Response to interpellation 2024/25:467 on development and welfare in the rural municipalities of Västerbotten
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD considers that the government has a clear rural focus and works to ensure that all of Sweden functions 1. KD argues that general state grants have been strengthened by 16 billion SEK 1 and that 300 million SEK has been invested in strengthening healthcare in rural areas 2. KD emphasizes that entrepreneurship, primarily within agriculture and forestry, is the key to life in rural areas 3 and argues that it is reasonable to have different service levels depending on where in the country one lives 3. SD argues that municipalities are being drained of people and resources due to lacking infrastructure and high municipal taxes 4. SD wants to see targeted measures such as tax reductions and establishment support for companies in the inland 4 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.
Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Sara Gille has asked me how I and the government are working to ensure that small rural municipalities in northern Sweden, such as Dorotea, are given the right conditions to develop and be strengthened, and what measures I and the government plan to take to support the business sector and the labor market in these municipalities.
The government has a clear rural focus, and we are working purposefully to improve the conditions for all of Sweden's rural municipalities. The government believes that all of Sweden should function and that the conditions to be able to live, reside, and work in the entire country should be strengthened.
Despite the fact that the state budgets for 2023 and 2024 needed to be restrained in order to combat inflation, the general state grants to the municipal sector have been strengthened by a total of 16 billion kronor. The reinforcements are permanent and thus continue to strengthen the municipal sector's finances from 2025 onwards.
Following the government's proposal in the budget bill for 2025, funds have been allocated for a compensation to municipalities with wind power installations. The distribution key for the compensation is currently being prepared within the Government Offices.
The Government decided on June 28, 2024, on a unified strategy for the new industrialization and social transformation in Norrbotten and Västerbotten counties. The new industrialization and social transformation in the northern counties will continue for a long time and require long-term perspective and perseverance. The strategy contains measures in seven areas that the Government considers particularly important for the new industrialization and social transformation to proceed in sync.
As another step in the work to support rural areas, the Ministry of Rural Affairs and Infrastructure is currently conducting a review of the overall rural policy. The purpose is to present proposals that shall strengthen the conditions for rural areas.
In conclusion, I would like to mention that the government has also appointed an inquiry to review future regional development policy and rural policy (dir. 2024:69). A final report is to be submitted by June 1, 2026, at the latest.
Sara Gille (SD)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for Rural Affairs for the answer to my interpellation.
The question of the future of Sweden's small rural municipalities is crucial, not only for those who live there but for the entire country. Northern Sweden has many municipalities that play a central role for the nation's prosperity. Forestry, food production, and energy supply are entirely dependent on these municipalities functioning.
The ongoing industrial transition in the north can be a great opportunity, but it can also exacerbate the challenges that the inland municipalities face. Many of these municipalities face the same problems. The population is steadily decreasing because young people move to where jobs and education are located. At the same time, the municipalities struggle with high municipal tax because fewer taxpayers are to finance the same welfare. When the tax becomes too high and job opportunities are limited, people continue to leave the municipalities, which weakens their economy even further.
In addition to economic challenges, there is also a great shortage of infrastructure and public services. It is difficult to maintain healthcare, schools, and public transport when resources are insufficient. Many inland municipalities have long distances to healthcare. In some cases, it can be several hours' drive to the nearest maternity clinic. This is an unacceptable situation for the people who choose to live and work in these areas.
My own home municipality, Dorotea, is a clear example. Dorotea is Sweden's smallest municipality in terms of population and has one of the country's highest municipal taxes. At the same time, it is a long way to healthcare and other social functions. For example, it is 14 miles to the nearest maternity clinic in Lycksele. If it is closed, which happens periodically, the journey becomes even longer. It takes just over five hours to get from Hemavan to Umeå. This creates a great sense of insecurity for the residents and contributes to many families choosing to move to larger cities where healthcare is more accessible. A few years ago, I had children myself, and I know what it is like to wait for a child and know that you might not make it to the maternity clinic in time. That anxiety is terrifying.
Mr. Speaker! I see that the government has made efforts and that the state grants have been strengthened by 16 billion SEK. This is welcome, but it does not solve the fundamental problem. The long-term development of the municipalities cannot be built solely on general grants. We need a policy that creates better conditions for companies, jobs, and services.
That is why I ask the Minister: How does the government view the need for targeted measures to strengthen the labor market and business life in small rural municipalities? What concrete actions are planned to reverse the negative trend of out-migration and high municipal taxes in these municipalities?
We want to see a policy that creates the conditions for a vibrant countryside where people can live and work without having to move to a large city to obtain a decent life.
Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Sweden's rural areas look very different; that must be kept in mind when discussing rural issues. The fact is that more people are moving out of Stockholm County than are moving in. Many see value in not living in large cities, values that are important to them.
Just as the member says, the countryside produces many of the products and goods that we who do not live in the direct countryside need daily. I am thinking primarily of food but also of energy, which is often produced just there. Therefore, I think an important measure is what I mentioned in my introduction, namely the compensation for wind power establishments. It is a small way.
During 2023 and 2024, we invested 300 million kronor in strengthening healthcare in rural areas, an investment that continues also in 2025. We also granted Norra sjukvårdsregionförbundet funds for 2019–2025 for the ongoing project Coordinated development for good and close care in a rural perspective.
The Government has stated in the Police Authority's regulatory letter for 2025 that the authority shall strengthen the work with a locally visible and safety-creating police and good service to the citizens.
An important part of the work to strengthen the countryside is to also support the small grocery stores and gas stations in rural areas with sparse services. Many times, it is the grocery stores and gas stations in the countryside that offer many other services, such as post, pharmacy, and Systembolaget agents. There, every service point is incredibly important.
We have carried out a reform of the reduction obligation which has contributed to the diesel price being closer to 10 kronor lower than at the peak under the previous government, which has primarily benefited residents in rural areas, not least in the inland of Norrland.
For the period 2018–2027, 75 million kronor per year have been allocated for an initiative targeting 30 socioeconomically disadvantaged municipalities. This primarily concerns rural municipalities, including several municipalities in northern Sweden. As I mentioned, following the government's proposal in the budget bill for 2025, funds have been allocated for wind power establishment. This is relevant, not least for many rural municipalities in northern Sweden.
The general business climate and an active industrial policy are, of course, central for all companies and operations to be able to flourish, regardless of whether they are located in the countryside, in rural areas, or in more central parts and cities.
Sara Gille (SD)
Mr. Speaker! The Minister has highlighted several initiatives that the government is undertaking. I am very pleased by them, and I am grateful for them.
The biggest problem our municipalities have is that they are being drained of both people and resources. Young people move to the large cities because the jobs and the education are there. Many actually want to stay, but when the opportunities are lacking, the choice becomes simple: They move.
At the same time, we see that companies hesitate to establish themselves in the inland municipalities. An important factor is the lack of infrastructure. Roads and railways are crucial for transport, but many smaller municipalities have neglected roads and limited public transport. This affects both the labor market and the companies' opportunities to grow.
The lack of competence is another challenge. When young people move, the labor force that companies need to expand also disappears. Furthermore, the costs for operations are often higher in the interior than they are in larger cities, which makes it difficult to compete and attract investments.
The inland municipalities in Västerbotten and Norrbotten generally have a higher municipal tax than the rest of the country. This is because fewer taxpayers are expected to finance the same welfare. When the tax becomes too high, many choose to move, and those who remain are the elderly in the population and an even more strained economy. This negative spiral must be broken.
That the industrial investments in northern Sweden create jobs is very positive – we are happy about them – but we simultaneously see a worrying trend where the development primarily benefits larger cities along the coast. Will the inland continue to deliver raw materials and energy to the rest of the country without getting anything back?
To reverse the negative development, targeted efforts are needed. The state should consider economic incentives for business establishments in the inland municipalities, such as tax reductions and investment support. Greater support for education and skills supply in these areas is also needed so that both companies and the workforce have incentives to stay and develop locally.
If we are serious about the whole of Sweden functioning, we must ensure that the inland municipalities can not only manage the challenges but also get to share in the opportunities that the economic development creates.
I want to ask the minister: What exactly is the government doing to ensure that all of northern Sweden, and not just the coastal cities, get to share in the investments in the new industrialization? Are there plans to create stronger economic incentives so that company establishments can take place in the inland municipalities?
It is not enough to hope that the investments will trickle down to the small municipalities, we must also ensure that they do.
Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)
Mr. Speaker! As much as I would like to answer all the questions, I believe it is best that I stick to my area. Therefore, I may perhaps be somewhat more general in the answers regarding the explicit business initiatives, which do not lie on my desk to some extent.
Much of what is on my desk is fundamentally about entrepreneurship, primarily forestry and agricultural entrepreneurship. There, I would still say that we in the government and the coalition partner are making large and decisive investments so that our farmers and forest owners, who many times are the engines of the countryside, shall have a better livelihood. Perhaps not a huge number work directly on the dairy farm or in the forestry company, but the peripheral services are many times significantly more numerous than those who work at the site itself. It involves various service jobs and craft services around the area.
I think that in the latest budget we clearly point out that we believe in Swedish agriculture and Swedish forestry. For the first time in a very long time, we choose to increase the funds for the common agricultural policy and the Swedish strategic plan so that an additional 750 million kronor go to our Swedish farmers. We are also looking at new reforms for the strategic plan and so on.
I believe that it must be the key and the driving force that makes it so that more people move to the countryside. It is not possible to send grants to bring life to the countryside, but it must happen through entrepreneurship and people's engagement. Everything is connected. One can always have a discussion about hens and eggs, but if people have a livelihood and the means to conduct their business and live in a place, there is also a basis for the shop, the school, and the healthcare.
I believe it is important to state that we will have different levels of service depending on where in the country one lives. In the same way that the resident of Södermalm cannot stick their nose out of the door and suddenly find themselves in a quiet and beautiful forest, there will not be a 7Eleven or a health center behind every tree in the countryside. This is not foreign to those who choose to live there – they know about it.
The conditions must, however, be reasonable, and one must feel that one is getting value for one's tax money and that there is a basic service that ensures one can have a good life in all of Sweden.
Sara Gille (SD)
Mr. Speaker! It is clear that the Minister and I share the ambition that the whole country should function and that there is an awareness of the challenges that many small municipalities in northern Sweden face. The Minister is right that it is not just about giving more money, but it is also about momentum.
I still hope that the government can focus moving forward on concrete measures that strengthen these municipalities in the long term. I would like to highlight three areas where continued efforts are crucial.
One must ensure that the investments in northern Sweden also reach the smaller inland municipalities to ensure that the entire region gets to take part in the economic development.
One must facilitate business and the labor market in rural areas. Economic incentives such as tax breaks and establishment support can actually make a big difference.
One must also strengthen the basic public services. Without good access to healthcare, schools, and infrastructure, there is no good society at all, and then people simply do not want to live there.
I look forward to following the government's work in this area and to us continuing together to strengthen the conditions for our rural municipalities.
The Sweden Democrats will continue to work for a policy that makes it possible to live and work in all of Sweden, and I hope that we can have a continued good dialogue on these issues.
Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)
Mr. Speaker! The government has a unified focus, and that is that the conditions for living, residing and working in all of Sweden shall be strengthened. Regardless of where one lives in the country, one should be able to create a good life, and we are a government so that all of Sweden shall function.
I would like to thank you for a good discussion here in the chamber this evening. I am sure that we have reason to return to these pressing issues.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.