Response to interpellation 2023/24:558 on measures to meet the needs in northern Sweden
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerned measures for the housing market and transport infrastructure in northern Sweden. KD argues that there is a great need for housing and good living environments around corporate expansions in Norrbotten and Västerbotten 1. KD emphasizes that the government has tasked Trafikverket with prioritizing the Malmbanan and investigating funding for the Luleå-Boden double track as well as the E4 bypass Skellefteå 1 2. KD highlights that they have doubled the operating support to non-state airports and that a coordinator has been appointed to promote housing construction 1 2. C argues that the state should take responsibility for billion-dollar investments in Skellefteå's harbor and airport instead of placing the responsibility on the municipality 3. C requests state guarantees or favorable loans to resolve these issues faster 3. C criticizes the government's restrained funding in the housing crisis 4 and requests faster processes such as ministerial letters 4. C also highlights the inland municipalities' special needs during defense expansion 5. KD responds that infrastructure reinforcements for military mobility and logistics is an ongoing work in close cooperation with the Ministry of Defence 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! Alireza Akhondi has asked me what measures I intend to contribute to so that the housing market can meet the needs in the north and what measures for the railway and aviation I intend to take for the same purpose.
I can state that Alireza Akhondi and I are in complete agreement that there is a great need for new housing and good living environments around the large company establishments and company expansions in Norrbotten and Västerbotten counties. We also agree that measures are needed in the transport system to enable and accelerate the industrial green transition in northern Sweden. The Government sees great opportunities for the two counties to lead the new industrial revolution and become an engine for green innovations.
A well-functioning housing market across the entire country with access to housing in varying forms of tenure is an important prerequisite for people's security and quality of life and for a competitive economy and growth.
Regarding the partial report from the government's investigators that Alireza Akhondi refers to, the investigator's proposals are being analyzed in the Government Offices. I do not intend to anticipate the result of that analysis or take a position on whether other or additional measures could become relevant.
Let me move on to the transport system. Aviation plays an important role in Sweden, as aviation enables fast transport that bridges long distances. Starting this year, the operating support to the non-governmental airports around the country will be doubled. In December last year, the government appointed an Arlanda Coordinator who shall propose measures for increased capacity and improved accessibility in the transport system to and from Arlanda Airport. Such measures also promote aviation to and from the affected locations in northern Sweden.
The transport infrastructure in northern Sweden is of crucial importance for both commuting and freight traffic in the region. The Government has therefore tasked Trafikverket with prioritizing projects in the national plan concerning the Malmbanan. Trafikverket shall work towards completing the relevant measures as early as possible and enable a more efficient implementation through coordination with other planned trimming and reinvestment measures on the stretch.
Trafikverket shall also investigate and submit proposals for various financing solutions as a basis for a potential future expansion of double tracks on the railway section Luleå-Boden, as well as work towards financing an earlier commencement of the implementation of the project E4 bypass Skellefteå.
The government has also initiated the work on a new national plan for the period 2026-2037. In January, Trafikverket presented the basis that will form the foundation for an infrastructure bill with new economic frameworks and direction for a new plan.
In conclusion, I would like to mention that the government intends to develop a strategy for the re-industrialization and societal transformation in Norrbotten and Västerbotten counties and to closely monitor the continued development in northern Sweden.
Alireza Akhondi (C)
Madam Speaker! Thank you to the Minister for the answer! I can begin by stating that Andreas Carlson is one of my favorite ministers. The purpose of the interpellation is therefore not to score cheap points or point fingers at the Minister or the Government. It is also not about trying to show off for my constituency. As is well known, I reside in Danderyd. The interpellation is about a construction sector that has crashed, about the NATO accession, about the challenges of the Malmbanan, and about our civil preparedness. Ultimately, it is about creating confidence in the future.
We all know that neither infrastructure projects nor housing construction are things that happen in the blink of an eye. In the bureaucracy of Sweden, where everything is appealed—in some cases *in absurdum*—we have extremely long lead times. What we decide on today will be in place in 10-15 years, at best. I am well aware of that. But it does not mean that we ourselves should delay the process by pushing things that can be decided today into the future. It means rather that we should actively try to untie the knots that may seem to exist in the system. Furthermore, it is actually possible to do things while the somewhat larger issues are prepared in the usual order, for example, taking financial responsibility for the harbor and the airport in Skellefteå.
I visited Skellefteå a few weeks ago. They told me, among other things, that the airport there needs a new terminal at a cost of approximately 800 million kronor. If I understood correctly, the airport in Skellefteå is municipally owned, and that means that the residents of Skellefteå municipality must take responsibility for an investment that, in my opinion, is the state's responsibility. The same applies to the harbor. There, it is also about billion-kronor investments that we shift the responsibility for onto the municipality. Now, Skellefteå is a prosperous municipality, but is it the state's view on this that the municipalities can solve their problems themselves? What answer do we then have for less resource-rich municipalities, for example Boden, which face the same challenges but do not have the same conditions to make billion-kronor investments themselves?
So, one thing remains. I can clarify my question. Is the Minister prepared to support these municipalities to resolve some of these issues before we end up in a situation where the problems are pushed into the future, for example through state guarantees or loans with favorable terms, perhaps even at the state borrowing rate?
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! I would first like to thank the member for the commitment to northern Sweden, for a functioning transport infrastructure, and for the housing issue highlighted in the interpellation.
To address some of the parts that the member raised in their contribution, I can first touch upon the Malmbanan. I share the view that it is critical. It is very important to implement a reinforcement of the Malmbanan as soon as possible, and that was why the government already about a year ago decided to task Trafikverket with accelerating measures.
The Swedish Transport Administration was to report back with measures that could be moved forward in the national plan to achieve increased capacity in the infrastructure, not least on the Malmbanan. The Swedish Transport Administration reported back, and the government has now made a decision to move forward and enable the moving forward of seven different measures, four of which are extensions of passing loops, which increases capacity.
As a result of the government's clear direction and pointing out the need, Trafikverket has begun preparing railway plans for double track Luleå-Boden even before the financing decision has been made. The work is therefore underway, and that decision in itself means that the planning process can be shortened by two to three years according to Trafikverket. This is, if one is to be honest and say, somewhat unusual – but I think it is urgent given the great needs for a robust, reliable infrastructure. The shutdown resulting from the disruptions on the Malmbanan affects not only the Norrland economy and jobs in the north but actually all of Sweden because it is so crucial. It illustrates that the transport infrastructure is important for all of Sweden to function.
Madam Speaker! When it comes to aviation, I was pointing out that we have more than doubled the operating support to the non-state airports. There is a proposal from the Airport Investigation which also concerns Skellefteå Airport, and that is to include airports in the national base supply, that is, to take them over under state management. That proposal is being prepared in the Government Offices.
Regarding the ports, many of the ports in Sweden are municipal. There are great needs, and investments are taking place now. Some are in the national plan, for example, the reinforcement of Luleå port and Gothenburg port. It is important to see what can be done to strengthen the possibilities for shipping. There are very great opportunities to combine several modes of transport in the freight of goods. One should not pit modes of transport against each other but make combined transports, for example by using road, rail, and then shipping to achieve as high efficiency and sustainability as possible.
Regarding housing and credit guarantees, as the member requested, we have appointed Peter Larsson as coordinator for northern Sweden for that very purpose. In his first partial report, he has presented three interesting proposals, which are now being prepared in the Government Offices.
Alireza Akhondi (C)
Madam Speaker! Warm thanks to Andreas Carlson for a very good answer! It feels good that the government has taken the signals and is actively working on the issues.
What feels a bit "so-so," however, are the financing issues. The Government has been extremely restrained with measures that alleviate the active crises. We have a situation on the housing market, which the Minister is well aware of, with seven construction companies going bankrupt every day. It is clear that given how things have looked and how the government bills look during the current year, at least, I cannot claim that I feel secure that these issues are being resolved, even though the Minister has assured and continues to assure us time and again that things are being prepared at the Government Offices.
I also note that the Minister highlighted the issue of the E4 bypass, which is pleasing. It felt very strange when one sat there in the car outside the crossing with a motorway straight through the city, especially when it is so heavily trafficked. So, it feels good. On the other hand, I wonder about the proposals that the investigator has presented. I understand that these are partial proposals and that the investigation continues, but when does the Minister think the proposals can be processed? Are there discussions about using slightly faster processes, for example, ministerial letters, so that these issues can proceed as quickly as possible? What are the Minister's thoughts regarding those parts?
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! I thank Alireza Akhondi very much for the contribution. I appreciate the genuine commitment he displays and that we can have this discussion to see how one can act to move forward quickly. The impatience that the member expresses, I have also encountered in many representatives for Skellefteå whom I have met and whom I suspect Alireza Akhondi also met when he was in Skellefteå. I have also been to many other places.
It is of course the case that infrastructure and housing risk becoming a bottleneck - or they will become an enabler for many of the industrial establishments and industrial initiatives that are taking place. Therefore, it is important that various measures are put in place as quickly as possible. That was also why the government gave the investigator Peter Larsson the assignment to see what can be done to promote the coordination of state interventions that act as enablers for sustainable community building and rapid population development. I cannot anticipate the preparation, but it is important to have high momentum in measures that ensure better conditions for housing construction. It is, as said, the same thing when it comes to infrastructure - it is also either a bottleneck or an enabler.
An important part of the government's work has been to fight inflation. It is exactly as the member knows the reason for the very dramatic decline in housing construction. Now we see positive trends. We cannot shout "the danger is over," but as inflation continues to be fought, the government can transition to more cyclical measures, which the budget amendment shows, among other things; it is more extensive this time than it was previously.
I do not rule out that we will need to take further measures. As the member and I have previously discussed, measures with better functionality and structural reforms were needed for a better functioning housing market. We will need to work on that at a high tempo, and I look forward to returning to that, Madam Speaker.
Alireza Akhondi (C)
Madam Speaker! I do not doubt for a second the Minister's commitment to trying to find solutions. But I hope that we in this chamber can also be involved in seeing what is being done. The signals today have not been particularly clear as to exactly when and how the government plans to address these issues.
I would like to conclude, in addition to thanking the Minister, by also highlighting another aspect, namely the inland municipalities, which have somewhat specific challenges. I am thinking of Östersund and Boden. Given that we have a historical defense expansion with new regiments, it is important that their specific needs are also taken into account. I am curious to hear how the Minister views the inland municipalities' somewhat special challenges in relation to Luleå, Skellefteå and other municipalities.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! I am pleased that the member highlights that aspect. When it comes to reinforcements of the infrastructure that can enable military mobility, host nation support as a result of our membership in Nato, and other important transports for food supply, commodity supply, and troop movement, of course, all of Sweden will be involved, not least at the connections from west to east. The Defence Preparation Board will soon submit its report, but in a partial report, it has already pointed out that the infrastructure needs to be strengthened in the west-east direction with connections from Norwegian ports across Swedish territory to the Baltic Sea and also Finland. This also extends from the Oslo region. The port of Gothenburg is pointed out, as well as redundancy in the Öresund.
In all of this, we are working very closely with the Ministry of Defence, more closely than has been done for a very long time. I also have contact with the Armed Forces myself. We are newly joined members of Nato, so we do not yet fully know what all of this entails, but it is very important to also have a high tempo in that respect.
I also think it is important to see what synergies exist and what can be done as a result of our NATO membership and the security situation for necessary reinforcements that also benefit freight transport and commuting to work in the municipalities and parts of the country that Alireza Akhondi raised. It is an ongoing work where I look forward to good dialogue with the parties in the Riksdag.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.