Response to interpellation 2022/23:64 on Sweden's climate policy during the EU presidency

Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Madam Speaker! Jytte Guteland has asked me what initiatives I have taken to steer the negotiations on the EU's climate package Fit for 55 forward, and which directives I and the government intend to finalize during the presidency.

The EU's legislative package Fit for 55 is the largest and most ambitious climate package in the EU's history. With this package, we take large steps towards meeting the EU's commitments under the Paris Agreement, as well as towards fulfilling Sweden's national climate goals. The EU is our most important climate policy platform, and we view the fact that cooperation and the level of ambition in this area are increasing positively.

Sweden has, during the negotiations on the Fit for 55 proposals, been an active and contributing party in achieving a result with high climate ambition that contributes to carrying out the transition in all sectors and all Member States. Sweden's constructive approach and our high ambitions in the climate area have contributed to the EU's Member States being able to reach political agreements with the European Parliament on central climate legislation, including the EU Emissions Trading System and the carbon requirements for light vehicles.

In the middle of December, the Prime Minister presented the Swedish presidency program to the Riksdag. The green transition and the energy transition constitute one of the four overarching priorities, and the climate issue is a central part of this. When we speak about our presidency, we speak about greener, safer, freer.

When it comes to Fit for 55 specifically, it means that negotiations on the remaining legal acts are prioritized. Negotiations remain, among other things, in the energy and transport sectors. In addition, there are also newer proposals in the climate area that Sweden will push forward, including a certification framework for carbon sequestration and carbon requirements for heavy vehicles. We will also, as chair, attempt to conclude the negotiations on fluorinated greenhouse gases.

As President of the Council of the EU, Sweden has an important role to fill. We intend to cooperate closely with both the European Parliament and the European Commission, as well as with other Member States, to create the conditions for successful negotiations.

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

Jytte Guteland (S)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for being here and taking this debate!

Sometimes when one listens to the debate in Sweden, one can get a feeling that global warming is something happening somewhere else and does not affect Sweden. I do not know how many climate debates I have listened to where, primarily from the government's side, one has gotten a feeling that everything is solved, that this is someone else's problem, or possibly that nuclear power will solve it all.

Madam Speaker! Nevertheless, the climate is one of the issues that evokes the greatest engagement in Association Sweden and an issue that worries an enormous number of people in our country. It is truly not acceptable for politics to walk over in our time's greatest issue. It is a betrayal - many have said it before me, but it is worth emphasizing here in the chamber.

The Swedish people are following this and know this. Sweden also, through its role as chair, has a unique chance to take a leadership for the climate. Still, it took a very long time before we even got this debate with the Minister for Climate and Environment. We submitted the interpellation before Christmas and before the chairmanship.

We have also heard that the Czech presidency expedited many important directives because there were concerns about whether the Swedish government truly stood up for climate policy. There were also concerns about the government's majority, whether it would slow down the important climate package that is now being negotiated at the EU level. That is why this was expedited and, among other things, the largest directive, the one on the EU's emissions trading, was completed before Christmas. No one knows if it could have become even more ambitious if Sweden had been allowed to lead this with an ambitious climate ambition. This is deeply unfortunate.

Now there are, just as the Minister for Climate and Environment says, some directives remaining on the table. They are important. I can state that in the response we are not told very much about whether the government intends to complete these directives in the energy and transport sectors. The negotiations are "prioritized", the Minister says in the response, but does that mean that they want to complete the directives?

I also do not think I am getting an answer to the question of what initiatives the Minister has taken to steer the negotiations on the EU's climate package forward. Which people have been met? Has this been raised in different contexts? Have there been seminars? Have there been hearings and round-table discussions? Something about the activity from the government's side should we be able to hear, because it is not heard particularly much in any kind of public debate regarding such initiatives.

In addition to noting that I do not receive an answer to my first question regarding the initiatives and that it is very uncertain whether the government intends to complete Fit for 55 during this time, I also want to add the warning that it becomes uncertain when one hears the government's climate and environmental policy spokesperson say that the Tidö Agreement takes precedence over climate policy regulated at the EU level. It is clear that I would also very much like to hear an answer on this, as it spreads uncertainty.

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

Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Madam Speaker! I note that Jytte Guteland's contribution begins with her having a "feeling" that for the government, it is about emissions somewhere else. It becomes somewhat unclear to, based on that feeling, make assertions that we would not want to see the Fit for 55 negotiations completed. Let me, if there were any ambiguities in my previous answer, be very clear: This government prioritizes completing these climate negotiations, and that also applies to the Fit for 55 package.

This is also not something that I sit alone in my office and ponder over. Both the Prime Minister and the EU Minister, and also others, have been very clear about this.

On the other hand, I also read the texts about how the Social Democratic group in the European Parliament is raising a concern regarding this government's handling of the presidency's climate issues. I have to speak with concerned colleagues who come to me and ask: Is what I read in the newspaper, which Helén Fritzon points out and worries about, correct? I read allegations that this government consists of climate deniers.

Now, this is not an interpellation debate with Martin Kinnunen, but an interpellation debate you have with me. I am the liberal Minister for Climate and Environment in Sweden, and we prioritize the EU presidency and its climate issues highly.

I believe it is important to conduct these negotiations in earnest. When it comes to what remains of them, it is only positive that one maintains as high a pace in the work as possible. When we are finished with certain parts, we can move on to others. The work is obviously not finished. One also needs to complete the work. Even when the negotiation itself is finished, there are other parts that we will handle during the chairmanship.

I do not believe that there is any government that wants the work to go slower. And I do not doubt, in any case, the Czechs' competence and the incredible strength they have shown during their presidency, including in the climate work.

We need to get a robust legislative framework in place as quickly as possible that ensures we reach our goals for emission reductions of at least 55 percent. Sweden will, of course, work to create the best possible negotiating climate, which enables the remaining legislation to be adopted. I do not know if one can be much clearer than that.

Then there were some other questions about how we work with this priority area, about how we try to bring forward the issues and be proactive in different ways. I really look forward to leading the discussions in the council over the coming half-year. During those meetings and other things we have had ahead of our chairmanship, we have of course accounted for our clear prioritization to advance the climate work. I have brought forward the legislative acts and directives that fall within my council and which we intend to handle during the coming half-year.

We also have a lot of dialogue with each other beyond the council meetings we have in the Environment Council. We also have a lot of dialogue about the way forward for the EU at the COP negotiations, at COP 27 in Egypt but also at COP 15 in Canada, which concerned biodiversity. There, I have been able to counter the claims that my colleagues unfortunately read in the newspapers that this government would not want to carry out ambitious climate and environmental work.

We began the work on how our presidency and our priorities should look even before this government took office. I can only wish that the entire Riksdag from now on also is mindful of managing the legacy that Sweden has in the work we are to perform during our presidency in the EU this time.

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

Jytte Guteland (S)

Madam Speaker! Thank you for the answer, Minister! We take it as a promise that the government intends to complete these directives on the energy and transport side within the framework of the chairship. In that case, it is a good piece of news.

Regarding the tender foot that I obviously stepped on concerning whether there are climate skeptics in the government base, it is absolutely not about the minister himself being a climate skeptic. But it becomes uncomfortable if you are sitting in a climate skeptic's lap and trying to handle the questions. I believe that is what has made the minister's first period have been so turbulent.

We really need to find out what applies. The government held a press conference this week regarding the Tidö Agreement and the first 100 days and received immediate criticism from the Chamber and SD's environment and climate spokesperson, who argues that one cannot adhere to EU legislation at all without it being that the Tidö Agreement stands above the legislation instead. In that case, it is clear that we need to clear up what it is that the government stands for in the matter. Do you stand for the law, or does the Tidö Agreement stand above it? You are welcome to elaborate on that.

Regarding the issue of Fit for 55 and the leadership around it, we absolutely need a government that takes initiative, that drives climate issues at the EU level and that leads this. Many have testified that the Czechs hurried things along because there was concern over the Swedish position. It naturally affects the possibility of making room for ambition in the climate policy within the directives. I believe most who have negotiated legislation know that if there is pressure for tougher times further ahead, one must hurry, even if one had more ambition at the outset during the negotiation.

I would like to emphasize that the climate crisis means more natural disasters with storms, droughts, floods, and heat. It accelerates species extinction. It shakes up agriculture. It creates conflicts over scarce resources, and it drives people into flight and toward poverty.

Sometimes it is asked: But what about Sweden? What is happening here? We see that already now. It is already affecting people here and now. The climate is changing, and as it adapts, it hits agriculture. We have also seen floods in Sweden in the present day. Fires affect us during the summers in a completely different way. It is also about dried-up wells, dry fields, burnt-down forests, blown-down power lines, empty ski lifts, expensive coffee, empty store shelves in grocery stores, and flooded basements and roads, which many Swedes have experienced in recent years.

It is also about the heat that leads to exhausted elderly and sick people. The entire EU is truly affected by it. In fact, it is the heat that kills most Europeans who die prematurely. We also see war reporting on the news. Fear is spreading in our country because of the climate threat.

I assume that the Minister for Climate Action is doing their utmost to use the EU as the lever and opportunity it is when it comes to improving climate policy.

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

Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Madam Speaker! It is true that even today there are effects of the climate crisis that we are trying to manage in Sweden. I can also mention many of them, as it seems to be of importance. We have flooded basements, we have destroyed roads, we have follow-up effects in the form of increased food prices, and we have a reduced snow cover, which affects our country in different ways. It affects our tourism industry, and it affects our ski resorts. We have deteriorated groundwater levels. There is much that can be stated to be consequences of the climate crisis.

I believe it is important to point out that there are no political disagreements regarding what science has established, regarding the facts we have to work with in the work on the climate issue. There are no disagreements between the government and the opposition parties in the Riksdag.

We have a situation to handle with the climate changes. If we act quickly, we can handle them in a better way.

I am, in any case, grateful that the Czechs have, in my opinion, moved the work forward in a good way. I am surprised to hear here that from other sides it is not considered to have been carried out in a sufficiently good way.

I am completely convinced that the EU is the world's most important climate and environmental organization. There is no organization that works in such a successful way to develop the legislation and policies needed to pave the way for reducing our emissions but also to protect our environment and our nature, our seas and our forests - all the wonderful things that we all are keen to take advantage of.

I also believe it is important to point out that the government took office in October, less than three months before our presidency took effect. The presidency's priorities have been designed in close cooperation with all parties in the Riksdag. The previous government worked together with the other parties in the Swedish Riksdag to ensure a broad majority so that our presidency would be as successful as possible. I can only hope that this attitude will be maintained going forward. It means that it is both the previous government's party, the Socialdemokraterna, as well as the current government parties and all other parties in the Riksdag who have spoken out and been involved in shaping what our presidency will prioritize.

Regarding the daily work and all other parts of the chairmanship, it is the government that performs that work and has the full responsibility. It is our civil servants who are chairs of the council's various working groups and who bear responsibility for the negotiations within each area, within the frameworks that the government has established. Their task is to make decisions depending on how the negotiation proceeds. Member Jytte Guteland, who has great experience of the European Parliament and how the EU as a union functions, knows this very well.

This is a presidency where we, of course, want to demonstrate the strength Sweden has to contribute to the work. During the previous phase of Fit for 55, we have been a diplomatic and proactive party to ensure that the work is moved forward as well as possible, and we will be that also during the presidency.

It is also important to mention that there is no concern among my colleagues. They have seen how I and the government work with climate and environmental issues. They hear when Sweden's Prime Minister speaks about how our presidency will be characterized by work for a greener, safer, and freer EU. They also prefer to listen to that rather than just reading the headlines. I am grateful for that.

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

Jytte Guteland (S)

Madam Speaker! The climate issue is worthy of our greatest commitment. It is the great question of our time. Our lives here and now are affected by how active we are when it comes to reducing emissions - and doing so quickly, before 2030. It is also about the fact that the rest of the world is deeply dependent on wealthy industrial nations like Sweden and others that have emitted for centuries taking responsibility. This applies both in international negotiations and negotiations at home, as well as within the framework of the EU.

It is extremely important to have a decisive government with a strong will and high climate ambitions, which one does not need to fear has any other underlying motives. I do not believe there are very many who would doubt the climate minister's own conviction, will, and good intentions—but the road toward disasters is, as it turns out, lined with good intentions.

It is distressing that the government sits in an embrace where there are climate skeptics. Perhaps it is the case that the Minister for Climate himself sits in the lap of a climate-skeptical environment and climate policy spokesperson for the Sverigedemokraterna? It was, in any case, very worrying during the week of the press conference where the government was to demonstrate its will and decisiveness regarding climate and environmental policy and was directly criticized by the government base, who do not at all think that these issues should be put forward by Sweden's government.

So it was not strange that the Czechs hurried their presidency to get ahead of Sweden, because one does not trust what this government is doing in the climate and environmental area. My advice to the Minister for Climate is first and foremost to clarify what the situation is and then speak to colleagues and others to order, so that it becomes clear what climate policy Sweden stands for within the framework of the EU presidency.

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

Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)

Madam Speaker! Yes, there is a coalition partner, and that party does not share exactly the same views as, for example, my party does regarding climate and environmental policy. That is nothing new. That is why we have a Tidö Agreement that clearly regulates what we are to cooperate on when it comes to climate and energy.

The government has presented a state budget where we are very clear that Sweden shall live up to the goals for 2045 and net zero by 2045. The Climate Act has been adopted in the Riksdag, and it states which national goals apply. It is based on those that I reason and speak, including at the press conference yesterday.

I find it very difficult to be convinced by the reasoning here that the Czechs would have read an article yesterday in Altinget where Member of Parliament Kinnunen makes a statement in direct opposition to me and that it would have influenced them so that they accelerated their chairmanship. That ended several weeks ago.

I understand that one wants to paint a picture of it being worrying and problematic how the climate work will be handled during our chairmanship, but I stand here and state very clearly that the government as a whole wants to bring the Fit for 55 package to fruition. Both the Prime Minister and the EU Minister have accounted for that matter.

The government wants to advance climate and environmental work and has nothing but high ambitions. It is an ambitious task that we plan to carry out. I do not know how much clearer one can be. If nothing else, the member must follow the work closely and see how it goes. I believe, in any case, that all of us in the government truly look forward to advancing climate and environmental work.

The interpellations debate was hereby concluded.

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