2026-04-012025/26:KU31 · p.4KUConstitution
Other matters concerning the state's promotion of national minority languages
The government's communication on national minority languages is filed without further action
What's at stake: How parliament responds to the review affects whether the government's work to preserve and strengthen the national minority languages (including Finnish, Yiddish, Meänkieli, Romani chib and Sami) becomes more long-term and coordinated, which matters to speakers of these languages and to passing them on to future generations.
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 parliament should file the Audit Office's communication on national minority languages without further action, as the committee proposes, or instead direct sharper criticism at the government's short-term governance and demand more long-term, structured efforts for the minority languages.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee stresses the importance of preserving and strengthening the minority languages, shares the government's assessment that long-term work is needed, welcomes the Audit Office's review as an important basis for continued work, and proposes that parliament file the communication without further action; the remaining motions in the matter are rejected.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 3 (MP)
The reservation (MP) disagrees that the Audit Office's identified shortcomings — short-termism, poor coordination and unclear governance — can be handled within the current governance framework, arguing instead that the problems are structural; it demands that the follow-up and support mandate for minority languages be made long-term and written into the instructions of the relevant agencies, with a stronger and more coherent chain of governance, and wants the government to take the criticism more seriously.
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 3 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: CCenterpartiet, KDKristdemokraterna
Ja 272–17Ja 237–52
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 17/0/0/5 | differs | confidence: high | derived |
| S | No | Yes 90/0/0/16 | differs | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| MP | No | No 0/15/0/3 | match | confidence: high | explicit |
| C | No | Yes 19/0/0/5 | differsagainst own programme | confidence: high | explicit |
| L | No | Yes 12/0/0/4 | differs | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| KD | No | Yes 16/0/0/3 | differsagainst own programme | confidence: high | explicit |
| M | Yes | Yes 55/0/0/11 | match | confidence: low | not addressed |
| SD | No | Yes 59/0/0/11 | differs | confidence: low | derived |
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects the motions 2025/26:3884 by Jan Riise et al. (MP) item 3 and 2025/26:3892 by Lorena Delgado Varas and Daniel Riazat (both -) items 1 and 5-7.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna 2025/26:3884 av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP) yrkande 3 och 2025/26:3892 av Lorena Delgado Varas och Daniel Riazat (båda -) yrkandena 1 och 5-7.
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag has considered a government communication regarding the National Audit Office's review of the state's efforts to protect national minority languages. The public authorities have by law a special responsibility to protect and promote the national minority languages—Yiddish, Romani Chib, Sámi, Finnish and Meänkieli. The National Audit Office has reviewed whether the state's efforts to keep the national minority languages alive are effective. According to the National Audit Office, the state's efforts are not sufficient to reach the goal and resources could be used more effectively. The government agrees in principle with the National Audit Office's findings. The government takes seriously that the state's efforts are insufficient and is committed to long-term work to keep minority languages alive. The Riksdag emphasizes the importance of preserving, strengthening and increasing access to minority languages and agrees with the government's assessment that long-term work is required. Furthermore, the Riksdag considers the National Audit Office's report to be an important knowledge base for the continued work to keep minority languages alive. The Riksdag filed the government's communication with its records, which means the matter was concluded.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants the financing of minority language centers to be made permanent and significantly increased. (MP) — Reservation 3
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 states that Sweden has a particular task to strengthen indigenous peoples' and national minorities' rights to identity, language and cultural heritage, and that this must be seen in light of the state's historical injustices.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan states that Sweden has a particular task to strengthen indigenous peoples' and national minorities' rights to identity, language and cultural heritage, and that this must be seen in light of the state's historical injustices. The party furthermore wants to cultivate long-term thinking and holistic perspective in the management of public authorities. Making the monitoring and support assignment long-term and writing it into the authorities' instructions directly addresses that.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att Sverige har en särskild uppgift att stärka urfolks och de nationella minoriteternas rättigheter till identitet, språk och kulturarv, och att detta måste ses i ljuset av statens historiska oförrätter. Partiet vill dessutom odla långsiktighet och helhetsperspektiv i styrningen av myndigheter. Att uppföljnings- och stöduppdraget görs långsiktigt och skrivs in i myndigheternas instruktioner svarar direkt mot det.
- minorities' linguistic rightsdecisive»de nationella minoriteternas rättigheter till identitet, språk, kulturarv« (party programme ↗)“national minorities' rights to identity, language, cultural heritage”
- particular task for indigenous peoples»Sverige har en särskild uppgift att stärka urfolks och« (party programme ↗)“Sweden has a particular task to strengthen indigenous peoples' and”
- historical injustices»Den svenska staten har genom historien utsatt urfolk och nationella« (party programme ↗)“The Swedish state has through history subjected indigenous peoples and national”
- long-term public authority management»i styrningen av välfärd, myndigheter och statliga bolag.« (party programme ↗)“in the management of welfare, public authorities and state-owned enterprises.”
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 establishes that national minorities' rights shall be protected and that the cultural heritage, which includes minority languages, shall be brought to life, while the state shall take greater responsibility for equal conditions.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan establishes that national minorities' rights shall be protected and that the cultural heritage, which includes minority languages, shall be brought to life, while the state shall take greater responsibility for equal conditions. A long-term follow-up and support mandate inscribed in authorities' instructions is one way to make that commitment lasting rather than short-term. The plan therefore speaks for the counter-proposal's requirement.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att de nationella minoriteternas rättigheter ska värnas och att kulturarvet, dit minoritetsspråken hör, ska levandegöras, samtidigt som staten ska ta ett större ansvar för likvärdiga förutsättningar. Ett långsiktigt uppföljnings- och stöduppdrag inskrivet i myndigheternas instruktioner är ett sätt att göra det åtagandet varaktigt i stället för kortsiktigt. Planen talar därför för motförslagets krav.
- minorities' rightsdecisive»Rättigheter för nationella minoriteter.« (party programme ↗)“Rights for national minorities.”
- living cultural heritage»Levandegörande av det svenska kultur- och världsarvet.« (party programme ↗)“Bringing to life of Swedish cultural and world heritage.”
- state responsibility and governance»Större statligt ansvar för likvärdiga förutsättningar i hela Sverige.« (party programme ↗)“Greater state responsibility for equal conditions throughout Sweden.”
- cultural and linguistic diversity»Kulturell mångfald med aktivt utbyte över språkliga, nationella och kulturella gränser.« (party programme ↗)“Cultural diversity with active exchange across linguistic, national and cultural boundaries.”
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 establishes that the national minority languages shall be preserved and developed and that society has a responsibility to strengthen the conditions for children's right to their minority languages.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan establishes that the national minority languages shall be preserved and developed and that society has a responsibility to strengthen the conditions for children's right to their minority languages. A long-term monitoring and support task inscribed in the authorities' instructions is precisely what is needed to address short-termism and unclear governance. The election manifesto furthermore explicitly demands strengthened rights for national minorities and the indigenous Sámi people.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att de nationella minoritetsspråken ska bevaras och utvecklas och att samhället har ett ansvar att stärka förutsättningarna för barns rätt till sina minoritetsspråk. Ett långsiktigt uppföljnings- och stöduppdrag inskrivet i myndigheternas instruktioner är just det som krävs för att komma åt kortsiktighet och otydlig styrning. Valmanifestet kräver dessutom uttryckligen stärkta rättigheter för nationella minoriteter och urfolket samerna.
- preserved minority languagesdecisive»De fem erkända nationella minoritetsspråken: finska, jiddisch, meänkieli, romani chib och samiska, ska bevaras och utvecklas.« (party programme ↗)“The five recognised national minority languages: Finnish, Yiddish, Meänkieli, Romani Chib and Sámi, shall be preserved and developed.”
- strengthened minority rights»stärka nationella minoriteters och urfolket samernas rättigheter och att Sverige ska förbinda sig att följa den internationella konventionen om urfolks rättigheter (ILO 169).« (2022 manifesto ↗)“strengthen national minorities' and the indigenous Sámi people's rights and that Sweden shall commit to following the international convention on indigenous peoples' rights (ILO 169).”
- children's right to minority languages»Barn ska ha rätt att fullt ut lära sig och behärska sina minoritetsspråk och ha tillgång till kultur på minoritetsspråk.« (party programme ↗)“Children shall have the right to fully learn and master their minority languages and have access to culture in minority languages.”
- convention-compliant rights»De nationella minoriteterna och urfolket samerna ska fullt ut kunna tillvarata de rättigheter de har enligt internationella konventioner, som Sverige har åtagit sig att följa.« (party programme ↗)“National minorities and the indigenous Sámi people shall be able to fully utilise the rights they have according to international conventions, which Sweden has committed to following.”
The election manifesto explicitly promises to strengthen minority protection and minority languages' position.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The election manifesto explicitly promises to strengthen minority protection and minority languages' position. A long-term follow-up and support assignment inscribed in government agencies' instructions, with a clearer steering chain, is exactly what that commitment requires when oversight has shown short-sightedness and unclear steering. The party programme moreover requires that structures that disadvantage people be combated.
Original (Swedish)
Valmanifestet lovar uttryckligen att stärka minoritetsskyddet och minoritetsspråkens ställning. Ett långsiktigt uppföljnings- och stöduppdrag inskrivet i myndigheternas instruktioner, med en tydligare styrkedja, är just vad det åtagandet kräver när granskningen visat på kortsiktighet och otydlig styrning. Partiprogrammet kräver dessutom att strukturer som missgynnar människor bekämpas.
- strengthened minority language positiondecisive»Vi vill stärka bland annat äganderätten, diskrimineringsförbudet, minoritetsskyddet och minoritetsspråkens ställning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to strengthen, among other things, property rights, the anti-discrimination clause, minority protection and minority languages' position”
- combat discriminating structures»Vi bekämpar alla strukturer, formella och informella, som förtrycker eller diskriminerar människor.« (party programme ↗)“We combat all structures, formal and informal, that oppress or discriminate against people.”
- no one shall be disadvantaged»Vi måste fortsätta arbetet för ett Sverige där ingen missgynnas på grund av kön, härkomst eller funktionsnedsättning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We must continue the work for a Sweden where no one is disadvantaged because of gender, origin or disability”
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 party programme establishes that the position of national minorities shall be maintained, that the public shall support media and cultural offerings with minority language profile and that individuals' opportunities to use minority languages with public authorities shall be strengthened.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme establishes that the position of national minorities shall be maintained, that the public shall support media and cultural offerings with minority language profile and that individuals' opportunities to use minority languages with public authorities shall be strengthened. A long-term follow-up and support assignment entered in the authorities' instructions is that commitment put into practice. The counter-proposal's requirement for a more coherent governance chain therefore follows from the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet slår fast att de nationella minoriteternas ställning ska upprätthållas, att det offentliga ska understödja ett medie- och kulturutbud med minoritetsspråksprofil och att individens möjligheter att använda minoritetsspråk hos myndigheter ska stärkas. Ett långsiktigt uppföljnings- och stöduppdrag inskrivet i myndigheternas instruktioner är det åtagandet omsatt i styrning. Motförslagets krav på en mer sammanhållen styrkedja följer därför av planen.
- support for minority languagesdecisive»Det offentliga ska understödja ett språk-, kultur- och medieutbud med minoritetsspråksprofil.« (party programme ↗)“The public shall support media, culture and language offerings with minority language profile.”
- minority languages in government»Individens möjligheter att använda minoritetsspråk i kontakten med myndigheter ska stärkas.« (party programme ↗)“Individuals' opportunities to use minority languages in contact with public authorities shall be strengthened.”
- position of national minorities»Samernas, sverigefinnarnas, tornedalingarnas, judarnas och romernas ställning som nationella minoriteter och samernas ställning som urfolk ska upprätthållas.« (party programme ↗)“The position of the Sámi, Swedish Finns, Tornedalians, Jews and Roma as national minorities and the Sámi's position as indigenous people shall be maintained.”
- knowledge of minorities in schools»Skolan ska ge alla elever kunskap om Sveriges urfolk, nationella minoriteter och minoritetsspråk.« (party programme ↗)“Schools shall give all pupils knowledge of Sweden's indigenous people, national minorities and minority languages.”
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 requires that minority languages be secured a strong position through legislation and that minorities' needs and interests be considered in all parts of the country and at all levels in the public sector.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan explicitly requires that minority languages be secured a strong position through legislation and that minorities' needs and interests be considered in all parts of the country and at all levels in the public sector. Writing the monitoring and support task into the authorities' instructions and making it long-term is precisely such a permanent arrangement. According to the plan, the purpose is to strengthen the groups' self-confidence and cultural identity.
Original (Swedish)
Planen kräver uttryckligen att minoritetsspråken tillförsäkras en stark ställning genom lagstiftning och att minoriteternas behov och intressen beaktas i alla delar av landet och på alla nivåer i den offentliga sektorn. Att skriva in uppföljnings- och stöduppdraget i myndigheternas instruktioner och göra det långsiktigt är just en sådan varaktig ordning. Syftet är enligt planen att stärka gruppernas självtillit och kulturella identitet.
- minority languages in legislationdecisive»att tillförsäkra minoritetsspråken en stark ställning genom lagstiftning« (party programme ↗)“to secure minority languages a strong position through legislation”
- responsibility at all levels»intressen beaktas i alla delar av landet och på alla nivåer i den offentliga sektorn« (party programme ↗)“interests are considered in all parts of the country and at all levels in the public sector”
- strengthened cultural identity»stärks deras självtillit och kulturella identitet« (party programme ↗)“their self-confidence and cultural identity are strengthened”
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 does not address the national minority languages.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan does not address the national minority languages. Its language policy emphasis is on Swedish as the decisive tool against segregation, and the party programme emphasizes the nation-state as the foundation of democracy. The closest governing principle is that policy must prioritize and eliminate, which speaks against expanding the chain of command and writing in new long-term assignments in agencies' instructions. However, the background is weak.
Original (Swedish)
Planen behandlar inte de nationella minoritetsspråken. Dess språkpolitiska tyngdpunkt ligger på svenskan som det avgörande verktyget mot segregation, och partiprogrammet betonar nationalstaten som demokratins grund. Närmast liggande princip är att politiken måste prioritera och välja bort, vilket talar emot att bygga ut styrkedjan och skriva in nya långsiktiga uppdrag i myndigheternas instruktioner. Underlaget är dock svagt.
- prioritize and eliminatedecisive»Politiken har en viktig uppgift att prioritera och välja bort« (party programme ↗)“Policy has an important task to prioritize and eliminate”
- Swedish language at center»De enskilt viktigaste åtgärderna för att bryta segregationen handlar om kvaliteten i undervisningen och det svenska språket.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The individually most important measures to break segregation involve the quality of teaching and the Swedish language.”
- nation-state as foundation»Den svenska demokratin och vår rättsstat vilar på nationalstaten.« (party programme ↗)“Swedish democracy and our rule of law rest on the nation-state.”
The party programme explicitly exempts national minorities from general assimilation efforts and gives them far-reaching cultural autonomy, which presupposes that the state actually maintains support for minority languages.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme explicitly exempts national minorities from general assimilation efforts and gives them far-reaching cultural autonomy, which presupposes that the state actually maintains support for minority languages. Making the follow-up and support task long-term and writing it into agencies' instructions is a means to that end. The plan also requires that criticism and results of public efforts be taken seriously.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet undantar uttryckligen de nationella minoriteterna från allmänna assimileringssträvanden och ger dem långtgående kulturell autonomi, vilket förutsätter att staten faktiskt upprätthåller stödet till minoritetsspråken. Att göra uppföljnings- och stöduppdraget långsiktigt och skriva in det i myndigheternas instruktioner är ett medel för det. Planen kräver också att kritik och resultat av offentliga insatser tas på allvar.
- cultural autonomy for minoritiesdecisive»ges långtgående kulturell autonomi« (party programme ↗)“given far-reaching cultural autonomy”
- protected minority cultures»Urfolkens ställning och kulturella värden ska värnas i den utrikespolitiska inriktningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Indigenous peoples' position and cultural values must be protected in foreign policy direction.”
- results of government efforts»Begära tydliga resultat för varje offentlig satsning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Require clear results for every public initiative”
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 (2025/26:KU31)
- Committee report full text (HD01KU31)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2025/26:2786 — En politik för de nationella minoriteterna och minoritetsspråken av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2025/26:3435 — Politik för Sveriges nationella minoriteter av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2025/26:3775 — Kultur och bildning av Amanda Lind m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2025/26:3884 — med anledning av skr. 2025/26:62 Riksrevisionens rapport om statens främjande av de nationella minoritetsspråken av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2025/26:3892 — med anledning av skr. 2025/26:62 Riksrevisionens rapport om statens främjande av de nationella minoritetsspråken av Lorena Delgado Varas och Daniel Riazat (båda -)
- Regeringens skrivelse 2025/26:62 — Riksrevisionens rapport om statens främjande av de nationella minoritetsspråken
Source: The Swedish Parliament