Response to interpellation 2023/24:499 on support for civil society for increased resilience
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
M argues that the government has implemented initiatives to strengthen civil defense through contributions to municipalities, regions, and voluntary defense organizations 1. M emphasizes that civil defense requires specific initiatives that cannot be accommodated within the regions' ordinary budgets, such as national trauma care stocks and reserve power 2. M underlines that the fundamental responsibility for crisis preparedness is municipal and requires local priorities 3. M argues that future budget initiatives are not presented in interpellation debates and that municipal politicians must prioritize core activities 4. M considers that there is urgency in the matter 4 and that it has been chosen to move forward with what is most pressing 4. S considers that the economic means are too small a part of the need 5.
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 Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M)
Madam Speaker! Lena Johansson has asked me what my and the government's plans are to support civil society and promote collective solutions that increase the robustness of society, both in the short and long term, particularly in normal conditions but also to manage crises and times of unrest. Furthermore, Lena Johansson has asked how I and the government intend to handle the costs that municipalities, regions, associations, and the business community have in connection with the requirement for defense-capability-enhancing measures.
We find ourselves in a very serious security policy situation that places demands on society to quickly create an increased capacity to handle incidents that can encompass the entire spectrum of threats. The Government has therefore during 2024 carried out a number of initiatives to increase the capacity and strengthen the resilience in civil defense, for example 100 million kronor in increased grants to the municipalities' and regions' work with crisis preparedness and civil defense.
We have allocated 40 million kronor for the activation of civil defense within municipal rescue services. To strengthen the rescue services during high alert, we have also allocated 40 million as well as 100 million kronor to the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency for continued upgrading and modernization of shelters.
Furthermore, the government continues to strengthen and develop the supply preparedness, among other things through a mandate to Socialstyrelsen to purchase and store healthcare products for trauma care worth 500 million kronor, as well as by allocating 1,000 million kronor to the regions during 2022-2024 to increase the stockpiling of medicines.
An important component in Sweden's ability to withstand crises and, ultimately, war is our individual preparedness and will to defend. Here, civil society has an important task in contributing to creating participation based on the engagement and the will to influence both one's own life situation as well as society at large.
The experiences from Ukraine demonstrate the importance of an engaged civil society. During Russia's full-scale and brutal invasion, the Ukrainian civil society organizations quickly redirected their activities to manage the needs that arose. This involved, for example, the management of housing for refugees and supporting the healthcare system.
The population's sense of belonging to and participation in society is important for the will to engage. It is pleasing to see that over the last two years there has been a large increase in applicants to the voluntary defense organizations' activities. These organizations are an important part as we are now to build up the military and civil defense.
The government sees a need to take care of the great interest that exists for the voluntary organizations. In the most serious security situation since the end of the Second World War, all good forces that can strengthen Sweden's total defense were needed. Therefore, the government has increased the economic allocation to the voluntary defense organizations by an additional 55 million kronor.
Later, the Defence Preparation Board will submit its report on the military defense and the economic conditions for both the military and civil defense. That presentation, together with other documents, will form the basis for the total defense bill that the government intends to submit to the Riksdag in the autumn, regarding the continued direction and design of the total defense.
Lena Johansson (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer! I would like to begin by saying that I agree with the Minister that an important component in Sweden's ability to resist crises and, ultimately, war is our individual preparedness and will to defend. It is precisely against this background that I pose my questions.
In order for us as individuals to be able to solve the task and stand strong, we need to do it together. Only then will we all be able to stay focused and do our jobs, in both normal times, crisis, and times of unrest.
The support of an economic nature that the Minister describes in his answer is a small part of the way, but a far too small part. The need is much greater than that.
In its report Framåtanda - a prioritization of measures to strengthen civil defense, MSB addresses the question of what the needs are and what is required at different levels. They speak of level 1 at 10 billion, which is the lowest level. Level 2 is at 15 billion and level 3 at 20 billion.
At level 1, which is the lowest level, 10 billion, it is about prioritizing measures aimed at ensuring that Sweden as a nation can withstand the initial consequences of an armed attack. It is about maintaining the ability for command and functioning electronic communications, ensuring that the power grid does not collapse and that transport can be carried out. At the same time, the civilian population shall be protected where healthcare manages mass casualties, rescue operations are carried out after weapon effects, and the police maintain the rule of law.
The government must nevertheless admit that it is a real uphill battle, with the current healthcare crisis, for example. Even though the government is now adding 6 billion in the budget after heavy pressure and a massive need, these funds are not enough.
The Minister is a real quote machine, and it is a bit funny to listen to him. When the Minister says that no one has a mandate to sit back and wait for others, my continued question to the Minister is: How does the Minister and the Government intend to handle the costs that regions, municipalities, associations, and the business community have in connection with the requirement for defense capability-enhancing measures? I do not think I really received an answer to that.
Statsrådet Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, the interpellor, for an engaging and important question! The immediate answer regarding the regions' resource allocation is, of course, among others that was given yesterday, namely an additional supplement of 6 billion kronor from the state to the regions so that they can manage their ordinary mandate - this being in addition to the historically large state grants that were invested in the budget bill for 2024.
Civil defense is, however, something more and something different in its character than the ordinary activities. There, it is about special investments that cannot be expected to fit within the regions' ordinary budget and operations. It concerns, for example, what I mentioned, a national trauma care stockpile to be able to handle a mass casualty event on Swedish territory – something that Sweden has lacked until recently and a responsibility that we have not been able to expect the regions to take on their own. This the government has carried out during the past year.
We have also, as mentioned, allocated special funds so that the regions can work in a more purposeful manner with their security of supply regarding medicines and simply build up contingency stocks of medicines that there may be a shortage of. This is work that is currently underway.
Then it is about specific investments in, for example, secure premises, backup power, and so on, for which the government allocates special funds in the 2024 budget for the health and medical care area. This is therefore in addition to the general state grants that the government provides in this area.
Lena Johansson (S)
Madam Speaker! As I began by saying, I understand that this is complex. But it is nevertheless our common responsibility to build Sweden's defense capability strong.
We all need to contribute, and I think the government needs to take on the leadership role in this issue a bit more to fill the organizational gaps between the government, municipalities, companies, voluntary organizations, and the defense forces.
I send with the Minister the famous expression that no chain is stronger than its weakest link, for the link that the Minister sits on can and must not be the weakest. The Government must not be held responsible for how the competence increase shall proceed and who shall do what.
I want to take an example. In my home county, Västmanland, we have in Västerås a large and resource-rich competence. It is a municipality that has come far in its work. Nevertheless, one will need financial support and help and certainly advisory interventions. But we also have small municipalities such as Surahammar, Skinnskatteberg and Norberg, which also shall be links in the strong chain.
I just want to highlight the differences in our elongated and dear Sweden and point out the importance of the fact that the differences also provide strength that we need to embrace. But it also requires some kind of delicious handling. We need to strengthen based on geographical conditions, competence conditions, etcetera.
Under Folk och Försvar said the Minister for Civil Defence: Are you a municipal councillor? Good. Is war organization, safety points, emergency water plan, redundant supply of food, heat and electricity secured in the care services? Do you have a functioning voluntary resource group? If not, get started! If you haven't started, you are behind. If you don't know how, you can either ask someone who has already started or ask MSB. It is not harder than that.
With this recording from the Minister, I get the feeling that it is urgent, that it is important that the matter is handled promptly. Therefore, my question to the Minister remains: What does the long-term plan look like? Is the intention that as a municipality one must hurry, but as a state power we can wait until the autumn?
Statsrådet Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M)
Madam Speaker! No, it is not, of course, that the government is waiting until the autumn unnecessarily, but we are carrying out a very forward-looking work by already handling that which the Defence Preparation Board has delivered in its latest report, that is, already before the Defence Preparation Board as a whole is finished with the work before the upcoming defense decision.
It is simply a matter of breaking out subsets and finding fast tracks, which we have done in a long series of areas, and protecting the civilian population, activating the civil duty in the sector of municipal rescue services, thereafter the sector of electricity supply and so on. We need to achieve a linear growth in capability where we do not wait for the perfect system at some point far in the future, because we do not know how much time we have.
My submission to the municipalities, which the interpellator reproduced here, aims to pose a number of control questions, that is, whether one as a municipal representative has started with this. If one has not done so, it is very high time to get started.
We have a very long and extensive local self-government in this country that most municipal politicians guard. That may be well and good. But it also places a very large demand on accountability in the serious times that we are currently in.
Through an agreement between the state and SKR and between MSB and SKR, targeted funds are also allocated for the work with civil defense. But it is important to remember that the fundamental responsibility for peacetime crisis preparedness is a municipal responsibility, and it requires municipal priorities.
These are examples of some of the points I mentioned in my speech that are things municipalities need to work on. If one is not going to do exactly this, one must in any case consider what to do instead to take responsibility for what can happen under normal peacetime circumstances, in order to have a basic level to then be able to manage the work for civil defense and high alert.
It looks very different across the municipalities in Sweden as a consequence of the fact that we have a large measure of autonomy, that is to say that municipal politicians get to prioritize these issues in general at their own discretion. This naturally places demands on accountability in serious times.
Just as the interpellator says, different municipalities have very different conditions. One can be in different geographical and military-strategic positions, which naturally can place different types of demands on the preparedness work. But my general advice to smaller municipalities which by definition are not as resource-strong and have difficulty carrying out this work on their own is to join forces with neighboring municipalities that have the same or similar geographical and demographic conditions in order to pool resources. It is an example of how one can work.
Speaking of guidance for municipalities, the county administrative boards have a special funding to support the municipalities in the work of building up the civil defense.
Lena Johansson (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the clarifications. But I still feel somewhat dissatisfied with the answer given that there is such a great hurry, that it must happen so promptly. The Minister has also himself at times said that something that keeps him awake at night is when things go slowly. Is it possible for the Minister to speed up the issues regarding, above all, financing? Now the Minister still opened up for similar financings as the 6 billion to healthcare and that more could come, as I understood it. Now the Minister is looking sternly at me, but I would like to have an answer on whether we can count on similar supplements. And how does the Minister view alternatives 1, 2, and 3 that MSB has as proposals in its summary report? Is there anything the Minister has a thought on? How urgent is it, and what extent can it be expected to become, level 1, 2, or 3?
Statsrådet Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M)
Madam Speaker! Even though there is a hurry, it is naturally in such a way - which I am completely convinced the interpellor is aware of - that there is an order for things. Future budget investments are not presented in interpellation debates.
What I reported was the initiative that was announced yesterday, which will be included in the autumn budget. It is an extra initiative on financial supplements to the regions as a consequence of the difficult economic situation that many regions are experiencing. This naturally creates better conditions to focus on core activities, but it also places a very large demand on accountability there as well. The municipal politicians who are de facto responsible and who have the right to tax regarding the activities they conduct must ensure that they prioritize what is the important activity, the core activity, and so on.
When it comes to the matter, there is urgency. I do not think I have said anything that leaves the slightest room for ambiguity in that part. At the Ministry of Defence, we are working, as I mentioned, on breaking out subsets from what would otherwise have been further ahead in time. The fast track for the activation of the civil obligation is one such thing. All of this naturally occupies bandwidth for our work and requires that we prioritize in a very clear way. Therefore, during the past year, we have chosen to move forward with what we perceive as the most pressing.
Can I then say already now what should and should not be prioritized in MSB's basis? The answer is naturally no, because this is a basis that has been submitted to the Defence Preparation Board. We have an arrangement where the Defence Preparation Board is allowed to work independently and the government is not, in the meantime, involved and driving from the backseat. I believe that is an arrangement that the Social Democrats also endorse and consider appropriate.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.