Objectives for Foreign Trade, Export and Investment Promotion

The plan establishes that free trade presupposes equal conditions and that a fair trade policy counteracting today's unequal world market must be developed, and that international cooperation shall be based on human rights and not capital's interests. Writing fair trade into the goals of trade policy is precisely this commitment. The plan also speaks directly against the committee's grounds about free and rule-based trade with the WTO as foundation.

• fair trade policydecisive»Frihandel förutsätter likvärdiga förutsättningar. En rättvis handelspolitik,« (party programme ↗)“Free trade presupposes equal conditions. A fair trade policy,”
• human rights before capital interests»Internationell samverkan ska grundas på respekt för mänskliga« (party programme ↗)“International cooperation shall be based on respect for human”
• reduce global inequality»I en rättvis värld måste den globala ojämlikheten kraftigt minskas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“In a fair world, global inequality must be significantly reduced.”
• criticism of the WTO's role»Internationella organ som Världshandelsorganisationen (WTO), Internationella valutafonden (IMF) och« (party programme ↗)“International bodies such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and”

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 states that the party stands up for open, free and fair trade and that trade agreements shall be guided by values on social dialogue, human rights and environment. Writing fair trade into the goal for trade policy is thus the plan's own formulation. The party programme additionally requires fair rules in the trade system and coordination with environmental and labour rights agreements, while the plan protects the WTO.

• free and fair tradedecisive»Vi står upp för en öppen, fri och rättvis handel.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We stand up for open, free and fair trade.”
• values in trade agreements»EU behöver sluta fler handelsavtal där också våra värderingar om social dialog, mänskliga rättigheter och miljö är vägledande.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The EU needs to conclude more trade agreements where our values on social dialogue, human rights and environment are also guiding.”
• fair rules in trade»utveckling, men den förutsätter rättvisa spelregler i det internationella handelssystemet.« (party programme ↗)“development, but it requires fair rules in the international trade system.”
• rules-based trade via WTO»Det globala samarbetet inom WTO ska stärkas, liksom samarbetet med likasinnade länder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Global cooperation within the WTO shall be strengthened, as shall cooperation with like-minded countries.”

The plan establishes that Sweden shall have an open economy and work for fair trade, with strict environmental and social requirements in trade policy and requirements that imported goods are manufactured with consideration to environment, human rights and working conditions. Letting fair trade be part of the goal for trade policy is precisely this commitment translated into goal formulation. The counter-proposal's demands are therefore supported.

• fair tradedecisive»omvärlden och verka för frihandel på rättvisa« (party programme ↗)“the world and work for fair trade”
• environmental and social requirements in trade»införa hårda miljökrav och sociala krav i handelspolitiken« (party programme ↗)“introduce strict environmental and social requirements in trade policy”
• requirements for imported goods»tillverkade med hänsyn till miljö, mänskliga rättigheter och arbetsförhållanden för anställda i tillverkningsländerna« (party programme ↗)“manufactured with consideration to environment, human rights and working conditions for employees in manufacturing countries”
• equalization as guiding star in trade»Förutsättningar för handel ska utformas med utjämning av« (party programme ↗)“Conditions for trade shall be designed with equalization of”

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 explicitly demands stricter requirements on working conditions, environment and climate in trade agreements while expanding free trade, and the party programme states that attention must be paid to ethical and environmental perspectives in trade. This is in substance what the counter-proposal asks for when fair trade is to be included in trade policy goals. The plan moreover wants to use trade policy as a climate tool, but rejects protectionism, which sets a limit on how the demands may be formulated.

• requirements on working conditions in trade agreementsdecisive»Sverige klarar sig inte utan frihandel. Öppna upp fler marknader för svenska varor och tjänster. Ställ hårdare krav på arbetsvillkor, miljö och klimat i handelsavtal.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden cannot get by without free trade. Open up more markets for Swedish goods and services. Set stricter requirements on working conditions, environment and climate in trade agreements.”
• ethical and environmental consideration»Hänsyn måste tas till etiska och miljömässiga perspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Attention must be paid to ethical and environmental perspectives.”
• trade policy for climate»Vi ska använda handelspolitiken för att kapa fossila subventioner runtom i världen och pressa stora utsläppare som Kina att stänga ner sina kolkraftverk.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall use trade policy to cut fossil subsidies around the world and pressure major polluters like China to shut down their coal-fired power plants.”
• free trade without protectionism»Sverige behöver mer frihandel och internationellt samarbete, inte protektionism och stängda gränser.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden needs more free trade and international cooperation, not protectionism and closed borders.”

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's defining commitment is that Sweden shall be a strong voice for free trade and that the EU shall completely abolish tariffs and other trade barriers against the outside world. Writing in fair trade as a conditioning goal for trade policy pulls in the opposite direction from that free trade mandate. The plan instead wants to integrate climate aspects into the EU's trade policy, thus through climate policy instruments and not through a rewritten goal formulation.

• strong voice for free tradedecisive»Sverige ska vara en stark röst för frihandel« (party programme ↗)“Sweden shall be a strong voice for free trade”
• abolished trade barriers»EU ska helt avskaffa tullar och andra handelshinder mot omvärlden.« (party programme ↗)“The EU shall completely abolish tariffs and other trade barriers against the outside world.”
• more free trade agreements»Vi ska stärka EU som frihandelsunion med en fördjupad inre marknad, värna den fria rörligheten i Europa och verka för fler frihandelsavtal med omvärlden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall strengthen the EU as a free trade union with a deepened internal market, protect free movement in Europe and work for more free trade agreements with the outside world.”
• climate via trade policy»Klimataspekterna ska integreras i EU:s handelspolitik.« (party programme ↗)“Climate aspects shall be integrated into the EU's trade policy.”

The plan requires freer world trade with fairer rules of the game and that trade policy is made compatible with international solidarity, which in substance is what the counter-proposal wants to write into the goal. The plan also wants to strengthen global ethical codes for business and places requirements on the treatment of animals. Free trade and fair rules of the game are in the plan two sides of the same commitment.

• fairer rules of the game in tradedecisive»En friare världshandel med rättvisare spelregler är en förutsättning för att klyftorna ska kunna minska.« (party programme ↗)“Freer world trade with fairer rules of the game is a prerequisite for narrowing the gaps.”
• trade and international solidarity»förenliga med internationell solidaritet« (party programme ↗)“compatible with international solidarity”
• human rights in trade»Förhållandet mellan näringslivet och mänskliga rättigheter kommer i fokus genom globaliseringen.« (party programme ↗)“The relationship between business and human rights comes into focus through globalization.”
• animal welfare»undvika stress, smärta och skador för djuren« (party programme ↗)“avoid stress, pain and injury to animals”

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 is built on free trade and a deepened internal market, and sees the state's role as facilitating trade and internationalisation rather than conditioning it. Writing in fair trade with requirements for environment, social protection and working conditions in the goals of trade policy risks making the goal an instrument for trade barriers. The plan therefore gives no support for the counter-proposal's demands.

• free and deepened tradedecisive»Fördjupa den inre marknaden, inte minst för tjänster och digitala produkter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Deepen the internal market, not least for services and digital products”
• the state shall facilitate trade»och underlätta för handel och internationalisering.« (party programme ↗)“and facilitate trade and internationalisation.”
• market economics as foundation»Grunden för Sveriges välstånd är en marknadsekonomi baserad« (party programme ↗)“The foundation for Sweden's prosperity is a market economy based”
• growth as overarching goal»Arrangera ett EU-toppmöte om tillväxt under det svenska EU-ordförandeskapet i syfte att sätta i gång ett arbete med att få på plats en ny tillväxtstrategi för EU« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Arrange an EU summit on growth during the Swedish EU presidency in order to start work on putting in place a new growth strategy for the EU”

The counter-proposal wants fair trade, taking into account among other things environment, working conditions and animal welfare, to be part of trade policy's goals. The plan is fundamentally pro-free trade but states that exceptions must be possible, explicitly to be able to stop imports of goods from animals that have been subjected to suffering, and criticizes that Swedish special requirements for environment and animal welfare make domestic production more expensive without compensation. From this it follows that the plan supports writing such considerations into the goal, but with Swedish interests as the ultimate benchmark.

• exceptions to free trade for animal welfaredecisive»import av varor som framställts genom att utsätta djur för stort och onödigt lidande.« (party programme ↗)“import of goods produced by subjecting animals to great and unnecessary suffering.”
• import ban on animal cruelty products»Arbeta för ett förbud mot import av produkter från djur som har tvångsmatats eller slaktats utan bedövning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work for a ban on imports of products from animals that have been force-fed or slaughtered without stunning”
• equal conditions in trade»Svenska särkrav för miljöskydd och djurvälfärd gör dessutom ofta inhemsk produktion dyrare än konkurrenternas utan att svenska lantbrukare kompenseras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish special requirements for environmental protection and animal welfare also often make domestic production more expensive than competitors' without Swedish farmers being compensated.”
• Swedish interests in trade agreements»Värna svenska intressen i frihandelsavtal« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protect Swedish interests in free trade agreements”

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.