Questions on general water services

The plan does not address water and sewage pipes or leakage limits, but establishes that the state should take greater responsibility for societally important infrastructure, and that public ownership should be strong in the infrastructure sector. Careful use of resources is a core environmental principle. Requirements for leakage limits and secured competency supply in the water sector are in line with that principle, but the derivation is weak.

• state control over infrastructuredecisive»Staten måste öka sin kontroll över infrastruktur och resurser som behövs för att genomföra klimatomställningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The state must increase its control over infrastructure and resources needed to carry out the climate transition.”
• infrastructure as key sector»transportsystem, kommunikationer och övrig infrastruktur, finansiell sektor, bostadsproduktion, energiförsörjning, strategiska naturtillgångar och så vidare.« (party programme ↗)“transport systems, communications and other infrastructure, financial sector, housing production, energy supply, strategic natural resources and so on.”
• state responsibility for expansion»Utbyggnaden av transportinfrastruktur och fiber går alldeles för sakta, staten behöver gå in och ta ett större ansvar för utbyggnaden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The expansion of transport infrastructure and fibre is going far too slowly, the state needs to get involved and take greater responsibility for the expansion.”
• careful use of resources»En långsiktigt hållbar miljö ska skapas genom hushållande med« (party programme ↗)“A long-term sustainable environment should be created through careful use of”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan does not address water pipes, but the party programme makes clean water and efficient management of natural resources into a basic requirement, which speaks for a limit to extensive water leakage. The election manifesto's commitment to state responsibility for competence supply supports the demand for a strategic approach to competence in the water sector. The basis is principled, hence low security.

• clean water as basic requirementdecisive»värld med frisk luft och rent vatten, hållbart klimat och biologisk artrikedom.« (party programme ↗)“world with fresh air and clean water, sustainable climate and biological diversity.”
• efficient resource management»Naturtillgångarna måste användas mer effektivt« (party programme ↗)“Natural resources must be used more efficiently”
• state competence responsibility»Staten har ett ansvar för att säkra kompetensförsörjningen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The state has responsibility for securing competence supply”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan wants to strengthen protection of drinking water sources and is based on the principle that resource management shall be efficient, which argues for stricter requirements to reduce water leakage in the water and wastewater system. The plan also wants wastewater systems and treatment to improve, which presupposes functioning skills supply in the sector. The counter-proposal's demand for a percentage leakage limit and strategic skills cooperation therefore aligns with the plan.

• protection of drinking waterdecisive»stärka skyddet av våra dricksvattentäkter och se till att det finns fungerande reservvattentäkter.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“strengthen protection of our drinking water sources and ensure there are functioning reserve water sources.”
• efficient resource management»Miljöpartiet de gröna vill se ett samhälle där hushållningen med resurser är så effektiv och rättvis att grundläggande mänskliga behov kan tillgodoses överallt.« (party programme ↗)“The Greens want to see a society where resource management is so efficient and fair that basic human needs can be met everywhere.”
• upgraded water systems»avloppsnät och avloppsrening förbättras« (party programme ↗)“wastewater systems and treatment improve”
• clean water»Rent vatten är en förutsättning för att kunna bevara den biologiska mångfalden.« (party programme ↗)“Clean water is a prerequisite for being able to preserve biodiversity.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan does not address water leakage or workforce provision in the water and sewage industry. The closest commitments are to clear away redundant regulations and to ensure that decisions affecting only a local level are not moved upward, which speaks against a national percentage limit for leakage in municipalities' pipe networks. The plan's goal of a resource-efficient Sweden points in the opposite direction, but that is not enough to justify a new national regulatory and coordination requirement.

• fewer and simpler regulationsdecisive»Dyra, krångliga och innovationshämmande regelverk ligger som en våt filt över delar av landsbygden. Vi ska rensa upp bland överflödiga regler och byråkrati.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Expensive, complicated and innovation-hampering regulations lie like a wet blanket over parts of the countryside. We will clear away redundant regulations and bureaucracy.”
• decentralized decision-making»Beslut som endast berör en mer lokal nivå, eller bara individen själv, bör inte flyttas upp till en högre nivå,« (party programme ↗)“Decisions that only affect a more local level, or only the individual themselves, should not be moved up to a higher level,”
• resource efficiency»Sverige ska bli världens mest resurseffektiva land och ekonomin mer cirkulär.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden will become the world's most resource-efficient country and the economy will become more circular.”

The plan establishes that everyone has the right to clean water and that drinking water supply must be secured, which is precisely what large pipeline leaks undermine. The plan also accepts clear provisions and sanctions in the water field and wants to stimulate efficiency, which supports a limit for leakage and securing competence provision in the water and sewerage industry. No percentage limit is mentioned however, so the conclusion is derived.

• secured drinking water supplydecisive»Alla har rätt till rent vatten. Dricksvattenförsörjningen måste säkras och fler yt- och grundvattentäkter ges skydd.« (party programme ↗)“Everyone has the right to clean water. Drinking water supply must be secured and more surface and groundwater sources given protection.”
• clear rules in the water field»Det behövs tydliga sanktioner vid överträdelser av bestämmelser gällande utsläpp, vattenrening, transportsäkerhet och fiske.« (party programme ↗)“Clear sanctions are needed for violations of provisions concerning emissions, water purification, transport safety and fishing.”
• efficient resource use»Vi vill driva en tillväxtpolitik där effektivisering stimuleras.« (party programme ↗)“We want to drive a growth policy where efficiency is stimulated.”
• investments in infrastructure»Sverige behöver fortsatt stora investeringar i infrastruktur.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden needs continued large investments in infrastructure.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The stewardship principle requires that natural resources be managed responsibly and the plan identifies clean water as a threatened renewable resource. Large leakages in water and sewage pipes are precisely the waste of resources that the plan says must be replaced by much more efficient resource use. The requirement for secured competence provision is in line with the plan's emphasis on skills development throughout working life.

• efficient resource usedecisive»En livsstil som innebär ett slöseri med resurser är inte långsiktigt hållbar. Därför måste vi bli mycket mer effektiva i vårt resursutnyttjande.« (party programme ↗)“A lifestyle that entails waste of resources is not long-term sustainable. Therefore, we must become much more efficient in our resource use.”
• clean water is a threatened resource»Med en ökande befolkning och fortsatt tillväxt är det framförallt tillgång till betes- och jordbruksmark, till rent vatten och ren luft samt fiskemöjligheter som är hotad.« (party programme ↗)“With growing population and continued growth, it is above all access to pasture and agricultural land, to clean water and clean air and fishing opportunities that are threatened.”
• responsible stewardship»Miljön och naturresurserna måste förvaltas ansvarsfullt, så att goda livsbetingelser inte äventyras och så att kommande generationer också får del av dem.« (party programme ↗)“The environment and natural resources must be managed responsibly, so that good living conditions are not endangered and so that future generations also get a share of them.”
• skills provision through education»Ett väl fungerande utbildningssystem som skapar goda förutsättningar för kompetensutveckling under hela yrkeslivet är av allra största vikt för att värna sysselsättningen på lång sikt.« (party programme ↗)“A well-functioning education system that creates good conditions for skills development during the entire professional life is of greatest importance to protect employment in the long run.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan does not address water leakage in water and sewerage networks nor particularly the skills supply in the water and sewerage industry. The closest commitments are investments in research and advanced water treatment as well as a national coordination of education places – in other words, other means than a statutory percentage limit for municipalities. Such a limit therefore receives no support in the plan.

• research on water treatmentdecisive»Satsa på forskning om vattenrening samt utbyggnad av avancerad vattenrening« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Invest in research on water treatment and expansion of advanced water treatment”
• coordinated skills supply»Få på plats en nationell samordning över samhällets behov av antalet utbildningsplatser för att förbättra kompetensförsörjningen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Establish a national coordination of society's need for the number of education places to improve skills supply”
• politics must prioritize»Politiken har en viktig uppgift att prioritera och välja bort,« (party programme ↗)“Politics has an important task to prioritize and choose not to,”

The plan's environmental line is to choose measures that provide the most environmental benefit per krona and to provide municipalities with support and assistance in environmental work rather than new detailed requirements; a fixed percentage limit for leakage in water and sewage pipelines is such a requirement placed on municipal self-determination. The plan emphasizes that water is essential for life but says nothing about leakage levels or competence supply in the water and sewage sector, so the conclusion is uncertain.

• environmental efficiency before detailed requirementsdecisive»Sträva efter miljöeffektivitet och hitta de åtgärder som ger mest miljö per krona« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strive for environmental efficiency and find measures that provide the most environmental benefit per krona”
• support instead of requirements»Kommunerna måste ges ökat stöd och hjälp i miljöarbetet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Municipalities must be given increased support and assistance in environmental work.”
• municipal self-determination»Vi betraktar det kommunala självbestämmandet som en central del av demokratin« (party programme ↗)“We regard municipal self-determination as a central part of democracy”
• the importance of water»Våra vatten är livsnödvändiga för att möjliggöra liv.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Our waters are essential for enabling life.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.