The Municipal Veto

The plan establishes that municipal self-government is a meaningful part of Swedish democracy and rejects nuclear power expansion as a way out of fossil dependency, which removes the reason to facilitate uranium handling. Mining should according to the plan be operated with a long-term comprehensive perspective that looks to local natural values. Preserving the municipal veto also for activities with small amounts of uranium therefore aligns with the plan.

• municipal self-governmentdecisive»Det kommunala självstyret är en betydelsefull del av den svenska demokratin.« (party programme ↗)“Municipal self-government is a meaningful part of Swedish democracy.”
• no to nuclear power expansion»Vänsterpartiet avvisar planerna på att bygga ut kärnkraften som en väg ut ur fossilberoendet.« (party programme ↗)“The Left Party rejects plans to expand nuclear power as a way out of fossil dependency.”
• consideration of local natural values»Den behöver drivas med ett långsiktigt helhetsperspektiv som ser till såväl de globala behoven som lokala naturvärden och den ekonomiska utvecklingen i närområdet.« (party programme ↗)“It needs to be conducted with a long-term comprehensive perspective that looks to both global needs and local natural values and the economic development of the neighboring area”

The plan establishes municipal and regional self-governance and that self-governance creates proximity in decision-making. Preserving municipal veto even for activities handling small quantities of uranium follows from this, as does the requirement for sustainable extraction of natural resources and a toxin-free environment with clean water. The counter-proposal is supported.

• municipal self-governancedecisive»Kommunalt och regionalt självstyre med beskattningsrätt.« (party programme ↗)“Municipal and regional self-governance with the right to tax.”
• sustainable natural resource extraction»Hållbar utvinning och användning av naturresurser, med ekonomisk kompensation till« (party programme ↗)“Sustainable extraction and use of natural resources, with economic compensation to”
• toxin-free environment»Giftfri miljö med ren luft och rent vatten i hela Sverige.« (party programme ↗)“A toxin-free environment with clean air and clean water throughout Sweden.”
• protection of natural values»Värn av biologisk mångfald och Sveriges värdefulla natur och vattenmiljöer.« (party programme ↗)“Protection of biological diversity and Sweden's valuable nature and aquatic environments.”

The plan establishes that uranium mining shall be prohibited and that there shall always be local rootedness in the extraction of natural resources. It also lifts decentralization as a counterweight to concentration of power and that decisions shall be made close to the people affected. The counter-proposal's requirement that the municipal veto be retained even for activities with small amounts of uranium follows directly from these commitments.

• prohibited uranium miningdecisive»inga nya tillstånd för torvbrytning ska ges och uranbrytning ska vara« (party programme ↗)“no new permits for peat mining shall be granted and uranium mining shall be”
• local rootedness in extraction»Det ska alltid finnas lokal förankring vid utvinning av naturresurser.« (party programme ↗)“There shall always be local rootedness in the extraction of natural resources.”
• decentralized decision-making»Decentralisering skapar motvikt till maktkoncentration.« (party programme ↗)“Decentralization creates a counterweight to concentration of power.”
• decisions close to those affected»Därför bör beslut tas så nära människor som möjligt« (party programme ↗)“Therefore, decisions should be made as close to people as possible”

The plan demands that power be decentralised and that decisions be made close to those affected, and establishes that the green transformation requires local anchoring. To restrict the municipal veto for activities handling uranium moves, conversely, decision-making power away from the local community that bears the environmental consequences. The plan therefore supports the counter-proposal's demand that the veto be retained.

• decentralised decision-makingdecisive»Decentralisera mera. Människor ska få bestämma mer själva, och politiska beslut ska fattas nära dem som berörs.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Decentralise more. People should be able to decide more themselves, and political decisions should be made close to those affected.”
• local anchoring of the transformation»Den gröna omställningen kräver lokal förankring.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The green transformation requires local anchoring.”
• decisions stay at local level»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 concern a more local level, or just the individual themselves, should not be moved up to a higher level,”
• natural resource values remain local»Mer av värdet som skapas från naturresurser — exempelvis vindkraft, vattenkraft och gruvor — ska stanna kvar lokalt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“More of the value created from natural resources — such as wind power, hydropower, and mines — should remain local.”

The plan wants to expand nuclear power and modernize regulations so that expansion is facilitated, and it establishes that nuclear power is needed for climate's sake. The counter-proposal instead wants to preserve municipal veto even for activities handling small amounts of uranium, which creates an obstacle. The plan explicitly reserves municipal veto for wind power, not for the nuclear fuel chain.

• expanded nuclear powerdecisive»I stället vill vi möjliggöra fler nya reaktorer på fler ställen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Instead we want to enable more new reactors in more locations”
• modernized regulations»modernisera regelverken« (2022 manifesto ↗)“modernize regulations”
• nuclear power for climate»Kärnkraften behövs för klimatets skull och för att minska världens utsläpp.« (party programme ↗)“Nuclear power is needed for climate's sake and to reduce the world's emissions.”
• municipal veto only for wind power»Det kommunala vetot mot vindkraft ska bestå.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Municipal veto against wind power shall remain.”

The election manifesto requires that energy expansion occurs with respect for local democracy and the party programme that municipal self-governance is strong and constitutionally established, with the burden of proof on the one who wants to deprive a lower level of its function. The counter-proposal's requirement to retain the municipal veto for activities dealing with uranium follows from this. The plan's investment in nuclear power does not change where the decision shall be made.

• respect for local democracydecisive»Bygg ut vindkraften men med respekt för den lokala demokratin och anpassa storleken efter lokala villkor.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Expand wind power but with respect for local democracy and adapt the size to local conditions.”
• strong municipal self-governance»Den kommunala självstyrelsen ska vara stark och tydligt reglerad i grundlagen.« (party programme ↗)“Municipal self-governance shall be strong and clearly established in the constitution.”
• burden of proof in power transfer upwards»Denna princip innebär att bevisbördan vilar på dem som vill beröva en mindre gemenskap på lägre nivå dess funktion och därmed dess frihet och ansvar.« (party programme ↗)“This principle means that the burden of proof rests on those who want to deprive a smaller community at a lower level of its function and thus its freedom and responsibility.”
• investment in nuclear power»Satsa på kärnkraften med långsiktiga villkor att utvecklas. Förläng befintliga reaktorers drift och bygg ut med nya reaktorer.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Invest in nuclear power with long-term conditions for development. Extend the operation of existing reactors and expand with new reactors.”

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 states that Sweden's rich mineral resources should be able to be extracted responsibly and that obstacles to nuclear power should be removed, including bans that limit where and how many reactors can exist. Preserving a municipal veto even for activities with small amounts of uranium would retain precisely such an obstacle. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's requirement.

• responsible mineral extractiondecisive»Våra rika mineraltillgångar ska kunna utvinnas ansvarsfullt och långsiktigt hållbart.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden's rich mineral resources shall be able to be extracted responsibly and sustainably long-term.”
• removed nuclear power bans»Avskaffa förbudet mot att bygga reaktorer på andra platser än vid de befintliga kärnkraftverken« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Abolish the ban on building reactors at places other than at existing nuclear power plants”
• continued mineral extraction»Våra rika mineraltillgångar ska även fortsättningsvis kunna utvinnas på ett« (party programme ↗)“Sweden's rich mineral resources shall continue to be able to be extracted at”
• faster permit assessment»Korta myndigheternas handläggningstider genom en bortre tidsgräns« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Shorten the authorities' processing times through an outer time limit”

The plan wants to make it easier and faster to open mines and streamline permit processes for mining, and sees mineral resources as an asset for rural areas. The counter-proposal wants to retain a municipal veto that blocks uranium handling activities, which adds precisely the obstacle the plan wants to remove. The plan's veto commitment explicitly concerns wind power establishments, not mining.

• easier to open minesdecisive»Det behöver också bli enklare och gå snabbare att öppna gruvor för de mineraler som behövs för exempelvis tillverkning av batterier.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It also needs to become easier and faster to open mines for the minerals needed for example for battery manufacturing.”
• effective mining permits»Effektivisera och öka förutsägbarheten i tillståndsprocesserna för gruvnäring, elnätsutbyggnad och industri« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Streamline and increase predictability in permit processes for mining, electricity network expansion and industry”
• municipal veto against wind power»Värna det kommunala vetot vid etablering av vindkraft« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protect the municipal veto for wind power establishment”
• municipal self-determination»Vi betraktar det kommunala självbestämmandet som en central del av demokratin« (party programme ↗)“We consider municipal self-determination as a central part of democracy”