Response to interpellations 2023/24:58, 59, 60 and 64 on green transition

Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Madam Speaker! To the listeners, both here in the chamber and remotely, I want to say that these are, therefore, interpellations that in different ways concern competence, innovation, northern Sweden, as well as startup and scaleup companies. I say that as a small listening instruction.

Marianne Fundahn has asked me how, within my area of responsibility, I intend to create the right conditions for the green transition in Sweden, particularly regarding the availability of the right competence.

Aida Birinxhiku has asked me how I intend to create the right conditions for the green transition in Sweden within my area of responsibility, particularly regarding Swedish innovative power.

Isak From has asked me how I intend, within my area of responsibility, to create the right conditions for the green industrial transition in Sweden, particularly regarding the new industrialization in northern Sweden.

Daniel Vencu Velasquez Castro has asked me how, within my area of responsibility, I intend to create the right conditions for the green transition in Sweden, particularly regarding automation and robotization within small and medium-sized enterprises in the industry, as well as what measures the government is taking to promote the startup and scaleup scene in Sweden.

These four interpellations are answered jointly.

Sweden sits on a unique opportunity to seize the growth potential that the industrial transition represents and strengthen Sweden's resilience against global disruptions. We have a fossil-free electricity system, abundant minerals and metals, high competence and innovation capacity, as well as significant entrepreneurship. Previous governments have not acted sufficiently to actively work for a faster transition. The Government intends to work for a more efficient assessment of conflicts of interest between public interests that arise, for example, during the expansion of the electricity system and infrastructure, during industrial establishments, and during the expansion of the mining industry.

The climate and business policy that this government is driving is ambitious, effective, and results-oriented. Swedish business shall be given the conditions to be a leader in the green transition. Swedish competitiveness goes hand in hand with the goal of net-zero emissions by 2045, and it requires an active industrial policy. This involves, among other things, expanded electricity production, skills supply, as well as fast, predictable, and efficient permit processes.

In Norrbotten and Västerbotten counties, an extensive new industrialization linked to fossil-free production and electrification is underway. The Government sees great opportunities for northern Sweden to lead the new industrial revolution and truly become an engine for green innovations. When new sustainable industries establish themselves, this part of the country can become a leader in the global climate transition. By being at the forefront with new innovative sustainable technology, there are also competitive advantages for Swedish business and entrepreneurship.

The Government intends to develop a strategy for the new industrialization and social transformation in Norrbotten and Västerbotten counties. The investments in northern Sweden are key investments for the industry's transition, with a focus on raw materials and products that are early in the value chain and thus constitute input goods that are crucial for the entire country's industrial transition and competitiveness.

The Government also intends to develop an industrial strategy that sets the framework for how Sweden can continue to be a world leader in innovative and sustainable industrial production of goods and services.

The government also intends to develop a new mineral strategy to, among other things, secure domestic metal production in a changed geopolitical context. The strategy will be guiding for how the government shall work in the future to strengthen and develop the Swedish mineral industry and the entire mining cluster.

Sweden's industry plays a crucial role in society's climate transition, as it drives the development of fossil-free industrial processes. This involves large investments in new environmental technology and new infrastructure that create growth.

The government is now taking a holistic approach to the permit processes. In June, the government appointed an ambitious investigation into shortened and simplified permit processes, which shall ensure that the process from application to decision goes faster, becomes simpler and more efficient, and also more predictable. In the budget bill for 2024, the government proposes that resources be allocated to increase the capacity in the examinations. In parallel with this, the government is working to implement parts of the proposals previously submitted by the Environmental Assessment Inquiry. Preparation of the Climate Justice Inquiry's final report is currently underway.

To manage the challenge of securing the right competencies to enable the green transition, efforts are needed in research and university education, but also at the school and upper secondary levels to attract students to higher education. Here we see that the lack of matching on the labor market is partly due to job seekers not having the professional competence that is in demand. The opportunity for transition and education therefore needs to be strengthened. For that reason, the government prioritizes funds for more places within both the university colleges and the vocational adult education. In the budget bill for 2024, the government proposes several different initiatives for education and research that shall strengthen the engineering nation Sweden and meet the large competence needs.

International competition is becoming increasingly tougher, and more and more companies are competing with knowledge-intensive goods and services. The Government sees that research and innovation are crucial for Sweden's position as a knowledge nation.

I intend to return with more parts that the government is working on. This is in a submitted written response that will be available on the Riksdag's website, but I do not have time to read it out now.

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Marianne Fundahn (S)

Madam Speaker! Thank you for the answer, Minister, even though I am disappointed that this important issue is merged with three other important issues and does not get the space it deserves.

To manage the electrification, it is required that there is the right competence in a number of areas. The sector must become an attractive industry to train for and seek employment in. But the recent years' reports on fatal accidents, solitary work, risky environments, and extensive overtime do not increase the attractiveness.

The attractiveness and working environment of the professions need to be strengthened, and the parties in the industries need to agree on what competence the training should lead to, so that more people will educate themselves and then seek the jobs that are so important for our transition. That need is acute and absolutely crucial if we are to meet the challenges we face.

I am very pleased that the Minister here highlights the importance of these professions, because they will need to be recruited for many different jobs, in both production and distribution.

The majority of those who are recruited enter the industry via the electricity and energy program or via vocational college education. Within upper secondary school, there are currently three schools with a focus on the industry, and within the vocational college, the availability is equally limited purely geographically. Unlike many other industries that require specialized competence, the energy sector lacks clear requirements on what competence the industry expects from those to be recruited. This creates an ambiguity for the schools, which do not have clear industry requirements to adhere to.

The Energy Authority has conducted a mapping where they identify 35 different occupations where there will be a shortage within the energy sector in the future. These include, for example, plant operators, civil and high-school engineers, installation electricians, service electricians, wind power technicians, and solar cell installers. Electrification will affect a number of occupations, and there is a large competence need in a number of areas. The mapping also shows that the occupations have a lack of attractiveness, and the completion rate is low for, for example, vocational college educations.

The upper secondary education also gives cause for concern. Among other things, the proportion of students in the electricity and energy program as well as the industrial technology program has decreased since the upper secondary school reform in 2011. In an article in the newspaper Energi, Marie Claesson, project manager at the Swedish Energy Agency, says that another challenge is the skewed gender distribution, which further complicates the supply of skills. A survey shows that both broad and more traditional skills are needed, but also completely new and niche ones as new technological solutions are implemented. Claesson says that even nuclear power could become a bottleneck in the long run: "In the short term, the need is not so great, but if there were new construction of nuclear power, it would become a huge challenge. We need competence in all areas: researchers, engineers with specialized expertise, builders and welders."

The report shows that the addition of newly qualified individuals is limited. Today, there is a clear gap between available education and the needs that the industry faces.

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Aida Birinxhiku (S)

Madam Speaker! Thanks to the Minister for the opening answer!

My colleagues and I are in the chamber today to ensure that the government creates the right conditions for the green transition. Right now, a global race is underway where countries compete to take leading positions in the green transition. The countries that are at the forefront can expect reduced emissions, more jobs, and increased prosperity.

We Social Democrats naturally want the jobs and the investments that the transition creates to stay in Sweden. When the previous Alliance government described Swedish industry as a mere memory, we chose a different strategy, a strategy for new industrialization. Now, Swedish industry is at the forefront of the green transition, which is creating thousands of Swedish jobs here and now. But for this development to continue, more initiatives are required over the coming years, and now it is up to the current government to take concrete measures to increase the pace of the transition.

Madam Speaker! In order for an increased pace to be possible, Swedish innovative power is absolutely crucial. As a leading innovation country, Sweden can create a fast track for the green transition. Sweden risks, however, falling behind as global competition intensifies. We see that the number of patents is increasing at a rapid pace, investments in research and innovation are becoming increasingly offensive, and national strategies are being developed in country after country. It is against this background that we Social Democrats have proposed that the government develops an offensive innovation strategy that can meet the challenges we face, not least when it comes to the area of intellectual property rights. It is something that already exists in several of our neighboring countries, it is something that is demanded by the business community and relevant actors, and it is also something that can gather a broad political majority.

When I debated the issue with the Minister a few months ago, it emerged, however, that the government does not intend to work out such a strategy, despite the need for national mobilization. Furthermore, the government chooses to significantly reduce the appropriations to Vinnova in the coming years. Instead of meeting other countries' offensive investments in research and innovation, the government is going in the opposite direction. It is completely the wrong way to go.

We Social Democrats naturally reject the government's cut and further propose that the appropriation be increased by an additional 25 million. In our budget proposal, we increase the research and innovation appropriations to Vinnova by 175 million.

It is obvious that the government's and the Sweden Democrats' autumn budget lacks the ambition to strengthen Swedish innovative power. It is highly concerning in a time when Sweden risks falling behind in the global competition and is furthermore expected to have the lowest growth in the entire EU.

Madam Speaker! In light of this development, my question to Minister for Energy and Business Ebba Busch is the following. How can Sweden and Swedish industry lead the green transition when the conditions for research and innovation are deteriorating?

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Isak From (S)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for the answers, Minister for Energy and Industry, even though I quite sincerely think that the Minister has done his best to mess it up. There are four different interpellations here where, in each case, three are very different and definitely would have deserved their own interpellations debates.

The question of the right competence can perhaps be combined with the question of new industrialization in northern Sweden. They belong together. But the questions regarding innovation power and what the government is doing to promote startup and scaleup companies in Sweden would have deserved their own interpellation debates. The handling here makes it feel as if the Minister for Energy and Industry would like to come back and debate the issues once more with us Social Democrats.

My interpellation concerns the green industrial transformation in northern Sweden and all the positive things that are happening. It is not only positive for northern Sweden but for all of Sweden and also for the climate transition in the world.

I still want to give a tribute. A question that has not really been touched upon here, and is also not touched upon in the answer, concerns the fact that the Minister for Energy and Industry has given Peter Larsson a continued investigation assignment as a housing investigator directly in the Government Offices. One of the absolutely most important things right now concerns housing for the over 100 people who are employed every week in northern Sweden, not least at Northvolt in Skellefteå. What kind of life and opportunities can one create for themselves here? Is it temporary barrack housing, or is it fly-in/fly-out that we see ahead of us? Or can we actually have a housing policy that enables a good life and a good home, which does not place everything on the individual municipality? It is tough in Skellefteå, and it will be tough in Boden. It is already tough in Gällivare, and it is also tough in Kiruna and Luleå. Here, what should be a national responsibility is being placed on the municipalities.

We Social Democrats have proposed green credits to the municipalities, and it is absolutely necessary. What we see in the budget bill when it comes to construction is luxury-rot. A luxury-rot for replacing countertops will not create new apartments, villas, or condominiums, but it might create a demand to replace one's countertop, one's kitchen, or one's bathroom—and it also creates new tax cuts. When the housing industry has come to a complete standstill, we need an offensive housing policy that makes the construction companies actually dare to invest in the projects that exist already today. If the green industrial transformation is to truly work, it must also include housing.

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Daniel Vencu Velasquez Castro (S)

Madam Speaker! In the Minister's collective response to our interpellations, I believe the Minister missed robotization and automation. Nor was a single word directed at the startup and scaleup industry in Sweden, which faces a number of challenges and is an important actor if we are to carry out the green transition. But I take the Minister's word when she says that she will return with more measures.

Sweden is ranked fourth in the world when it comes to robotization and automation. China, South Korea, and Japan are the countries that are ahead of us. 73 percent of all the world's robots are installed in Asia and 15 percent in Europe, mostly in Sweden. Sweden is a nation that is at the forefront, but to continue to be a prominent innovation country, a clear strategy is required with a political direction intended to take Sweden into the new era as a winner.

Right now we are the best in Europe, but other countries are on their way to catching up with us. Right now they can overtake Sweden in being Europe's leading robot nation if nothing is done. The Social Democratic government introduced Robotlyftet, which provided support for increased automation in order to strengthen Swedish competitiveness. The support program yielded results, and Sweden overtook Denmark as Europe's leading robot nation. Through the cohesive national support program with a clear goal and a clear direction, we made Sweden Europe's leading robot nation. We succeeded in streamlining production through robotization and thereby contributed to a green transition.

Not least, support programs and measures for our small and medium-sized enterprises are needed, which are crucial for us to manage the green transition. Large industries also need the state to be involved in the work for a competitive transition, but the small and medium-sized companies do not have the same capacity to work with the issues and therefore need help to manage the transition.

The robot lift is no longer there, Madam Speaker. I therefore wonder what the government's ambition is regarding the robotization of Sweden. How shall we ensure that Sweden continues to be Europe's leading robot nation, succeeding in streamlining our production through automation and creating a green production chain?

Within the government base, there are many who do not want to see state subsidy programs or state subsidies for investments in Sweden. While the whole world is trying to attract investments to their countries, there is a division within the government base as to whether Sweden should be part of the green race or not, but it is actually irrelevant. The green race has already begun. It is no longer a question of whether we should have fossil-free steel or not, but rather where it will be produced. It is not a question of whether we should have battery factories or not, but where and in which country they will be located. It is also not a question of whether we should streamline our small and medium-sized enterprises through automation, but at what pace we do it in order to remain competitive.

Madam Speaker! Sweden is ranked fourth in the world when it comes to robotization of automation. Despite this, State Secretary Busch did not utter a word on how Sweden should continue to be at the forefront. We will, as said, have to see if there will be more announcements.

Startup and scaleup companies are an industry where automation is used extensively and where new innovations are developed for tomorrow's green transformation. Sweden and especially Stockholm belong to the world's leading countries and cities regarding startup and scaleup companies, but here the government lacks policy. There is no direction and no support to be obtained for these companies. This is a government that does not seem to want to take advantage of Swedish innovations that will strengthen the country's competitiveness.

Madam Speaker! I would appreciate it if the Minister could devote at least one minute to answering what she is doing within her area of responsibility to create the right conditions for the green transition in Sweden, particularly regarding automation and robotization within industry for small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as what measures the government is taking to promote the startup and scaleup scene in Sweden.

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Adrian Magnusson (S)

Madam Speaker! I would first like to regret that four rather important issues are being merged in such a debate. I think it is unfortunate that we cannot debate them a bit more individually, because I still think they have that type of dignity.

Off the coast of my hometown Ystad, planning is currently underway for two large wind farms, Triton and Skåne Havsvindpark. The Minister is probably familiar with these. This could lead to hundreds of jobs in my part of Skåne, i.e., in Ystad in southeastern Skåne and in, for example, Trelleborg, Skurup and Sjöbo - simply around Ystad and in all of southeastern Skåne. It concerns the construction and maintenance of the wind farms themselves, but above all all the side effects that this type of establishment can have.

One must be honest and say that my part of Skåne - southeastern Skåne - is not the most establishment-heavy part of the country, nor is it the most establishment-heavy part of Skåne. It is not a region where large industrial establishments have occurred in recent years. There are many small businesses and agriculture. There are admittedly some large industries, but they are well-established and have been there for a long time - they are not ones that have been established in recent years. With this in mind, the establishment of offshore wind power is extremely important for my hometown and for all of southeastern Skåne.

The local newspaper Ystads Allehanda had an article on October 11 with the headline "Offshore wind power - major shortage of technicians". One might wonder what this is about. I can state that wind power technicians are a profession of the future; there is a major shortage of technicians.

Wind power technicians are being trained today in Skara, Trollhättan, Lidköping, Varberg, Sundsvall and Nässjö. It sounds like there should be a lot of trained wind power technicians in the country, but nowhere are wind power technicians being trained for work at sea. There is no such training in Sweden, which is quite remarkable given the large establishments we have to expect.

The training for wind power technicians is a three-term post-secondary education. It is therefore not an engineering education, which the government likes to highlight. There is nothing wrong with engineers, but there are other types of education.

How then is one to get hold of these technicians? Should it be through labor migration, or should one rely on free movement? Probably this will not suffice when all of Europe is making large-scale installations of offshore wind power. We know that installations are planned in many places in northern Europe, for example in Germany, the United Kingdom and Denmark.

These technicians are needed now. The government is happy to talk warmly about the green transition, and as has been said, engineers are not enough. Offshore wind power technicians are needed now. This issue needs to be taken seriously.

My question to the Minister for Energy and Business is therefore whether she will do anything to ensure that training for offshore wind technicians is put in place and when that will happen. This cannot be dragged out indefinitely – we are in the middle of this challenge. All of Europe is pulling for these people, and then we must actually see to it that we do what we can here in Sweden.

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Madam Speaker! I would like to begin by returning to the questions regarding digitalization and those concerning innovation, for it is very true that international competition is intensifying in these matters. More and more companies are competing with knowledge-intensive goods and services.

The Government considers that research and innovation are crucial for Sweden's position as a knowledge nation and for Sweden's global competitiveness, as well as to enable the green transition. Everything is interconnected.

We will present the research and innovation policy in the upcoming research and innovation bill. It is correct that no specific innovation strategy is planned, but this is incorporated in parallel with - and is a crucial part of - the industrial strategy that will be developed and several of the previously announced strategies. It is fundamental in the research bill.

The digital industrial transformation affects the entire business sector. Should Sweden be a country where the next generation of advanced and powerful digital solutions are developed? It is not really a question; this needs to happen for us to manage the green transition. By Swedish companies being leaders in developing new technology and digital solutions, the groundwork is also established for future exports and jobs, as well as tools for productivity improvements.

The research and innovation program Advanced Digitalization, which was initiated by, among others, the Swedish Innovation Agency, started a long-term initiative in 2021 that is intended to give Swedish industry a leading role in future digital and technical solutions. I believe that much of what Member Vencu Velasquez Castro pointed out is contained within this.

I want to delve deeper specifically into the issue of innovation. It is quite true that the government is making a reprioritization in the budget. Vinnova continues to be a very important agency in innovation matters. A mandate has been held and priorities have been made which, among other things, have concerned civil and military defense. There we see what is called dual use, which means that what is researched and relates to the innovation side is also used within both the civil and the military. A clear prioritization of this is made in the Armed Forces' FOI program. Significant funds are being added over the next three years, also to the Total Defence Research Institute, FOI.

As the responsible minister for Vinnova, I believe that there is a clear potential for efficiency at Vinnova given that such a clear prioritization is being made regarding matters concerning civil and military defense that are innovation-related and partially research-related. This is now clearly included in the Armed Forces' FOI program and at the Total Defence Research Institute. It is not exactly the same sums, but they are at approximately similar levels for the next three years.

The issue of competence is a huge concern; I really want to emphasize this. The Energy Agency has had a very important coordination mandate regarding competence supply, which was presented on October 5. I really look forward to being able to take many of these conclusions further.

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Marianne Fundahn (S)

Madam Speaker! If Sweden is to continue to lead the green transition, the supply of skills must be resolved. This is an important industrial policy issue, and the state needs to take greater responsibility here.

In our committee motion, we propose that Lernia be given a public mission to educate regarding vocational training within shortage occupations. I wonder how the Minister views this. Are there other proposals on how the state can expand its responsibility for the competence supply?

According to Företagarna, the supply of skills must be placed much more clearly on the agenda, as it is a crucial strategic issue for the entire business community in Sweden. This should be coordinated at a national level.

Industry companies point out the skills shortage as the greatest obstacle to growing and investing in Sweden. Since industrial development is moving at a high speed and international competition is tough, the competence of employees must be at the absolute forefront. Access to the right competence among both skilled workers and white-collar employees is crucial for the climate transition in industry and Sweden.

Industry needs employees with a combination of practical and theoretical competence. Collaboration between business and education must be strengthened at all levels. We must solve the skills supply issue. It is an important industrial policy issue where broad agreements are needed. Here, the Minister for Energy and Enterprise has an important role. What solutions does she see in this?

By 2030, according to SCB, there will be a shortage of 100,000 people trained in technology. This concerns both engineers and other vocationally trained individuals. Specifically, energy education tops the list of engineering educations that employers demand.

Even in the public sector, the need for personnel with the right competence is great. Many new employees are needed in municipalities and regions over the next ten years. If nothing changes, a total of 410,000 people need to be hired by 2031 due to population development and to replace retirements. This is shown by SKR's personnel forecast. The challenge is that while the need for personnel in welfare is increasing, the number of people of working age only increases by 4 percent during the same period.

The competition for labor is therefore fierce, and many industries are in demand of personnel. It is good that the government is making investments in education. But how are we to attract people to choose the energy industry, and how are we to get them to complete their education?

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Aida Birinxhiku (S)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer.

Let me return to the issues of innovation. The countries Sweden competes with are making large-scale investments in research and innovation. They are not cutting back, and they are not talking about efficiencies.

Sweden recently lost its position as Europe's leading innovation country and now risks falling further behind. Therefore, it is high time that the government begins the work of developing an offensive innovation strategy. We need to become much better at increasing knowledge on how innovations can be protected, using research funds more effectively, and ensuring that innovations can be commercialized to a greater extent.

Such a strategy already exists in Denmark and Finland, and in Finland, a national mobilization is underway in broad parliamentary unity to develop innovation policy and implement record-breaking investments.

Norway also works strategically with these issues, not least when it comes to patent data. The Norwegian Industrial Property Office carries out in-depth patent analyses every year precisely to ensure that research and innovation funds go where they do the most good. This is something we should also do in Sweden, so that we can determine where Sweden has the greatest opportunity to contribute with new knowledge and technology.

Not least, we need an innovation strategy to meet the rapid developments within AI and digitalization. Even here, decisive action must be taken, not only to keep pace but to be able to lead the development.

Therefore, it is still my hope that the government can meet us halfway and begin the work of developing an innovation strategy. The Minister wishes to return with answers regarding the work within other strategies, but this work needs to be accelerated here and now.

Mr. Speaker! When the work forward is discussed, I would like to add that the Social Democrats want to see an ambitious and strategic direction for the innovation work when the government presents a new research and innovation bill in 2024. In this work, intellectual property rights are completely crucial, especially when it comes to increasing the utilization of Swedish research. We need to ensure that Swedish research leads to the greatest possible benefit for the vast majority in society. I want to emphasize this because I have not heard the Minister mention intellectual property rights a single time during this debate, and we must not forget it.

Mr. Speaker! Vinnova is an important part in ensuring that the business sector places its research and development in Sweden, for it is not a given. The government's and the Sweden Democrats' cuts are therefore worrying. The criticism has been extensive, as the industry is concerned that the innovation policy is not receiving the long-term boost and the funding required for Sweden to be able to be a leading innovation country. Furthermore, it goes completely against the international trend of increasing public investments in the area, and now other countries are running past Sweden in both ambitions and efforts.

It is obvious that the business community and other actors are ready to ramp up the innovation work so that Sweden and Swedish industry can lead the green transition. My question to the Minister for Energy and Enterprise is: When is the government ready to do the same?

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Isak From (S)

Mr. Speaker! Since four interpellations have been answered with a response, we are now debating both the former and the latter.

Even though the Minister for Energy and Industry seems to have a positive starting point in these issues, the government's budget shows that SD's influence heavily limits the government's capacity for innovation in area after area. Cutting in Tillväxtverket and Vinnova does not create the confidence for the future that we and the business community see as necessary for Sweden to continue to be at the forefront.

I submitted my interpellation based on the green industrial transformation in northern Sweden, and just as Northvolt has presented to the government, the housing issue is completely central. More than a hundred people are hired every week, and for them to have good conditions and to ensure that barracks or fly-in/fly-out arrangements are not created, the government needs to signal that there is a housing policy that extends further than luxury renovations and changing countertops. Rental apartments, condominiums, and villas need to be built, and therefore the Socialdemokrater propose a construction stimulus and state construction credits targeted at fast-growing municipalities.

To secure the supply of skills, the Social Democrats propose a new pilot project with national intake at yrkesvux so that adults from across the country can apply for education with secure jobs in the tracks of the green industrial transformation.

A growth coordination from the state and government was needed that could provide support. I know that Peter Larsson continuously brings this forward in dialogue with the government, and he has a good starting point in what he proposes. But does the government have this mandate from the government's innovation-hostile party, Sverigedemokraterna? We do not see that. But we wait and hope, because what is happening in northern Sweden is a showcase for that the green industrial transformation is possible to carry out. But then, Mr. Speaker, people need somewhere to live.

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Daniel Vencu Velasquez Castro (S)

Mr. Speaker! As I touched upon in my previous contribution, we need a political direction that takes a holistic approach to the green transition, where large industries and small and medium-sized enterprises are given the conditions to contribute to a total transformation of society, which in the end will lead to strengthened Swedish competitiveness and increased prosperity. We face a crossroads that is not only about the industry's competitiveness but also about how Sweden should contribute to reduced global emissions without weakening economic development, but rather strengthening it.

The expanded possibilities for state aid are something that the government should take advantage of. This is something that Ebba Busch and I have already debated previously, Mr. Speaker, but too little is being done. One such opportunity is to invest in the robotization of our production, to create a support program that ensures that small and medium-sized enterprises get the opportunity to automate their production and that capitalizes on the development capacity that the Swedish manufacturing industry has.

The Swedish Industry Council issued a new report, Climate Transition on Equal Terms?, in which it is stated: "The second dimension is a competition analysis which, among other things, includes what state supports are offered by other countries. The USA's climate initiative, IRA, involves, for example, significant subsidies in the form of tax breaks for domestic producers, which risks counteracting climate policy measures in Europe and distorting the competition for the sub-sectors undergoing climate transition. Expanded opportunities for support measures for climate transition within the EU means that we can expect further support measures in other European countries, which risks changing the competitive conditions on the European market."

The government needs to conduct a proper impact analysis of what it means if Sweden does not increase the number of state aid projects in relation to our competitiveness, Mr. Speaker. Many other EU countries have national growth strategies for exactly startup and scaleup companies, which are also important for the green transition. One does not lump high-innovation startup companies together with other small businesses. These companies need different interventions from politics. Small businesses need certain interventions, and startup companies need other interventions. Sweden needs to ensure that there are sufficient funds to create forums where startup and scaleup companies can develop further and programs that enable students from different educational institutions to dare, be able to, and want to invest their ideas in a business that later becomes the next Spotify or Skype. They are needed, and politics needs to create the conditions.

In Sweden, we have a national incubator program that primarily targets startup companies, i.e., the early phase, but we are lagging behind when it comes to the conditions for scaleup companies to gear up and become viable. We Social Democrats have advocated for a national platform to ensure that Swedish scaleup companies do not fail but are allowed to develop. But even here, the government lacks policy.

Mr. Speaker! Instead of the Swedish Innovation Agency, which has been mentioned a number of times in these interpellations, being able to continue working with our foremost innovations, we are to see reduced appropriations of half a billion until 2026. Nor has the government given any notification regarding new collaboration programs to identify challenges and opportunities together with the industry in order to jointly strengthen the conditions to contribute to strengthened Swedish competitiveness. There are no programs, no strategies, and no increased resources. It is a dangerous policy that will cause us to see investments end up abroad. Companies with Swedish innovations will simply choose to establish themselves abroad. We must take advantage of the Swedish innovations that can create the new Swedish jobs.

Mr. Speaker! I therefore wonder what Minister Ebba Busch intends to do to ensure that Sweden becomes a strong robot nation that also takes advantage of highly innovative startup and scaleup companies.

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Adrian Magnusson (S)

Mr. Speaker! This is going to be a very scattered debate. We are talking about everything from the new industrialization in the north to offshore wind farms on the southernmost coast of Sweden. I think it is a bit unfortunate that the debate becomes so scattered, as I said in my first speech, because none of the issues truly receive the dignity they deserve. I think it is regrettable, I wish to state once again.

I fully understand that Skåne Havsvindpark and Triton, the other offshore wind farm that is planned, are not large industrial establishments in the north. They will not provide thousands of jobs; I understand that. But it is an important issue for my part of Skåne, and therefore it is an important issue that there are offshore wind technicians who can be in my part of Skåne and work on these wind farms. Therefore, I think, as I have said, it is regrettable that we are not given time and space to discuss the skills shortage within the green transition. I think it is sad.

With an active labor market policy, one could solve this. Now, the current minister is not the Minister for Employment, and I do not have time to present everything I find problematic with the labor market policy in 30 seconds, so I will not do that. But I still want to convey that this could have been different with an active labor market policy. I still hope that I can get some kind of expression of intent from the minister regarding the importance of offshore wind power technicians and an announcement if there are any concrete plans to start a training program—something that I can take home to my voters in southeastern Skåne who can explain to them that this establishment is important and that it will most likely be realized. I hope that I can leave that announcement for them.

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I can tell the audience that we are in the third hour where I am answering interpellations from the members.

We will do this! But I can agree that we perhaps shouldn't do it with so many questions in one batch – there I can give you a resounding yes.

When it comes to startup and scaleup companies, the experts tax still has an impact on these more than on many other companies. I agree that there is a difference for startup companies. There is also a difference between startup companies and scaleup companies. We have also many times placed a very large focus on that new innovative companies should be able to pop up – but how will they be able to scale up, become commercially viable and become truly viable and competitive? I agree that we need to develop even more measures and steps.

With that said, I stand by the fact that we have placed a major focus on making policy generally more business-friendly, and I mean that the government has succeeded in making a significant shift, even during our first year in government. I mentioned the experts tax, and other things are employee options, the R&D deduction, and the review of the 3:12 rules for entrepreneurs. In addition, we have announced the industrial strategy, the mineral strategy, and the strategy for northern Sweden.

The strategy for northern Sweden includes a holistic view of these issues, not just infrastructure and energy but also skills supply, housing, and welfare. Take a municipality such as Ånge, which has interesting business establishments entering. They face a huge challenge in that they are not capital-strong enough to be able to build enough preschools and schools to be able to match this. This is exactly what this strategy is about, which has its starting point in northern Sweden but which will be able to have an impact on all of Sweden. We have indeed found a new way to move forward with what the investigator Peter Larsson has so profitably looked at regarding northern Sweden's great potential, and we want to see it applied to more areas.

During eight years, the previous government made a decision on one offshore wind power project. In eight months, this government made a decision on two offshore wind power projects. That says something about this being an important and welcome part. And of course, there is a need for more wind power technicians! I will have to swallow this, because I get more work to do, but I think that question deserves its own interpellation. The question was not specifically asked today, but I would like to see us return to it.

I would like to go a bit deeper into the issue of skills supply in my final post, but now I am focusing on the fact that the World Intellectual Property Organization places Sweden as second after Switzerland. It is not a shame. I see it as a challenge, but it is really not bad. If you look at the European innovation scoreboard, we are number one.

During the Swedish EU Presidency, we also took an incredibly long-awaited more uniform and common patent system into port. We have, therefore, been working on this during three Swedish EU Presidencies and now saw it through to completion during the spring.

We do what we can to be a gatekeeper, not least in the EU area regarding intellectual property rights. There we see many threats, not least in the pharmaceutical sector which accounts for an incredibly large part of Sweden's GDP. Many Swedes do not know it, but it is one of our largest revenue assets. And there we do a lot to keep clean against EU legislation that could hinder this competitiveness.

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Marianne Fundahn (S)

Mr. Speaker! At the vocational colleges, there is a large range of programs concerning identified shortage occupations. The vocational colleges have been expanded during recent years. The number of training places within the area of technology and manufacturing has increased from 3,400 to 4,700 during the period 2013-2021. But at the same time, a large part of the places remain empty, sometimes up to a third concerning energy-related programs. The energy area is overrepresented.

What does the Minister want to do to promote applications to the energy-related courses?

Distribution electricians are a typical shortage occupation. The training takes place at the high school level at the vocational school Åsbro Kursgård. Here, approximately 100 of the 130 people who are trained as distribution electricians every year attend. This training is now at risk of being closed due to low application pressure and a limited number of students.

The previous government introduced an initiative on vocational schools that the current government has not chosen to extend. The educational environment that exists in Åsbro for practical training and safety-adapted learning cannot be built by the municipalities even in cooperation. And the good purpose of national intake disappears when the vocational schools are shut down.

How does the government view the fact that even successful examples of education within industries with a large need for skills and a need for specific learning in specific educational environments are being removed, and thus threaten the industry's skill supply?

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Aida Birinxhiku (S)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer. I agree that it is becoming fragmented here. But I would nevertheless like to use my final speech to emphasize that Sweden has built its prosperity on being a country that is at the forefront in terms of technology, knowledge, and innovation. We have long been at the forefront, and that is what has enabled a small export-dependent country in northern Europe to become so successful and to have been able to build such a strong welfare society.

Now Sweden faces a crossroads. We can either choose to continue to be at the forefront and increase the pace of the transition, which leads to more jobs and increased prosperity across the entire country, or we can choose to fall behind and miss out on the jobs and the prosperity that the transition creates. We simply cannot afford that.

In order for Sweden to continue to be at the forefront, there are several things we need to do in the area of innovation. We need an offensive innovation strategy. We need to increase, not decrease, the investments in research and innovation. And we need a government that demonstrates strong political leadership.

It is now up to the current government to strengthen Swedish innovative power during this mandate period, so that Sweden can continue to be a leading innovation country that creates jobs, welfare, and prosperity throughout the country.

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Isak From (S)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Minister for Energy and Business Ebba Busch for the clarity of debating four such different issues in one and the same interpellation. It may not be entirely representative. It becomes, in any case, a bit messy, not least for the audience.

Peter Larsson is the coordinator that the previous government appointed for the industrial transformation in northern Sweden. He is a person who has done a good job and delivered material to the Government Offices and who has also profitably received additional assignments from the Government Offices to continue investigating the societal transformation and its consequences.

There is much for the government to do here and now, not least to announce: We see what you need. We listen to what you say. And we intend to deliver something more than we have done previously.

I believe it is also appreciated in Västernorrland when the Minister mentions Ånge. For it is clear that when it was only about Västerbotten and Norrbotten, particularly Västernorrland and Jämtland felt a bit overlooked. But very many things are also happening there, and also in Gävleborg and Dalarna - in Ludvika, in Timrå and in Sundsvall. And as we discussed in the previous interpellation debate, very much is also happening in Western Sweden. The competence supply issue is therefore central. How do we get more people with the right competence to take the jobs that actually exist here and now?

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Daniel Vencu Velasquez Castro (S)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Ebba Busch for this interpellation debate. I agree that it is a bit messy, and we will probably have reason to discuss these issues again.

The Minister needs to realize that the green transition can only be tackled by understanding how different components form a whole that together constitutes the total transition of society – a transition that does not hinder economic development but promotes it. I thought the purpose of the new super-ministry was that all these issues would be gathered. But it does not seem to have become that at all. Rather, it seems to have become much more fragmented.

Instead, the question regarding automation and robotization has been almost ignored during this interpellation debate. I find that to be concerning. The Minister has also not succeeded in presenting a single solution on how we shall ensure that startup and scaleup companies are given the right conditions to contribute with innovations that allow us to accelerate towards a greener future. Automation is also important among these actors. Here, Sweden can be at the forefront by promoting highly innovative startup companies that are involved in and streamlining our production chain.

Mr. Speaker! Government power obligates. It means that one decides. One has the opportunity to change society. The green transition will happen, and it is up to the government whether Sweden will be seen as a winner or a loser there. All the prerequisites have been there, and they remain. The government could obtain a broad energy agreement, which was debated here earlier, to solve the electricity supply for the electrified society of the 20s and 30s. The government has support to introduce state programs for both large and small industries. But it seems to be the Tidö agreement that is the bottleneck for the green transition - Sweden Democrats who do not want to see state programs and Moderates who continue to bicker over the existence or non-existence of wind power. And while the government base babbles, other countries are carrying out the transition bit by bit. The entire Swedish competitiveness and Swedish prosperity are being risked in favor of populism, and that makes Sweden poorer.

Right now, Sweden is at the forefront. But if the government continues to underinvest, we will become a technological third-world country, Mr. Speaker, and that is not what I want.

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Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)

Mr. Speaker! In conclusion, I would like to place some focus on the issue of skills supply and develop this with the Swedish Energy Agency's mandate, which they received from the government, to achieve a national effort regarding skills supply for electrification. The Swedish Energy Agency has carried out a mapping and an analysis of the skills needs. This analysis was presented on October 5.

The Swedish Energy Agency's mapping and analysis shows the employment effects and the skills requirements, and thus also the many bottlenecks and situations with labor shortages that we will face in the short term as a result of electrification. Wind power technicians are one such category. According to the Swedish Energy Agency, electrification creates skills requirements from permit management, which is a separate story, to construction, operation of different types of power, infrastructures, and industrial initiatives connected to this.

The electrification of society is expected to contribute to entirely new industries that create a need, for Sweden's part, for new competence profiles that we have not seen in the same way before, for example linked to energy storage through hydrogen or the establishment of large-scale offshore wind farms.

The report shows that the need for competence is great already today, but that the competence shortage is truly an acute challenge. The authority identifies 35 shortage occupations. The report was, as mentioned, just presented at the beginning of this month, and I look forward to returning to it.

Then I want to be open and straightforward and say that the wording of these interpellations, which were very similar, made me believe that we would nevertheless have the conditions for a somewhat narrower debate. I look forward to us being able to delve a little deeper into what the interpellants wished to take up today.

The interpellations debate was hereby concluded.

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