Response to interpellation 2022/23:266 on the Swedish Transport Administration's fees
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD considers it important that the voluntary sector has good conditions to carry out activities on state infrastructure 1. KD argues that the previous Social Democratic government's actions were sluggish and reckless 2 3. KD emphasizes that they are now taking responsibility and working at a high pace to find a long-term solution 3 and that it is an urgent issue 3 4. KD considers it pleasing that the government is now working expeditiously to resolve the issue 5. KD considers it positive to establish the value of voluntary engagement 4. S considers it important to acknowledge the voluntary work 6.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! Lars Isacsson has asked me if I will take the initiative for a dialogue with Trafikverket regarding the agency's interpretation of the regulatory framework that gives Trafikverket the possibility to charge fees for competitions that affect state traffic infrastructure. Lars Isacsson has further asked me if I will take the initiative for a legislative change that enables non-profit associations to still organize events without large fees to Trafikverket.
It is important that the association life has good conditions to conduct sports and other activities that take place on, or affect, state transport infrastructure.
That is why Trafikverket was given the assignment on 1 September 2022 to analyze how working methods and regulations can be changed to facilitate and simplify the activities of associations that are conducted on, or affect, state transport infrastructure. Trafikverket reported on the assignment on 21 March 2023. The report is currently being analyzed in the Government Offices, and I intend to return to these issues.
Lars Isacsson (S)
Madam Speaker! I would like to begin by thanking Minister Andreas Carlson for the answer and the opportunity to debate Trafikverket's high fees, which cause so much trouble for sports clubs and community associations when they are to organize events with voluntary efforts that are for the joy and benefit of many.
When the large ski competition Moraloppet was decided in the ski tracks around Mora, IFK Mora was forced to pay 17,000 kronor to Trafikverket because the competition passes two of Trafikverket's roads. The skiers pass the road for a quarter of an hour, and then the road opens again. IFK Mora has guards and loaders that handle everything, but it was not that simple. The association first had to pay 14,000 kronor for Trafikverket to put up warning signs. After that, the association received an invoice for 2,900 kronor for snow to be placed on the road - snow that the loaders quickly laid out and then removed while road guards kept the road clear.
For IFK, the question now is whether it is worth running this ski race if it costs 17,000 kronor to use Trafikverket's road for a quarter of an hour. In contrast to before, Trafikverket now claims that an organizer must always pay by law when a road is to be used, and furthermore, there are large compensation claims.
The same fate risks affecting other associations, for example, those associations that organize Midsummer celebrations around Dalarna. In Dalarna, the villages have organized Midsummer celebrations since time immemorial. It is a pleasant tradition both for the residents in the villages and for many visitors, who meet to raise the maypole.
One example is the celebration in Tibble. There, the maypole stands in the middle of the intersection between Sågmyravägen and Bygattu. Most likely, the Tibble-Lycka village association will now have to pay approximately 20,000 kronor to Trafikverket for their Midsummer celebration. The association has arranged for road blocks, signs, and guards every year, and it has gone well. As things stand now, the village association has announced that they cannot have a public maypole raising. They cannot afford to pay, and they do not want to break the law.
The Swedish Transport Administration bases its new, more rigid stance on the fact that they have received criticism following an audit for not having extracted these high fees from associations. In this regard, I would like to ask the Minister if the Minister could initiate a dialogue with the Swedish Transport Administration and if the Minister could initiate a legislative amendment. In his response, Andreas Carlson refers to an investigation that Tomas Eneroth, former Minister for Infrastructure, tasked the Swedish Transport Administration to carry out on September 1, 2022.
Madam Speaker! My question to the Minister is now whether the Minister can today say anything about which of Trafikverket's proposals to facilitate and simplify for activities conducted on state infrastructure he sees as most interesting.
Mathias Bengtsson (KD)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer! This is a very important issue. The new fees will apply from the turn of the year to the community life. It concerns non-profit sports clubs and village associations. It is both sports events and Midsummer celebrations that are threatened.
If you come from Dalarna, it is perhaps most provoking when it concerns just Midsummer. It is a tradition that existed long before there were state roads and that the people of Dalarna have celebrated long before there were authorities who could put spokes in their wheels.
It is, of course, an unreasonable situation. It is deeply regrettable that this concern should have to exist at all and that the Tibble village association, as Lars Isacsson mentioned, should have to have a meeting where they consider cancelling the Midsummer celebration. It is naturally completely unreasonable. Therefore, it is very welcome that the government now has this issue on the table and intends to act.
But we also cannot escape the fact that this emerged as early as February 2022, over a year ago, when the government was Social Democratic. Then the question hangs in the air: Why did the Social Democrats not act when this new interpretation was announced in February?
The previous government had all the time in the world to calm the anxiety felt by sports and village associations. But the months passed. March came and nothing happened. April came and the government sat on its hands. May and June came. We celebrated Midsummer last year, and the government had all the information and could have acted, but nothing happened. July and August were the same thing. It is only in the election campaign in September that the Social Democrats, for what appear to be electoral tactical reasons, choose to act in order to remove the issue from the debate.
In that situation, the Social Democrats gave Trafikverket six months to come up with solutions to this issue. Six months means that it goes over the turn of the year, and the new interpretation is implemented and creates these fees for, for example, IFK Mora. Had one wanted to solve the issue urgently, one could have given Trafikverket much shorter time, but six months also shows that it concerns some kind of electoral tactical reasons. It is not acceptable!
It is welcome that the government is now acting, but the question falls back on the previous Social Democratic government. Why did they not act to calm the anxiety of the village associations, the local heritage associations, and the sports clubs when the issue arose? Why did they sit on their hands for six months?
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! Let me again emphasize that it is important that the association life has good conditions to conduct sports and other activities that take place on or affect state transport infrastructure. I also hear the commitment in the chamber in this debate, and I appreciate that.
But I also note that the previous Social Democratic government was aware of Trafikverket's changed way of working as early as February 2022. I also note that Isacsson's party representatives in the previous government chose not to do anything until September 2022. Only then was Trafikverket tasked to investigate the issue for six months - an unreasonably long time considering the 14 pages delivered in the report the other day.
Given how urgent this issue is, not only for the sports movement but also for individual associations, the previous government's sluggish actions are astonishing. But I can assure the Chamber and everyone following this debate tonight that my party and this government are taking responsibility. All of Sweden shall function. We are well aware of the problems.
I also appreciate that Trafikverket was able to complete the investigation somewhat earlier than the postponed date. We are already working to find a long-term solution. Trafikverket's proposal has, as far as I have been able to judge so far, also been appreciated by Riksidrottsförbundet and Cykelförbundet. It has been well received. This is, of course, part of the analysis and preparation of the issue that we are now carrying out at a high pace in the Government Offices. This is an urgent issue.
Madam Speaker! Member Isacsson asks me what is the most interesting of Trafikverket's proposals. There are six different proposals that Trafikverket has in its report. The most interesting and what I believe many see as the most pressing in the short term is the proposal found in the report regarding "that the government decides that the installation of road signs shall be free of charge for non-profit associations and organizations during 2023, and that the government decides on how this shall be handled for 2024 and onwards. Possible alternatives to be considered are whether it shall also continue to be free of charge for non-profit organizations, alternatively whether extended financial grants or some form of support regulation shall be introduced." It is one of the six proposals that are interesting and which we are now analyzing in the Government Offices.
We received it the other day. Today is March 28. Trafikverket was supposed to have submitted the final report on the assignment in a few days, on March 31. It is therefore positive that we already have this on the table. We have been able to start the work.
I understand that there is a concern, but it is largely due to the sluggishness of the previous government. This was known in February 2022 and the assignment was given in September 2022.
Now we can put this behind us. I appreciate the consensus in the chamber and that there is now support so that we can have good conditions to conduct sports and other activities that take place on, or affect, state transport infrastructure. We will return. We will do so as soon as we can. We are working expeditiously. It is a priority issue.
Lars Isacsson (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer! I appreciate that we seem to be in many ways in agreement.
I have also taken note of the Swedish Transport Administration's investigation. I was impressed by it, especially by the will to address the problem and the concreteness of the solutions.
In the investigation, Trafikverket states that many arrangements are conducted on or affect public state roads, that they are important for Swedish public health, and that they are part of a rich association life in Sweden. They further state that the arrangements have increased in both number and scope in recent years. There are approximately 1,000 arrangements conducted annually on public state roads. Examples of arrangements are local spring, autumn, and Christmas markets, car cruising, ski competitions, and Midsummer celebrations.
There are ready-made proposals. I intend to highlight some of them that I see would have a great positive impact for small non-profit associations. Regarding my question to the Minister, I am pleased that the proposal he raises is the one I also think is best and that could yield results fastest. It is the proposal that the government shall decide that the installation of road signs shall become free of charge for non-profit associations and organizations during 2023, and that the government shall decide on how this shall be handled for 2024 and onwards.
There are two others that are good. It is the proposal that the government shall mandate the Swedish Police Authority to investigate whether it is possible for more than just the police to direct traffic, for example as flag guards. And it is the proposal that the government shall decide that the handling fee for processing applications at agencies in connection with arrangements on state roads shall be removed for non-profit organizations.
Now this basis exists, but the associations cannot wait. I am pleased that the Minister says that the government will issue a decision as soon as possible, especially for those proposals that concern 2023.
Then I turn to Member Mathias Bengtsson, the benchmate from Dalarna, who is also involved in the issue, and to the Minister: I understand that it is part of politics to say whose fault it was and who was slow. I can state that the previous government and Minister Eneroth decided on this in September. I believe that those listening to this from, among other places, Tibble by are more interested in what we will do moving forward. And I can guarantee that I would have submitted the same interpellation if it had been a Social Democratic Minister for Infrastructure.
I have one more question for the Minister which concerns the timeline more. When will the Transport Agency's analysis and finished proposals be processed? I am particularly wondering about the proposal to resolve this for 2023, which would reassure many organizers.
Mathias Bengtsson (KD)
Madam Speaker! Civil society's efforts are invaluable and should naturally be supported instead of being destroyed. Civil society's efforts are incredibly important for tradition, security, and a spirit of progress. Therefore, it is very pleasing that the Christian Democrats are now addressing the issue in order to resolve it.
It is a heartening message that the Minister gives - that the non-profit associations can breathe a sigh of relief and trust that the government is working at a high pace to resolve the issue.
I appreciate that Lars Isacsson is posing this interpellation so that we can debate Midsummer in the chamber. I also appreciate the Social Democrats' commitment to the issue, so that we can get broad support for the solutions that are needed. But we will not get away from the fact that the commitment appears to be something newly awakened.
There is a question that is relevant for the voters: Why did the Social Democrats not act in good time? If the previous government had acted, IFK Mora would not have had to pay 17,000 kronor to close two county roads for 30 minutes, and the Tibble village association would not have had to hold meetings about canceling the celebration. It is therefore a relevant question to ask based on what the Social Democrats' policy in practice leads to in a government position.
Now it will be so, as with much else, that the Christian Democrats have to clean up in the government position after a Social Democratic government. We do it when it comes to the electricity supply. We do it when it comes to safety. We do it with healthcare, and we do it with the Midsummer celebrations.
I look forward to following how expeditiously the government and the Christian Democrats work to calm the unrest in Dalarna.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! Yes, as we said, we are analyzing the various proposals. Regarding the timeline, there are some of the proposals that perhaps require a bit more analysis than others. But this is an urgent matter, and I have pointed out what is most interesting, as Isacsson asked about in the previous contribution.
We are working on it. We have a high tempo. It is a prioritized issue. We will simply get back to you when we have completed the analysis of the different proposals that exist in Trafikverket's report.
I think it is very positive that one establishes the value of voluntary commitment and of providing good conditions for the association life in Sweden. Regardless of whether it is cycling races or other arrangements, this is something to be very proud of. It is precisely about our civil society and the commitment that exists, which means a lot for creating community and promoting public health and which is an important part of the culture - the members from Dalarna have also shown this here in the chamber tonight, Madam Speaker, when it comes to the Midsummer celebration.
One can be assured that the government is working hard on the issue. I look forward to returning.
Lars Isacsson (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer and for the debate! This is no small matter. It is about Sweden's civil society. It is about associations' ability to conduct activities both for health and for community. It is about tradition and renewal at the local level. This is often driven by popular movements. It is also about the fact that it is small associations in the countryside, such as the Tibble village association, that are hit hard financially when the arrangements risk being cancelled.
People in the countryside are often used to taking matters into their own hands. They know that the state and municipal services are worse than in a large city or in a densely populated area, but that much is compensated for by voluntary work. This is something we need to accommodate and not remove the conditions for.
I take up the example of the Midsummer celebration in Tibble village, in Leksand, in Dalarna. The Midsummer celebration with the raising of the maypole on Tibble Thursday last year was broadcast live on Sveriges Television. This year, it risks being cancelled.
The voluntary forces in local community associations and sports clubs that make a great contribution when it comes to public health and cultural heritage should be praised for their efforts and not taken for granted. Now, the feeling is that the state is being difficult—pardon the expression—instead of providing support.
But there is a very good proposal from Trafikverket. They see the problem and have concrete proposals to the government to solve it. It is up to the government to make the decisions.
When MP Mathias Bengtsson, KD, says that KD should clean up and takes the electricity support as an example, I become a little worried about how it will go. On the other hand, I trust that Minister Andreas Carlson will now fix this.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! Thank you for this dialogue in the chamber tonight! Thank you for the commitment, and thank you also for the trust! As I said earlier, I look forward to returning.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.