2024-03-062023/24:FiU25 · p.1FiUEconomy & finance
The state authority structure
The Structure of State Agencies
What's at stake: The decision affects how state administration is organised and how quickly changes to agencies' mandates and numbers are carried out, which in turn concerns state costs and citizens' interactions with agencies.
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 state should actively inventory and abolish or reform agencies deemed politicised, redundant or overlapping, or whether it is enough to await the government's ongoing work to review agencies' tasks and reduce their number.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The Committee notes that in the 2024 budget bill the government reports its work towards a more efficient state administration with an increased focus on citizen benefit, and that there is a need to reconsider public commitments where appropriate and review agencies' tasks. The Committee finds that work to reduce the number of agencies has already begun and sees no reason to pre-empt this, and therefore rejects the motions.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 1 (SD)
The reservation (SD) wants the public sector to carry out an inventory of agencies to determine which are not of benefit to society, and for agencies that are politicised, redundant, or overlap with the mandates of other more efficient agencies to be abolished or reformed. The reasoning is that administration should be purposeful and make good use of state resources, and that politics should be conducted in parliament rather than by agencies.
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 1 by SD.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
What each plan points to — and how the party voted
For each party: the vote its own election manifesto and party programme point to in this case, next to how the party actually voted. A plan can only point to Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| Plan | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | Yes | Yes 20/0/0/4 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| S | Yes | Yes 92/1/0/13 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| MP | Yes | Yes 15/0/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| C | No | Yes 19/0/0/5 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| L | No | Yes 13/0/0/3 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| KD | No | Yes 16/0/0/3 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| M | No | Yes 60/0/0/8 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| SD | No | No 0/61/0/11 | follows the plan | confidence: high | explicit |
Broke with the party line
| SAnders Ygeman (S, Stockholms kommun) | No — party line: Yes |
MPs whose vote differs from their party's majority position in this division. Marked with a dark ring in the chamber view.
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects the motions 2023/24:468 by Matheus Enholm and others (SD) demand 1 and 2023/24:696 by Ida Drougge (M) demand 1.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna 2023/24:468 av Matheus Enholm m.fl. (SD) yrkande 1 och 2023/24:696 av Ida Drougge (M) yrkande 1.
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag said no to approximately 25 proposals concerning state administration and statistics issues. The motions deal, among other things, with the state authority structure, state authorities' costs, digitalization and IT within state administration and the state as an employer. The proposals have been submitted during the general motions period 2023. The Riksdag refers, among other things, to ongoing preparatory work and to the fact that state administration policy is to a large extent based on the authorities themselves deciding how the activities should be organized in order to best meet society's needs.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants the government to conduct an inventory of state authorities to identify unnecessary agencies and ensure they focus on their core tasks. (SD) — Reservation 1
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 wants the public sector's share of the economy to grow and for socially important activities to be taken back into collective management, not for public obligations to be reconsidered and authorities to be dismantled as redundant.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan wants the public sector's share of the economy to grow and for socially important activities to be taken back into collective management, not for public obligations to be reconsidered and authorities to be dismantled as redundant. The reform of administration the plan seeks is democratisation with increased influence for employees and users, not inventory and closure. The stance is derived from these commitments.
Original (Swedish)
Planen vill att den offentliga sektorns andel av ekonomin växer och att samhällsviktig verksamhet tas tillbaka i gemensam regi, inte att offentliga åtaganden omprövas och myndigheter avvecklas som överflödiga. Den reform av förvaltningen planen efterfrågar är demokratisering med ökat inflytande för anställda och brukare, inte inventering och nedläggning. Ställningstagandet är härlett ur dessa åtaganden.
- growing public sectordecisive»Vänsterpartiet menar att den offentliga sektorns andel av ekonomin måste få växa.« (party programme ↗)“The Left Party means that the public sector's share of the economy must be allowed to grow.”
- take back socially important activities»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 take back the socially important activities and infrastructure that have been privatised.”
- collective political responsibility»Politiken har ett ansvar. Inte att lägga sig i sådant som fungerar, utan att lösa de saker som bara kan bli riktigt bra när vi gör det gemensamt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Politics has a responsibility. Not to interfere in what is working, but to solve the things that can only become really good when we do it together.”
- democratisation of administration»Vi vill demokratisera den offentliga sektorn genom att öka inflytandet för anställda och brukare.« (party programme ↗)“We want to democratise the public sector by increasing influence for employees and users.”
The counter-proposal wants to inventory and close down authorities that are seen as politicised or superfluous.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The counter-proposal wants to inventory and close down authorities that are seen as politicised or superfluous. The plan starts from the opposite picture: the authorities are staffed by duty-conscious officials with high integrity, they shall observe objectivity and impartiality, and the state shall be present throughout the country. That to dismantle the administration with reference to politicisation has the plan no support for, even though it shares the view that those elected to office bear the political responsibility.
Original (Swedish)
Motförslaget vill inventera och avveckla myndigheter som anses politiserade eller överflödiga. Planen utgår från motsatt bild: myndigheterna bemannas av plikttrogna tjänstemän med hög integritet, de ska iaktta saklighet och opartiskhet, och staten ska finnas närvarande i hela landet. Att montera ned förvaltningen med hänvisning till politisering har planen inget stöd för, även om den delar synen att folkvalda bär det politiska ansvaret.
- state presence throughout the countrydecisive»Staten ska finnas närvarande i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The state shall be present throughout the country.”
- trust in the administration»Vi är lika inför lagbokens paragrafer och i våra myndigheter arbetar plikttrogna tjänstemän med hög integritet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We are equal before the law's paragraphs and in our authorities work duty-conscious officials with high integrity.”
- objectivity and impartiality»beakta allas likhet inför lagen och iaktta saklighet och opartiskhet.« (party programme ↗)“heed everyone's equality before the law and observe objectivity and impartiality.”
- political responsibility with elected officials»ansvaret kan aldrig överlämnas till icke valda ämbetsmän.« (party programme ↗)“responsibility can never be handed over to unelected officials.”
The counter-proposal wants to inventory and wind down authorities deemed politicized or superfluous.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The counter-proposal wants to inventory and wind down authorities deemed politicized or superfluous. The plan is based on the opposite: that society shall stand as guarantor for secure welfare and that state public functions shall be available throughout the country, and that the state through legislation and oversight shall ensure sound conditions. The plan recognizes the need for regulatory simplification but provides no support for winding down authorities based on a politicization assessment.
Original (Swedish)
Motförslaget vill inventera och avveckla myndigheter som bedöms politiserade eller överflödiga. Planen bygger tvärtom på att samhället ska stå som garant för en trygg välfärd och att statliga samhällsfunktioner ska finnas tillgängliga över hela landet, samt att staten genom lagstiftning och övervakning ska säkra sunda villkor. Planen erkänner behovet av regelförenkling men ger inget stöd för att avveckla myndigheter utifrån en politiseringsbedömning.
- state presence throughout the countrydecisive»Samhällsfunktioner som polis, arbetsförmedling och försäkringskassa ska vara till för Sveriges alla invånare och finnas tillgängliga över hela landet.« (party programme ↗)“Public functions such as police, employment office and insurance office shall be there for all Sweden's residents and be available throughout the country.”
- state oversight is needed»Staten ska genom lagstiftning och övervakning se till att sunda villkor råder på marknaden.« (party programme ↗)“The state shall through legislation and oversight see to it that sound conditions prevail on the market.”
- society guarantees welfare»Därför måste samhället också stå som garant för en trygg välfärd« (party programme ↗)“Therefore society must also stand as guarantor for secure welfare”
- regulatory simplification»Onödig byråkrati ska undvikas genom ett aktivt regelförenklingsarbete.« (party programme ↗)“Unnecessary bureaucracy shall be avoided through active regulatory simplification work.”
The ideological programme establishes that the state is for the people and warns against public power growing at the expense of people's self-determination, and the plan requires that politics economize with taxpayers' money.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The ideological programme establishes that the state is for the people and warns against public power growing at the expense of people's self-determination, and the plan requires that politics economize with taxpayers' money. An inventory that dismantles or reforms superfluous and overlapping agencies follows from this. At the same time, the plan requires that public service remains close and reliable throughout the country, which sets a limit on how cuts are allowed to fall.
Original (Swedish)
Idéprogrammet slår fast att staten är till för människan och varnar för att den offentliga makten växer på bekostnad av människors självbestämmande, och planen kräver att politiken hushållar med skattebetalarnas pengar. En inventering som avvecklar eller reformerar överflödiga och överlappande myndigheter följer av detta. Planen kräver samtidigt att offentlig service finns nära och pålitlig i hela landet, vilket sätter en gräns för hur nedskärningar får slå.
- state in people's servicedecisive»Staten är till för människan, inte tvärtom.« (party programme ↗)“The state is for the people, not the other way around.”
- warning against growing bureaucracy»Följden blir att den offentliga makten växer på bekostnad av människors självbestämmande« (party programme ↗)“The result is that public power grows at the expense of people's self-determination”
- stewardship of tax funds»Politiken ska hushålla med skattebetalarnas pengar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Politics shall economize with taxpayers' money.”
- service remains throughout country»Offentlig service ska vara nära och pålitlig i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Public service shall be close and reliable throughout the country.”
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's overarching principle is a clear boundary for public power and healthy skepticism toward expanded public power claims, as well as that public bodies shall only operate activities where there is a strong public interest.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan's overarching principle is a clear boundary for public power and healthy skepticism toward expanded public power claims, as well as that public bodies shall only operate activities where there is a strong public interest. An inventory that phases out or reforms redundant and overlapping authorities follows from this. The plan's requirement for state presence in all parts of the country qualifies but does not contradict a reassessment of the administrative structure.
Original (Swedish)
Planens bärande princip är en tydlig gräns för den offentliga makten och en sund skepsis mot ökade offentliga maktanspråk, samt att det offentliga bara ska driva verksamhet där det finns ett starkt samhällsintresse. En inventering som avvecklar eller reformerar överflödiga och överlappande myndigheter följer av detta. Planens krav på statlig närvaro i alla delar av landet kvalificerar men motsäger inte en omprövning av myndighetsstrukturen.
- limited public powerdecisive»Liberalismen sätter en tydlig gräns för den offentliga makten.« (party programme ↗)“Liberalism sets a clear boundary for public power.”
- skepticism toward public power claims»sund skepsis mot ökade offentliga maktanspråk« (party programme ↗)“healthy skepticism toward expanded public power claims”
- tested public commitment»Det offentliga ska endast driva affärsverksamhet om det finns ett starkt samhällsintresse.« (party programme ↗)“Public bodies shall only operate commercial activity if there is a strong public interest.”
- state presence throughout the country»statliga myndigheter ska finnas närvarande i alla delar av Sverige« (2022 manifesto ↗)“state authorities shall be present in all parts of Sweden”
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 sees evaluation, cost-tracking and quality control as important political tasks and demands restraint in public spending.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan sees evaluation, cost-tracking and quality control as important political tasks and demands restraint in public spending. It also explicitly wants to delineate the sphere of politics and have politicians resist the temptation to unnecessarily involve themselves. An inventory that removes redundant or overlapping authorities follows from this.
Original (Swedish)
Planen ser utvärdering, kostnadsuppföljning och kvalitetskontroll som viktiga politiska uppgifter och kräver återhållsamhet med de offentliga utgifterna. Den vill dessutom uttryckligen avgränsa politikens område och att politiker motstår frestelsen att i onödan lägga sig i. En inventering som avvecklar överflödiga eller överlappande myndigheter följer av det.
- evaluation and cost controldecisive»Utvärdering, kostnadsuppföljning och kvalitetskontroll är därför viktiga politiska« (party programme ↗)“Evaluation, cost-tracking and quality control are therefore important political”
- restrained public spending»återhållsamhet i de offentliga utgifterna.« (party programme ↗)“restraint in public spending.”
- delineate politics' sphere»för att avgränsa politikens område och inskränka den« (party programme ↗)“to delineate the sphere of politics and limit”
- politics should not get involved»Politiker måste motstå frestelsen att i onödan« (party programme ↗)“Politicians must resist the temptation to unnecessarily”
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 election manifesto promises an efficiency office that shall review all authorities' finances to free up resources, and the party programme establishes that public waste in all forms shall be combated and that the state shall prioritise its core task.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The election manifesto promises an efficiency office that shall review all authorities' finances to free up resources, and the party programme establishes that public waste in all forms shall be combated and that the state shall prioritise its core task. An inventory that abolishes or reforms redundant and overlapping authorities is precisely such a review. The formulation about politicised authorities is however not explicitly covered by the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Valmanifestet lovar ett effektiviseringskansli som ska gå igenom alla myndigheters ekonomi för att frigöra resurser, och idéprogrammet slår fast att offentligt slöseri i alla former ska bekämpas och att staten ska prioritera sitt grunduppdrag. En inventering som avvecklar eller reformerar överflödiga och överlappande myndigheter är just en sådan genomlysning. Formuleringen om politiserade myndigheter täcks dock inte uttryckligen av planen.
- review of authoritiesdecisive»Inrätta ett effektiviseringskansli som ska gå inom alla myndigheters ekonomi för att frigöra resurser till försvaret« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Establish an efficiency office that shall review all authorities' finances to free up resources for defence”
- combat public waste»Offentligt slöseri i alla former ska bekämpas.« (party programme ↗)“Public waste in all forms shall be combated.”
- limited state»En stor stat leder till ett svagare samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“A large state leads to a weaker society.”
- state prioritises core mission»Den prioriterar sitt grunduppdrag« (party programme ↗)“It prioritises its core task”
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 wants to merge agencies, clarify public services and stop wastage within agencies.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan explicitly wants to merge agencies, clarify public services and stop wastage within agencies. It particularly criticizes that staff are hired at agencies that pursue activist symbol politics and that the number of agencies constantly grows. An inventory that dismantles or reforms politicized, redundant and overlapping agencies is therefore exactly what the plan requires.
Original (Swedish)
Planen vill uttryckligen slå samman myndigheter, renodla offentliga verksamheter och stoppa slöseriet inom myndigheterna. Den kritiserar särskilt att personal anställs på myndigheter som driver aktivistisk symbolpolitik och att antalet myndigheter ständigt växer. En inventering som avvecklar eller reformerar politiserade, överflödiga och överlappande myndigheter är därmed precis vad planen kräver.
- merge agenciesdecisive»Stoppa slöseriet inom myndigheterna och slå samman myndigheter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop wastage within agencies and merge agencies”
- clarify public services»Sverigedemokraterna vill också slå samman myndigheter och renodla offentliga verksamheter där det är möjligt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats also wants to merge agencies and clarify public services where possible.”
- against politicized agencies»anställning av personal på myndigheter som driver aktivistisk symbolpolitik« (2022 manifesto ↗)“employment of staff at agencies that pursue activist symbol politics”
- eliminate unnecessary spending»Skala bort onödiga utgifter i det offentliga« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Scale back unnecessary spending in the public sector”
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2023/24:FiU25)
- Committee report full text (HB01FiU25)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2023/24:114 — Ny modell för att driva verksamheten i statens byggnader av Robert Stenkvist (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:1358 — En kommunpolitik för hela landet av Lars Isacsson m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:1586 — Gränsöverskridande statistik av Gunilla Svantorp (S)
- Motion 2023/24:1709 — Statens fastigheter utomlands av Teresa Carvalho och Hans Ekström (båda S)
- Motion 2023/24:1832 — Kronobergs slottsruin av Tomas Eneroth och Monica Haider (båda S)
- Motion 2023/24:1874 — Statliga jobb och statlig service i hela landet av Amanda Lind m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2023/24:1885 — Kulturpolitiska frågor av Amanda Lind och Jacob Risberg (båda MP)
- Motion 2023/24:2107 — Statens företag av Jesper Skalberg Karlsson och Louise Meijer (båda M)
- Motion 2023/24:2258 — Minskning och effektivisering av den svenska byråkratin av Sten Bergheden (M)
- Motion 2023/24:2414 — Statens myndigheter som drivkraft för flygets klimatomställning av Helena Gellerman (L)
- Motion 2023/24:2454 — Utbildning och forskning - för en stark kunskapsnation av Anders Ådahl m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2023/24:2455 — Digitalisering för hela Sverige av Niels Paarup-Petersen m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2023/24:2468 — Nya fastighetsmodeller hos Statens fastighetsverk för att bevara vårt kulturarv av Christofer Bergenblock och Catarina Deremar (båda C)
- Motion 2023/24:2537 — Försäljning av statliga bolag av Markus Wiechel och Alexander Christiansson (båda SD)
- Motion 2023/24:2669 — Rättspolitik av Märta Stenevi m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2023/24:2686 — Utgiftsområde 17 Kultur, medier, trossamfund och fritid av Lawen Redar m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:2705 — Ett rikare liv för äldre av Ulrika Westerlund m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2023/24:39 — Öppen källkod av Mattias Bäckström Johansson (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:468 — Offentlig förvaltning av Matheus Enholm m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:553 — Myndigheters och verks förståelse för företagsamhet och näringslivets villkor av Sten Bergheden (M)
Source: The Swedish Parliament