2024-02-072023/24:FöU6 · p.10FöUDefence
Civil defence and capability
Building up and steering civil defence
What's at stake: Civil defence concerns the ability of authorities, municipalities, regions and companies to maintain essential services during heightened alert and war; how it is built up affects how well Sweden withstands crises and war, and how quickly preventive measures are put in place.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether the Riksdag should now issue specific statements calling for a further, greener strengthening of civil defence, or whether ongoing work on a new planning framework, a clearer division of responsibility and an upcoming defence bill should be allowed to continue without new guidance from the Riksdag.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee welcomes the government's proposal for an economic planning framework for civil defence and notes that a new structure for crisis preparedness and civil defence has been in place since 2022, with a clearer division of roles and responsibilities. The committee considers ongoing review work and an upcoming bill on the direction of total defence to provide a good basis, and therefore rejects all motions on civil defence.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 16 (MP)
The reservation wants to further strengthen civil defence through green, well-planned and preventive work that delivers faster and more effective measures, pointing out that international cooperation on crisis management — such as assistance from other countries during the Västmanland forest fire — has been crucial, and that the resilience of societal functions needs to increase.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 16 by MP.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
The decision would have held
Explicit commitments that contradicted the vote: LLiberalerna, MModeraterna
Ja 158–11Ja 92–77
Counterfactual: the parties above are moved to the position their own documents explicitly point at, carrying their whole contingent present. Every other party keeps its real figures, including dissenters and absentees.
How the AI parties would have voted
For each party: what its own plan – election manifesto and party programme – argues for in this case, next to how the party actually voted. The AI can only answer Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| AI | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | Yes 18/0/0/6 | differs | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| S | No | Abstain 0/0/89/18 | differs | confidence: medium | explicit |
| MP | No | No 0/11/0/7 | match | confidence: high | explicit |
| C | No | Abstain 0/0/20/4 | differs | confidence: high | explicit |
| L | No | Yes 11/0/0/5 | differsagainst own programme | confidence: high | explicit |
| KD | No | Yes 12/0/0/7 | differs | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| M | No | Yes 55/0/0/13 | differsagainst own programme | confidence: medium | explicit |
| SD | No | Yes 62/0/0/10 | differs | confidence: medium | derived |
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects the motions 2023/24:779 by Sven-Olof Sällström et al. (SD) motions 1 and 3, 2023/24:2303 by Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M), 2023/24:2450 by Emma Berginger et al. (MP) motion 1, 2023/24:2456 by Mikael Larsson et al. (C) motions 30-34 and 2023/24:2564 by Peter Hultqvist et al. (S) motions 43-45.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna 2023/24:779 av Sven-Olof Sällström m.fl. (SD) yrkandena 1 och 3, 2023/24:2303 av Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M), 2023/24:2450 av Emma Berginger m.fl. (MP) yrkande 1, 2023/24:2456 av Mikael Larsson m.fl. (C) yrkandena 30-34 och 2023/24:2564 av Peter Hultqvist m.fl. (S) yrkandena 43-45.
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag said no to approximately 70 proposals in motions about defence policy and total defence from the general motion period of 2023. The motions addressed, for example, military and civil defence, defence materiel supply and international cooperation. The Riksdag considers, among other things, that work is already underway in the areas that the motions address.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants the Total Defense Research Institute to receive a comprehensive assignment to research civil defense and society's crisis preparedness. (MP) — Reservation 16
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The plan requires that all political decisions take climate crisis into account and that the state reclaim control over societally important activities and infrastructure, and it draws the conclusion from the pandemic that capacity must be able to be scaled up in times of crisis.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan requires that all political decisions take climate crisis into account and that the state reclaim control over societally important activities and infrastructure, and it draws the conclusion from the pandemic that capacity must be able to be scaled up in times of crisis. Green, well-planned and preventive work that increases resilience in societal functions is in line with this. The plan does not address the upcoming government bill on appropriations.
Original (Swedish)
Planen kräver att alla politiska beslut tar hänsyn till klimatkrisen och att staten återtar kontrollen över samhällsviktig verksamhet och infrastruktur, och den drar av pandemin slutsatsen att kapaciteten måste kunna växlas upp i kristider. Ett grönt, välplanerat och förebyggande arbete som ökar motståndskraften i samhällsfunktionerna ligger i linje med det. Planen berör inte den kommande inriktningspropositionen.
- shared responsibility for societally important activitiesdecisive»Det är hög tid att agera och ta tillbaka den samhällsviktiga verksamhet och infrastruktur som har privatiserats.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is high time to act and reclaim the societally important activities and infrastructure that have been privatized.”
- preparedness and capacity in crisis»Sverige behöver rusta upp hela vårdsektorn för att kunna klara de mer normala skiftningarna i vårdbehov men också för att kunna växla upp kapaciteten i kristider.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden needs to strengthen the entire healthcare sector to manage more normal fluctuations in healthcare needs but also to be able to scale up capacity in times of crisis.”
- green consideration in all decisions»Omställningen behöver ske omgående och alla politiska beslut behöver ta hänsyn till den akuta kris som vi befinner oss i.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The transition needs to happen immediately and all political decisions need to take into account the acute crisis we find ourselves in.”
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 explicitly commits to upgrading civil defence and to continuing work on emergency preparedness, including preparedness in the transport sector and against extreme weather.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan explicitly commits to upgrading civil defence and to continuing work on emergency preparedness, including preparedness in the transport sector and against extreme weather. The counter-proposal's demand for further strengthened civil defence with preventive planning and increased resilience in societal functions is the same commitment. The plan also wants to continue international cooperation, which covers the demand's reference to crisis management cooperation.
Original (Swedish)
Planen åtar sig uttryckligen att rusta upp det civila försvaret och att fortsätta arbetet med krisberedskapen, inklusive beredskap i transportsektorn och mot extremväder. Motförslagets krav på ytterligare stärkt civilt försvar med förebyggande planering och ökad motståndskraft i samhällsfunktionerna är samma åtagande. Planen vill också fortsätta internationella samarbeten, vilket täcker kravets hänvisning till krishanteringssamverkan.
- upgraded civil defencedecisive»Rusta upp det civila försvaret.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Upgrade civil defence.”
- continued strengthened emergency preparedness»Arbetet att förstärka det civila försvaret och krisberedskapen måste fortsätta« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work to strengthen civil defence and emergency preparedness must continue”
- preventive preparedness»Stärk beredskapen mot extremväder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen preparedness against extreme weather.”
- international cooperation»Vi vill fortsätta internationella samarbeten och utveckla cyberförsvaret och underrättelseförmågan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to continue international cooperation and develop cyber defence and intelligence capacity.”
The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.
The election manifesto explicitly wants to allocate a larger share of defense spending to civil defense and increase appropriations for civil preparedness, and emphasizes close cooperation with other countries in this serious situation.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The election manifesto explicitly wants to allocate a larger share of defense spending to civil defense and increase appropriations for civil preparedness, and emphasizes close cooperation with other countries in this serious situation. The party programme states that policy shall be one step ahead and prevent disasters and that more alternative solutions are needed for a more resilient society. Green, preventive work that increases resilience in societal functions is therefore precisely the plan's line.
Original (Swedish)
Valmanifestet vill uttryckligen satsa en större andel av försvarets pengar på det civila försvaret och öka anslagen till krisberedskapen, och betonar nära samarbeten med andra länder i det allvarliga läget. Partiprogrammet slår fast att politiken ska ligga steget före och förhindra katastrofer och att fler alternativa lösningar behövs för ett robustare samhälle. Ett grönt, förebyggande arbete som ökar motståndskraften i samhällsfunktionerna är därmed just planens linje.
- prioritize civil defensedecisive»satsa en större andel av försvarets pengar på det civila försvaret, och öka anslagen till krisberedskap.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“allocate a larger share of defense spending to civil defense, and increase appropriations for crisis preparedness.”
- preventive crisis policy»Politiken ska ligga steget före och förhindra att« (party programme ↗)“Policy shall be one step ahead and prevent”
- resilient society with redundancy»vi att fler alternativa och lokala lösningar skapas« (party programme ↗)“we that more alternative and local solutions are created”
- international crisis cooperation»gör det ännu viktigare med nära samarbeten med andra länder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“makes close cooperation with other countries even more important.”
The election manifesto explicitly requires that civil defence and society's preparedness for war and crisis are strengthened and that Sweden's total defence is strengthened with preventive measures.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The election manifesto explicitly requires that civil defence and society's preparedness for war and crisis are strengthened and that Sweden's total defence is strengthened with preventive measures. The party programme states that common challenges can only be solved through international cooperation. The counter-proposal's requirements for further strengthening of civil defence, increased resilience in societal functions and international crisis management cooperation are thus the plan's own line. The plan does not take a stance on planning framework or responsibility structure.
Original (Swedish)
Valmanifestet kräver uttryckligen att civilförsvaret och samhällets beredskap inför krig och kris rustas och att Sveriges totalförsvar stärks med förebyggande insatser. Partiprogrammet slår fast att gemensamma utmaningar bara kan lösas genom internationellt samarbete. Motförslagets krav på ytterligare förstärkning av det civila försvaret, ökad motståndskraft i samhällsfunktionerna och internationell krishanteringssamverkan är därmed planens egen linje. Planen tar inte ställning till planeringsram eller ansvarsstruktur.
- strengthen civil defencedecisive»Även det civila försvaret är livsviktigt. Vi måste rusta civilförsvaret och samhällets beredskap inför krig och kris.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Civil defence too is vital. We must strengthen civil defence and society's preparedness for war and crisis.”
- strengthened civil preparedness»Centerpartiet vill rusta försvaret, stärka Sveriges civila beredskap och fullfölja inträdet i Nato.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Centre Party wants to strengthen defence, strengthen Sweden's civil preparedness and complete entry into NATO.”
- preventive total defence»Vi behöver rusta Sveriges totalförsvar, stärka hela rättskedjan, satsa på förebyggande insatser och en likvärdig skola.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We need to strengthen Sweden's total defence, strengthen the entire chain of justice, invest in preventive measures and an equitable school.”
- international cooperation in crises»Utmaningar som är gemensamma för många nationer, som tullmurar, klimatfrågan och internationell brottslighet, kan bara lösas genom internationellt samarbete.« (party programme ↗)“Challenges that are common to many nations, such as tariffs, climate issues and international crime, can only be solved through international cooperation.”
The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.
The election manifesto requires that civil defence is strengthened at the same pace as the military and the party programme that national defence capability must increase.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The election manifesto requires that civil defence is strengthened at the same pace as the military and the party programme that national defence capability must increase. The counter-proposal's demands for further strengthened civil defence, increased resilience in the social functions and international cooperation on crisis management lie directly within these commitments. The plan also explicitly requests international crisis and conflict management capabilities.
Original (Swedish)
Valmanifestet kräver att det civila försvaret stärks i samma takt som det militära och partiprogrammet att den nationella försvarsförmågan måste öka. Motförslagets krav på ytterligare stärkt civilt försvar, ökad motståndskraft i samhällsfunktionerna och internationellt samarbete kring krishantering ligger direkt inom dessa åtaganden. Planen efterfrågar också uttryckligen internationella kris- och konflikthanteringsförmågor.
- strengthened civil defencedecisive»det civila försvaret stärkas i samma takt som det militära« (2022 manifesto ↗)“the civil defence is strengthened at the same pace as the military”
- increased defence capability»Sveriges nationella försvarsförmåga måste öka.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden's national defence capability must increase.”
- international crisis management»Det finns ett stort behov av internationella kris- och konflikthanteringsförmågor.« (party programme ↗)“There is a great need for international crisis and conflict management capabilities.”
- European cooperation against threats»Inte minst vill vi öka de europeiska klimatambitionerna samt se en tätare samverkan mot inre och yttre hot.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Not least do we want to increase European climate ambitions and see closer cooperation against internal and external threats.”
The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.
The plan requires that crises be met with all of policy's preventive options and that total defence has readiness to handle disasters and severe strains in society, with preventive measures that limit risks.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan requires that crises be met with all of policy's preventive options and that total defence has readiness to handle disasters and severe strains in society, with preventive measures that limit risks. The counter-proposal's demand for well-planned and preventive work that increases resilience in social functions follows from this, as does the plan's requirement for international security cooperation.
Original (Swedish)
Planen kräver att kriser möts med politikens alla preventiva möjligheter och att totalförsvaret har beredskap för att hantera katastrofer och svåra påfrestningar i samhället, med förebyggande åtgärder som begränsar riskerna. Motförslagets krav på ett välplanerat och förebyggande arbete som ökar motståndskraften i samhällsfunktionerna följer av detta, liksom av planens krav på internationell säkerhetssamverkan.
- preventive crisis managementdecisive»Kriser måste mötas med politikens alla preventiva« (party programme ↗)“Crises must be met with all of policy's preventive”
- total defence readiness»delta i hanteringen av katastrofer och andra svåra påfrestningar i samhället« (party programme ↗)“participate in managing disasters and other severe strains in society”
- civil defence forms as complement»Civilmotstånd och andra alternativa försvarsformer ska vara ett komplement till det militära försvaret« (party programme ↗)“Civil resistance and other alternative defence forms shall be a complement to military defence”
- international security cooperation»Sveriges säkerhetspolitik ska präglas av samarbete, förutseende och helhetslösningar« (party programme ↗)“Sweden's security policy shall be characterized by cooperation, foresight and comprehensive solutions”
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 has its own section on strengthening civil defence with commitments to long-term planning, personnel supply, and better emergency supplies, and states that military defence cannot fulfil its tasks if the civil defence does not function.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan has its own section on strengthening civil defence with commitments to long-term planning, personnel supply, and better emergency supplies, and states that military defence cannot fulfil its tasks if the civil defence does not function. The counter-proposal's demand for further strengthened civil defence with increased resilience in societal functions aligns with these commitments. The formulation about a green working method does not add anything that the plan opposes.
Original (Swedish)
Planen har ett eget avsnitt om att stärka den civila beredskapen med åtaganden om långsiktig planering, personalförsörjning och bättre beredskapslager, och slår fast att det militära försvaret inte kan lösa sina uppgifter om det civila inte fungerar. Motförslagets krav på ett ytterligare stärkt civilt försvar med ökad motståndskraft i samhällsfunktionerna sammanfaller med dessa åtaganden. Formuleringen om ett grönt arbetssätt tillför inget som planen motsätter sig.
- long-term civil planningdecisive»Säkra en långsiktig planering för det civila försvaret« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Ensure long-term planning for civil defence”
- civil personnel supply»Förstärka det civila försvarets personalförsörjning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen civil defence personnel supply”
- better emergency supplies»Bygga bättre beredskapslager« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Build better emergency supplies”
- civil defence decisive»Fungerar inte det civila försvaret så kan inte heller det militära försvaret lösa sina uppgifter.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“If civil defence does not function, military defence cannot either fulfil its tasks.”
The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.
The plan requires that appropriations for civil defense, crisis management and preparedness increase and that society's preparedness for all types of crises is strengthened, with a restored total defense as the foundation.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan requires that appropriations for civil defense, crisis management and preparedness increase and that society's preparedness for all types of crises is strengthened, with a restored total defense as the foundation. It also favors Nordic coordination of crisis management. The counter-proposal's requirements for further strengthening of civil defense and increased resilience in societal functions follow directly from these commitments.
Original (Swedish)
Planen kräver att anslagen till civilförsvar, krisledning och beredskap ökar och att samhällets beredskap för alla typer av kriser stärks, med ett återupprättat totalförsvar som grund. Den förordar också nordisk samordning av krishantering. Motförslagets krav på ytterligare förstärkning av det civila försvaret och ökad motståndskraft i samhällsfunktionerna följer direkt av dessa åtaganden.
- increased appropriations for civil defensedecisive»Anslagen till de myndigheter som har övergripande ansvar för civilförsvar, krisledning och beredskap bör öka och stödet till civilorganisationer med samhällsuppdrag ska stärkas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Appropriations to agencies with overall responsibility for civil defense, crisis management and preparedness should increase and support to civil organizations with societal tasks shall be strengthened.”
- strengthened crisis preparedness»Sverigedemokraterna vill stärka samhällets beredskap för alla typer av kriser som kan uppstå.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats want to strengthen society's preparedness for all types of crises that may occur.”
- restored total defense»Återupprätta ett totalförsvar som är rustat för krig« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Restore a total defense that is equipped for war”
- Nordic crisis coordination»Inrätta en nordisk krisberedskapskommitté för samordnad hantering av kriser« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Establish a Nordic crisis preparedness committee for coordinated crisis management”
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.
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2023/24:FöU6)
- Committee report full text (HB01FöU6)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2023/24:103 — Säkrat tillträde för sällskapsdjur till skyddsrum av Victoria Tiblom (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:1076 — Totalförsvar i en marknadiserad välfärd av Marcus Wennerström och Inga-Lill Sjöblom (båda S)
- Motion 2023/24:1110 — Sydsvenskt försvar av Boriana Åberg m.fl. (M)
- Motion 2023/24:1191 — Internationellt kris- och hälsosamarbete av Markus Wiechel (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:1208 — Nationella beredskapslager av Ann-Christine Frohm Utterstedt och Eric Westroth (båda SD)
- Motion 2023/24:1708 — Försörjningsberedskap av Mattias Ottosson m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:191 — Ökat stöd till Ukraina av Magnus Jacobsson (KD)
- Motion 2023/24:2025 — Nybyggnation av skyddsrum av Peder Björk och Peter Hedberg (båda S)
- Motion 2023/24:2300 — Befolkningsskydd anpassat för nutida förhållanden av Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M)
- Motion 2023/24:2303 — Ansvarsfördelning och krisberedskap av Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M)
- Motion 2023/24:2450 — En förstärkning av det civila försvaret och krisberedskapen av Emma Berginger m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2023/24:2456 — Krisberedskap och utveckling av militärt och civilt försvar av Mikael Larsson m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2023/24:2457 — Livskraft och framtidstro i Sveriges landsbygder av Muharrem Demirok m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2023/24:2466 — Utrikes- och biståndspolitik av Kerstin Lundgren m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2023/24:2521 — Beredskapslag av Markus Wiechel och Eric Palmqvist (båda SD)
- Motion 2023/24:2564 — Försvar och samhällets krisberedskap av Peter Hultqvist m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:384 — Totalförsvarsmotion av Sven-Olof Sällström m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:482 — Säkerhetspolitik av Aron Emilsson m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:778 — Militärt försvar av Sven-Olof Sällström m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:779 — Civilförsvar av Sven-Olof Sällström m.fl. (SD)
Source: The Swedish Parliament