from the violence. They are perpetrators themselves – parents, siblings and large parts of the kin commit these crimes time and again instead of helping. It is a systematic collective wickedness, frankly put.

My question to the Prime Minister is: How is the government working to combat and prevent honor-related violence and oppression?

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Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! The answer is that we do it in many ways.

Those who watched or listened to Fadimedagarna just a few months ago received a fairly good description of everything we do, including considering it as a separate part of the equality policy.

Everything that is mentioned here is what makes honor crimes so special. There is a broader context. Others help in the crime. One normalizes the crimes against the crime victim.

We mentioned Stockholm just now. I worked with the difficult social problems in Stockholm as a social welfare councillor in the early 2000s. At that time, it was controversial to even talk about honor crimes. They don't exist, some said. It was just a part of men's violence against women, nothing else.

Today we have a much more sober view on honor crimes. They exist in reality and must be combated in a special way that requires special competence. I perceive that the commitment to combating honor crimes is much greater today, and there are many different areas of society where we have made quite large reforms to combat honor crimes.

(Applause)

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Dzenan Cisija (S)

Mr. Speaker! Food prices and rents are rising. At the same time, the stock market fall is affecting Swedes' savings. Families with children, especially single parents, are hit hardest. A report from Majblomman and the Red Cross shows how serious the situation is for many children.

Despite this, the government has not increased the child allowance, something we Social Democrats have long proposed.

Now the media are reporting that the Sweden Democrats stopped an increase in the budget negotiations, apparently for racist reasons.

I understand that the Prime Minister cannot comment on negotiations. But can the Prime Minister answer whether the child allowance will be increased? If not, why? Does the Prime Minister not understand how difficult it is for families with children?

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Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! It would have been appropriate if some of those who are now so incredibly concerned about this situation had been equally concerned when the other side was in power and there was more than 10 percent inflation. Back then, I heard nothing about this.

Now we have fought inflation, the worst enemy of families with children and wage earners. We have brought down inflation, in any case now. Now we see new risks on the international horizon. Then we are prepared to act again.

Bringing down inflation so that we can use the strength of the Swedish public finances was the absolute best and most important economic-political measure we could make. I have not quite heard the thanks that the policy has earned.

Now we can lower the tax for those who work. We stand ready to act powerfully if the economy deteriorates further and inflation shoots up further. But right now, bringing down inflation and lower tax on work is the best we can do for hard-working families with children.

(Applause)

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Mattias Karlsson (SD)

Mr. Speaker! This year we celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jewish life in Sweden. This milestone year has however been marked by a note of sorrow as we have been forced to witness a sharp increase in antisemitism in the country recently.

There is a multitude of different arguments for why a large part of the increasing antisemitism stems from certain groups of relatively newly arrived migrants and that it often has Islamist characteristics.

The Sweden Democrats naturally consider it completely unacceptable that foreigners abuse our hospitality by spreading hate and threats against Swedish citizens of Jewish descent. It is obvious that we need more tools to combat this.

The so-called "vandals investigation" was recently presented. In it, there are proposals that, for example, could make it easier to reject and deport foreigners who show public support for, for example, anti-Semitic terrorist groups.

Does the Prime Minister share our view that the integrity investigation contains proposals that could be effective tools to combat antisemitism, and will the Prime Minister, in that case, endorse and codify these proposals?

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Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! We must be a bit precise and divide it into two.

That we are now celebrating 250 years of Jewish life is a way of saying that we are celebrating life. We are not only highlighting all the threats that have existed against Jews. Jewish life is important in itself and contributes to Sweden in many different ways. That is what we want to highlight, completely regardless of the threats that have existed and continue to exist against Jews. I think it is important to say.

The second thing is that it is well known that we have constant problems with antisemitism. The classic ones are usually neo-Nazism, left-wing extremism, and Islamism. Now, it is also people who have been raised and grown up with a hatred towards the state of Israel and therefore express themselves and act antisemitically in this regard.

We have also seen carelessness or atrocities in Swedish politics quite recently that are completely unacceptable.

I do not intend to go into how one should interpret new legislation. But it is clear that if one breaks Swedish law and expresses themselves in a hateful and threatening manner, one does not want to live in a country with Swedish tolerance, and then one should not be here at all.

(Applause)

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Jessica Wetterling (V)

Mr. Speaker! Today it has been 14 days – that is two weeks – since the Swedish journalist Joakim Medin was deprived of his liberty in Turkey. This has received a great deal of attention and caused concern. I am convinced that we in this chamber share this concern. Many are deeply concerned and are thinking of him and his family in this sensitive situation.

I know that the government prioritizes getting Joakim Medin home, but how long does the Prime Minister think it will take until Joakim gets to come home? How has Turkey responded to the demands that have been made from the Swedish side?

In this speech, Samuel Gonzalez Westling (V) agreed.

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Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! I want to first say something that I believe everyone fundamentally understands: In such situations, one cannot tell everything that is being done. It is important to say that.

We take this very seriously and have done so from the very first day. We make major efforts all the time and maintain a close dialogue with those who are most affected by this. However, it is not possible to discuss all these matters publicly.

Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said the other day that it was an important step that we received consular access, as it is called. The Swedish Consul General in Istanbul received access. Joakim Medin is also meeting his lawyer. Those kinds of fundamental things are in place.

Maria Malmer Stenergard has also stated that she has contacts at a very high political level regarding this. This is, however, very difficult. There is no doubt about it. He is accused of crimes that are serious in Turkish legislation – even though we do not share that view at all.

Furthermore, this occurs at a time when there are serious question marks regarding how Turkey acts concerning the rule of law. It is a difficult situation, but we do everything in our power.

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Jonny Cato (C)

Mr. Speaker! The situation on the Swedish labor market is extremely serious. Unemployment is heading in the wrong direction. At the same time, companies cannot find the competence they are looking for. There is an enormous skills gap on the Swedish labor market.

At the same time, there are the companies' needs here and now. The companies will for a long time need labor from outside Europe. The companies' concern regarding the wage floor that the government has signaled at 35,600 kronor is palpable. This would be a hard blow to the country's job creators and the country's entrepreneurs.

My question to the Prime Minister is whether the government is willing to listen to Svenskt Näringsliv, the country's job creators and the country's entrepreneurs and withdraw the proposal for a wage floor of 100 percent of the median wage.

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

Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! It is somewhat difficult to take the C's concern fully seriously when they themselves have contributed to such large-scale immigration to Sweden of people who do not have the necessary skills. Unemployment in Sweden is to a very large extent a result of an immigration policy where people who lack the right skills, education, and language skills do not get jobs on the Swedish labor market.

If you had been a bit more self-critical, it would have increased your credibility now that you are so concerned about Swedish unemployment. This is to a large extent a structural unemployment that is about far too much immigration and far too poor integration.

This government is for highly specialized labor immigration that can provide Swedish industry with the competence that is needed. We are against that we should continue to take people without education and language skills to Sweden for those types of jobs where there are already many people in Sweden who could take those jobs.

If you stand for that policy, the chance of solving these problems increases.

(Applause)

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

Mats Berglund (MP)

Mr. Speaker! I have had the privilege of meeting the Ukrainian artist Gamlet Zinkivskyi here in the Riksdag. He has been tasked by his military commanders to continue his artistic work instead of contributing weapons to the Ukrainian army and the Ukrainian defense.

My many other contacts with Ukraine confirm the picture of how incredibly important the living cultural life is for Ukraine right now – for the total defense and for the Ukrainian people. Performances are sold out, and the enemy knows it. They are directing their weapons against the infrastructure of the cultural life.

In Sweden, the armed defense is growing at a rapid pace. The total defense is keeping up to some extent, but cultural life is retreating significantly in the Tidö government's budgets.

Some resources are allocated to the preservation of cultural heritage, and that is very good. My question to the Prime Minister is: Has the government really still not understood how significant the living cultural life is in the total defense?

(Applause)

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

Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! I appreciate this perspective. I believe that both the living cultural life and the protection of cultural heritage are very important parts of a country's cohesion. Unfortunately, we are learning a great deal from Ukraine now in all possible different areas.

If we are to be serious, almost all social issues are in some way linked to our defense. It concerns the will and the ability to defend the country, and to take the obvious for granted, it concerns children being in safe schools when serious things happen in the world. All of this is connected.

I do not, however, think that we have anything to be ashamed of in this. Every individual budget is naturally a prioritization between different things, but Sweden has a fantastic cultural life in so many ways. To defend and safeguard that cultural life is absolutely an important part of the overall total defense task.

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

Mats Sander (M)

Mr. Speaker! The Prime Minister and I are of the same age and sometimes belong to the generation called seniors – even though we both want to and can continue to contribute, right?

When seniors are discussed, it is often about care, nursing, and costs. The chance of being called to a job interview after 50 decreases, despite the fact that companies and organizations are crying out for the competence we actually possess.

When housing and activities are targeted at 60plus, and sometimes at 55-plus, the image is reinforced that age is associated with passivity.

Mr. Speaker! I wonder how the Prime Minister views the role of seniors in working life, in civil society, and as a continued force in Sweden to take advantage of experience and commitment.

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

Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! This is both a political issue and a more universal human issue about how we treat one another. I note that the term senior can now mean that one is really old, that one is older than others, or that one has a particularly valuable experience that is valued extra highly – senior advisors, senior consultants, and all sorts of things. There is, therefore, a breadth in the interpretations of this.

I absolutely share the view that this is a problem that is perhaps extra common in countries that are very modernly oriented, so to speak, and always looking for the latest. One always thinks that younger is better than older.

This sometimes creates conditions for younger people to try their wings, but it can also sort out older people with experience. I think that right now it is a fairly well-noticed problem that both companies, trade unions, families and civil society have reason to think a lot about.

Politics is now slowly but surely pushing forward the retirement age as we live longer and longer. It is a crystal-clear signal that one can be of use much longer in Swedish working life.

(Applause)

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

Mikael Oscarsson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! New research on Raoul Wallenberg shows, in contradiction to previous investigations, that Sweden's lack of action after his disappearance in 1945 was due to the fact that he was deliberately abandoned. Already in 1946, the Swedish government prioritized a billion-credit loan to the Soviet Union and simultaneously formally requested that Wallenberg be declared dead. This was done despite there being clear indications that he was alive in a Soviet prison.

Furthermore, crucial information in the matter has been withheld for decades. Cipherfax has been classified and so on. The questions that Raoul Wallenberg's relatives have asked have been ignored.

Sweden's most renowned diplomat, who saved tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust, naturally deserves for this to be clarified.

Wallenberg's relatives are now demanding that all archives be opened and that an independent investigation be appointed. It concerns thousands of pages that are, among other places, at UD. Is the Prime Minister prepared to act, to give an affirmative answer and open all Swedish archives regarding Raoul Wallenberg that exist?

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

Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! I do not intend to be a judge in these very difficult questions. However, it is very good that it is being written, researched, and revealed. Sweden as a country has strong reasons to practice self-criticism regarding how we acted at that time. Without being a historian myself, I think it is completely obvious.

Then there was the question of classified pages. I suggest a more detailed discussion with the Foreign Minister and the UD regarding this. The picture I myself have received is that 170,000 pages have been made public. The secrecy review covers 65 folders. This alone says something.

There are now 230 pages containing information about individual persons that have not yet been made public. All the information that is relevant to the work itself regarding what happened to Raoul Wallenberg has been made public. That is the best knowledge I have right now. But I suggest that the matter be discussed further with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

(Applause)

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

Jamal El-Haj (-)

Mr. Speaker! When innocent children are murdered in Gaza, our common humanity dies at the same time. Every lost life in this tragedy is not only a loss for those affected but for all of us. The world we once knew has lost its innocence. We face a future where our collective conscience is shaken to its core. We can no longer turn a blind eye to what is happening; instead, we must stand up for justice and humanity.

We are witnessing the most brutal ethnic cleansing and genocide in modern times while the government sends its Foreign Minister to Israel, which is perceived as legitimate support and diplomatic approval. Was it really appropriate or even necessary, Prime Minister, to send Sweden's Foreign Minister to Israel during an ongoing genocide?

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

Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! One can mislead in different ways. One can say things that are not true, or one can withhold important parts of the truth so that they no longer appear to be true.

The Foreign Minister therefore traveled to Israel and to Palestine to discuss with both sides whether we can in some way contribute further to achieving peace, a two-state solution, the release of hostages, and the resumption of humanitarian access. All of this was discussed by Maria Malmer Stenergard with her counterparts. This is exactly what we say within the EU system.

Why does one say that she went to Israel if one knows that she went to both Israel and Palestine?

(Applause)

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

Adrian Magnusson (S)

Mr. Speaker! Donald Trump's trade policy and tariff policy affect Sweden. I believe that the vast majority in this chamber agree on that. And this is happening in a time of high unemployment in Sweden. In my home region of Skåne, there is mass unemployment.

The American tariff policy risks Swedish jobs. Companies like Volvo are already announcing now that they intend to move their production from Sweden. Many other companies announce that they will face significant difficulties with the American tariffs, and the Finance Minister has said that this will affect Swedish growth negatively.

The Prime Minister himself has said that the tariffs are bad. They undoubtedly are. But more than words are required; action is also required, given the situation.

What is the government doing to secure Swedish jobs and prevent high unemployment in Sweden from becoming even higher?

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

Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! I come directly from a meeting that the government has had with the parties in the labor market, industry organizations and companies that are specifically knowledgeable and focused on Swedish export industry. They know everything about why tariffs are bad.

We agreed on a large number of things. Perhaps the most important is that Sweden as a country stands up for free trade. Free trade is a core Swedish interest. We may disagree on many other things regarding the labor market and in politics, but for free trade, it is Team Sweden that counts.

We were also in complete agreement about doing everything we can to return to the negotiating table with the USA, to respond clearly from the EU's side but not to escalate the conflict into a trade war. We do not want Europe and the USA to end up where the USA and China find themselves right now.

Now a window has opened. In the best-case scenario, it leads to negotiations between the EU and the USA regarding lower tariffs. We do not guarantee any success, but that is what the government is occupied with right now.

(Applause)

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

Ludvig Aspling (SD)

Mr. Speaker! According to the propulsion investigation's standard calculation, a family with four children where no one in the household works receives approximately 40,000 kronor net in benefits every month. Families with more children receive significantly more than that.

The fact that grant recipients lift sums of money that exceed the salary of an ST-doctor removes all incentives to obtain one's own income. During the mandate period, I have socialized enough with Moderates to understand that this perhaps also conflicts with something called the work principle. The Prime Minister probably knows more about this than I do.

I therefore wonder if the Prime Minister is willing to move forward with the commission's proposal regarding a clear ceiling for grants without pre-determining the level of the ceiling itself.

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

Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! I have devoted many years of my political life to Swedish welfare policy, and I am enamored with the foundations of Swedish welfare policy: a general policy.

We use tax revenue to provide such things to everyone who should have access to them, that is, healthcare, school, and care. The benefits are for returning to work. Everyone can end up in a situation where they cannot work, and in that case, they should not be left stranded. The benefit is intended to help you back into self-sufficiency.

There are some fundamental problems right now. The collective benefit system is not designed for people to live on benefits for a very long time. It is not designed so that one can stack different benefits on top of each other and reach income levels that no ordinary job can compete with. That was the reason why we appointed an inquiry into benefit caps, regarding gradually entering the Swedish welfare benefits so that one does not receive everything from day one in Sweden.

Now we are to receive the investigations and see what we shall do with them. The ambition to solve the problems remains absolutely firm.

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

Isabell Mixter (V)

Mr. Speaker! According to reports in the media, the position of new national security advisor will not be advertised. The person will be handpicked for this position, which is also non-political. Probably no one in Sweden has missed the scandals that the previous national security advisor Landerholm has caused us. A preliminary investigation is now underway, and charges have been filed.

The Prime Minister has previously informed the Riksdag that he expects a rapid recruitment process for the new national security adviser.

It is important that the government and the Prime Minister have learned something from what has occurred. We have also seen how the Government Offices have not been able to advertise positions in a transparent manner; among other things, there have been reports that positions have been advertised on an iPad in the Government Offices. That is hardly to be considered transparent.

Is the information correct that the position of new national security advisor will not be advertised?

In this speech, Samuel Gonzalez Westling and Jessica Wetterling (both V) concurred.

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

Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! As I said the other day, this is not something new at all. For a long time now, under many different governments, there have been a number of positions, often linked specifically to security issues, which are appointment jobs, not jobs one applies for.

I have not heard any questioning of the appointment of the new Supreme Commander, the appointment of the Chief of Defence Research Agency, the appointment of the head of FRA, or the appointment of persons for other security-related positions. It is normal in Sweden, and we will continue to handle the matter in the way that is usually normal in Sweden.

(Applause)

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

Martin Ådahl (C)

Mr. Speaker! I do not believe we have received an answer from the Prime Minister on the question of when Sweden will act on the tariff crisis. At home at the kitchen tables, people are worried about their savings, pensions, and jobs. I have met many entrepreneurs who are worried that the uncertainty will affect their investments and employees.

When will the Prime Minister and the government stop the wait-and-see policy? So far we have had high unemployment – rising during your time in power. There has been weak growth, an increased number of bankruptcies and falling entrepreneurship. When will you see to lowering the costs here, now and powerfully, so that Swedish companies can protect Swedish jobs and Swedish growth during the serious crisis?

You have raised the costs by 15 billion. When are you going to lower them?

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

Statsministern Ulf Kristersson (M)

Mr. Speaker! I am not entirely convinced that an agitated and stubborn behavior is the best method for Sweden when it comes to safeguarding our interests if the world moves towards a trade war.

I say it again, and I have said it several times: Do not jump to hasty conclusions! Do not count out the transatlantic link in either security issues or trade issues, but do not take the USA for granted either!

That the USA has provided a large part of Europe's security for 80 years does not mean that it will do so for another 80 years. That the USA has been pro-free trade for several decades does not mean that the USA cannot return to protectionism.

The Prime Minister's Question Time

One must have a cold head in this and negotiate together with the EU, the world's largest trading bloc. One must be tough but also be prepared to go to the negotiating table.

Come back to free trade agreements with the USA! We will do everything we can to safeguard free trade as a Swedish core interest.

(Applause)

In this speech, Ann-Sofie Alm (M) concurred.

The Prime Minister's question time is hereby concluded.

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