2026-03-042025/26:FöU7 · p.7FöUDefence
State responsibility for rescue services
What's at stake: How rescue services are organized affects society's ability to handle accidents and crises, and how clearly responsibility for accident protection is separated from tasks relating to war and civil defence.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
At issue is whether the current organization — with rescue services and accident protection handled within the Agency for Civil Defence — is sufficient, or whether an entirely new state rescue-services agency should be established to take over this responsibility.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee notes that accident protection and civil-population protection are already run within a dedicated part of the Agency for Civil Defence following an organizational change that has been carried out, and sees no reason to additionally establish a new state rescue-services agency.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 9 (S, V)
The reserving parties want a new state rescue-services agency established to take over the current agency's tasks for accident protection, rescue services and civil-population protection, arguing that these tasks are distinctive enough that they should be separated from tasks relating to civil defence and wartime planning.
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 9 by S, V.
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 | No 0/19/0/3 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| S | Yes | No 0/92/1/13 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| MP | Yes | Yes 15/0/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| C | Yes | Yes 21/0/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| L | Yes | Yes 14/0/0/2 | follows the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| KD | Yes | Yes 16/0/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| M | Yes | Yes 60/0/0/8 | follows the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| SD | Yes | Yes 61/0/0/10 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
Broke with the party line
| SHans Ekström (S, Södermanlands län) | Abstain — party line: No |
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 2025/26:2046 by Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M) and 2025/26:3556 by Peter Hultqvist et al. (S) demand 89.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna 2025/26:2046 av Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M) och 2025/26:3556 av Peter Hultqvist m.fl. (S) yrkande 89.
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag has considered a statement from the government. It concerns the Riksdag Audit Office's report on state management of civil defence establishment. The Riksdag Audit Office's overall assessment is that the government's management of civil defence establishment has not been sufficiently effective during the period reviewed, the years 2015–2024. The Riksdag has during the past two years deepened its focus specifically on the area of civil defence with regard to results monitoring. The observations that the Riksdag has made during this time are consistent with the Riksdag Audit Office's assessment. However, the Riksdag agrees that management and monitoring have substantially improved and welcomes the government's intention to continue working to strengthen both management and monitoring within the area. The Riksdag files the statement, which means that the matter is closed. The Riksdag also said no to 14 proposals in motions from the general motion period in 2025. The proposals concern, among other things, civil defence, what tasks the Agency for Societal Protection and Preparedness (now the Agency for Civil Defence) should have, and state responsibility for rescue services.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants to give municipalities clear conditions and resources to strengthen their emergency preparedness as part of total defense. (S, V) — Reservation 9
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 says nothing about how the rescue service should be organized in government agency form.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan says nothing about how the rescue service should be organized in government agency form. The nearest principle is the requirement for a modern comprehensive defence with broad capacity to meet different types of crises, which argues for cohesive capacity rather than separating the rescue service from civil defence. The plan also emphasizes that what is primarily needed is resources, not new administrative constructions.
Original (Swedish)
Planen säger ingenting om hur räddningstjänsten ska organiseras i myndighetsform. Den närmaste principen är kravet på ett modernt totalförsvar med bred förmåga att möta olika slags kriser, vilket talar för sammanhållen förmåga snarare än att skilja räddningstjänst från civilt försvar. Planen betonar dessutom att det främst är resurser som behövs, inte nya administrativa konstruktioner.
- coherent comprehensive defencedecisive»Vi vill se ett modernt totalförsvar byggt på allmän värnplikt, med en« (party programme ↗)“We want to see a modern comprehensive defence built on universal conscription, with a”
- broad crisis capacity»bred förmåga att möta olika former av kriser Sverige kan ställas inför.« (party programme ↗)“broad capacity to meet different types of crises Sweden can face.”
- resources before reorganization»Det är resurser som främst behövs, inte formulär för kvalitetssäkring, nya bokningssystem för sjukhussängar eller ännu en managementkonsult som inte kan något om verksamheten.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is resources that are primarily needed, not forms for quality assurance, new booking systems for hospital beds or yet another management consultant who knows nothing about the operation.”
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 says nothing about the authority structure for emergency services.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan says nothing about the authority structure for emergency services. The nearest-lying principle is that society's resilience is built best together and that civil protection, civil defence and emergency preparedness shall be connected in a strengthened national defence. Breaking out protection against disasters into a separate authority pulls in the opposite direction, which is why the plan nearly speaks against the counter-proposal's requirement. The conclusion is uncertain.
Original (Swedish)
Planen säger inget om myndighetsstrukturen för räddningstjänst. Den närmast liggande principen är att samhällets motståndskraft byggs bäst tillsammans och att befolkningsskydd, civilt försvar och krisberedskap ska hänga ihop i ett stärkt folkförsvar. Att bryta ut skyddet mot olyckor i en fristående myndighet drar i motsatt riktning, varför planen närmast talar emot motförslagets krav. Slutsatsen är osäker.
- joint resiliencedecisive»Samhällets motståndskraft byggs bäst tillsammans, eftersom det är så den gemensamma« (party programme ↗)“Society's resilience is built best together, because that is how the joint”
- unified civil and military preparedness»Stark motståndskraft i hela samhället genom betydande militär förmåga, stark svensk« (party programme ↗)“Strong resilience throughout society through significant military capability, strong Swedish”
- upgraded civil defence»Rusta upp det civila försvaret.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Upgrade civil defence.”
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 says nothing about the government structure for rescue services.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan says nothing about the government structure for rescue services. The nearest principle is that the Green Party has a broad view of security and wants to be prepared to meet both military and other threats at the same time, which speaks for integrated capability rather than separating protection against accidents from civil defense. The plan's demands are resources for civil defense and crisis preparedness, not a new authority.
Original (Swedish)
Planen säger inget om myndighetsstrukturen för räddningstjänst. Närmast liggande princip är att Miljöpartiet har en bred syn på säkerhet och vill vara berett att möta både militära och andra hot samtidigt, vilket talar för sammanhållen förmåga snarare än att skilja skydd mot olyckor från det civila försvaret. Planens krav är resurser till civilt försvar och krisberedskap, inte en ny myndighet.
- broad and integrated security perspectivedecisive»Vi behöver vara beredda att möta både militära och andra hot – såsom terrorism, klimatförändringar, naturkatastrofer och pandemier – hot som i värsta fall kan drabba oss samtidigt.« (party programme ↗)“We need to be prepared to meet both military and other threats – such as terrorism, climate change, natural disasters and pandemics – threats that in the worst case can strike us simultaneously.”
- military and civil defense together»Därför behövs både militärt och civilt försvar för att effektivt skydda Sverige mot angrepp och kriser.« (party programme ↗)“Therefore, both military and civil defense are needed to effectively protect Sweden against attacks and crises.”
- resources for civil defense»satsa en större andel av försvarets pengar på det civila försvaret, och öka anslagen till krisberedskap.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“invest a larger proportion of defense spending on civil defense, and increase funding for crisis preparedness.”
The plan says nothing about the authority structure for emergency services.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan says nothing about the authority structure for emergency services. The nearest commitment is to strengthen civil defence and society's preparedness for war and crisis as a whole, which speaks for keeping together the protection of the civilian population with civil defence rather than breaking it out into a new authority. The plan's general stance is also that the state should perform its task efficiently without expanding the public apparatus.
Original (Swedish)
Planen säger ingenting om myndighetsstrukturen för räddningstjänst. Det närmaste åtagandet är att rusta civilförsvaret och samhällets beredskap inför krig och kris som en helhet, vilket talar för att hålla samman skyddet av civilbefolkningen med det civila försvaret snarare än att bryta ut det i en ny myndighet. Planens allmänna hållning är också att staten ska göra sitt uppdrag effektivt utan att bygga ut den offentliga apparaten.
- coordinated civil preparednessdecisive»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 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 justice chain, invest in preventive measures and an equal school.”
- restrained state apparatus»Staten är till för människan, inte tvärtom.« (party programme ↗)“The state is there for people, not the other way round.”
The plan says nothing about how the emergency services shall be organized as an authority.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan says nothing about how the emergency services shall be organized as an authority. The closest commitment is that civil defence shall be strengthened at the same rate as military defence and that total defence shall be greatly strengthened, which argues for keeping together the protection of the civilian population with civil defence rather than separating it into a new authority. The counter-proposal's requirement for an independent rescue authority therefore receives no support.
Original (Swedish)
Planen säger inget om hur räddningstjänsten ska vara myndighetsorganiserad. Närmast liggande åtagande är att det civila försvaret ska stärkas i samma takt som det militära och att totalförsvaret ska stärkas kraftigt, vilket talar för att hålla samman skyddet av civilbefolkningen med civilt försvar snarare än att bryta ut det i en ny myndighet. Motförslagets krav på en fristående räddningsmyndighet får därför inte stöd.
- civil defence at the rate of militarydecisive»Antalet anställda och värnpliktiga i krigsorganisationen ska öka, ny materiel tillföras och det civila försvaret stärkas i samma takt som det militära.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The number of employees and conscripts in the war organization shall increase, new equipment shall be added and civil defence shall be strengthened at the same rate as military defence.”
- strengthened total defence»I ett säkerhetspolitiskt läge som är det svåraste sedan andra världskrigets slut behöver Sveriges totalförsvar stärkas kraftigt.« (party programme ↗)“In a security policy situation that is the most difficult since the Second World War, Sweden's total defence must be greatly strengthened.”
- state services throughout the country»Tillgången till statlig service ska säkras i hela landet.« (party programme ↗)“Access to state services shall be secured throughout the country.”
The plan speaks consistently of a unified total defence that shall have sufficient resources for both civil disasters and military threats, and counts disaster management among the tasks of total defence.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan speaks consistently of a unified total defence that shall have sufficient resources for both civil disasters and military threats, and counts disaster management among the tasks of total defence. To separate out protection against accidents and civil protection in an independent authority tears apart that wholeness. The plan says nothing about authority organisation, which is why the conclusion is drawn from the subsidiarity principle about the right power in the right place and is uncertain.
Original (Swedish)
Planen talar konsekvent om ett samlat totalförsvar som ska ha tillräckliga resurser för både civila katastrofer och militära hot, och räknar katastrofhantering till totalförsvarets uppgifter. Att bryta ut skydd mot olyckor och befolkningsskydd i en fristående myndighet drar isär den helheten. Planen säger inget om myndighetsorganisation, varför slutsatsen dras ur subsidiaritetsprincipen om rätt makt på rätt plats och är osäker.
- a unified total defencedecisive»Det samlade totalförsvaret måste ha tillräckliga resurser för att kunna garantera« (party programme ↗)“The entire total defence must have sufficient resources to be able to guarantee”
- total defence manages disasters»delta i hanteringen av katastrofer och andra svåra påfrestningar i samhället samt att delta i« (party programme ↗)“participate in managing disasters and other severe hardships in society and participate in”
- the right power in the right place»Rätt makt på rätt plats, det är den kristdemokratiska subsidiaritetsprincipens innebörd.« (party programme ↗)“The right power in the right place, that is the meaning of the Christian Democratic subsidiarity principle.”
The counter-proposal wants to break out protection against disasters and emergency services into an entirely new independent agency.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The counter-proposal wants to break out protection against disasters and emergency services into an entirely new independent agency. The plan contains no such commitment but instead wants to go through government agencies' finances to free up resources for defence, and invests in strengthening civil defence within the existing structure through long-term planning. New agency establishment as a solution thus lacks support in the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Motförslaget vill bryta ut skydd mot olyckor och räddningstjänst till en helt ny fristående myndighet. Planen innehåller inget sådant åtagande utan vill tvärtom gå igenom myndigheternas ekonomi för att frigöra resurser till försvaret, och satsar på att stärka det civila försvaret inom befintlig struktur genom långsiktig planering. Ny myndighetsbildning som lösning saknar därmed stöd i planen.
- make agencies more efficientdecisive»Inrätta ett effektiviseringskansli som ska gå inom alla myndigheters ekonomi för att frigöra resurser till försvaret« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Establish an efficiency office that shall go through every agency's finances to free up resources for defence”
- long-term civil defence»Säkra en långsiktig planering för det civila försvaret« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Secure long-term planning for civil defence”
- strong civil defence»Tryggheten i Sverige förutsätter också ett starkt civilförsvar« (party programme ↗)“Security in Sweden also presupposes strong civil defence”
The plan turns explicitly against the fact that the number of authorities constantly grows and wishes instead to merge authorities and streamline public activities.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan turns explicitly against the fact that the number of authorities constantly grows and wishes instead to merge authorities and streamline public activities. Establishing a brand new independent rescue authority goes against that commitment. The plan wants instead to strengthen civil defence's resources, which can be achieved within existing authority structure.
Original (Swedish)
Planen vänder sig uttryckligen mot att antalet myndigheter ständigt blir fler och vill i stället slå samman myndigheter och renodla offentliga verksamheter. Att inrätta en helt ny fristående räddningsmyndighet går emot det åtagandet. Planen vill däremot stärka civilförsvarets resurser, vilket kan tillgodoses inom befintlig myndighetsstruktur.
- fewer authoritiesdecisive»Stoppa slöseriet inom myndigheterna och slå samman myndigheter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop waste within authorities and merge authorities.”
- authority base shall not grow»Antalet myndigheter blir ständigt fler och politiska prestigeprojekt, som höghastighetståg och EU-fonder, prioriteras före medborgarnyttan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The number of authorities constantly grows and political prestige projects, such as high-speed rail and EU funds, are prioritized before citizen benefit.”
- streamlined administration»Sverigedemokraterna vill också slå samman myndigheter och renodla offentliga verksamheter där det är möjligt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats also wish to merge authorities and streamline public activities where possible.”
- strengthened civil defence»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 authorities with overarching responsibility for civil defence, crisis management and preparedness should increase and support for civil organizations with societal assignment shall be strengthened.”
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2025/26:FöU7)
- Committee report full text (HD01FöU7)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2025/26:1527 — Stärkt säkerhet för Sveriges dricksvattenförsörjning av Emma Ahlström Köster (M)
- Motion 2025/26:1986 — Krisberedskap av Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M)
- Motion 2025/26:2046 — Ett statligt ansvar för räddningstjänsten av Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M)
- Motion 2025/26:271 — med anledning av skr. 2024/25:206 Riksrevisionens rapport om den statliga styrningen av det civila försvarets uppbyggnad av Mikael Larsson och Kerstin Lundgren (båda C)
- Motion 2025/26:2822 — Militärt och civilt försvar samt samhällets krisberedskap av Mikael Larsson m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2025/26:3241 — Krigsplacering i kommuner av Marléne Lund Kopparklint (M)
- Motion 2025/26:3335 — Stärkt kommunalt ansvar för civil beredskap av Marléne Lund Kopparklint (M)
- Motion 2025/26:3405 — Ökad civil försvarsförmåga och stärkt krisberedskap av Emma Berginger m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2025/26:3556 — Totalförsvarets beredskap av Peter Hultqvist m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2025/26:3774 — Levande hav och vatten av Emma Nohrén m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2025/26:633 — Statligt ledarskap och planering av sjukvårdskapacitet i händelse av kris och krig av Hanna Westerén (S)
- Regeringens skrivelse 2024/25:206 — Riksrevisionens rapport om den statliga styrningen av det civila försvarets uppbyggnad
Source: The Swedish Parliament