EU's influence over forest policy

The plan points to precisely climate and environmental regulations as the progress within the EU that is important to defend, while the counter-proposal wants to expand the scope for nationally adapting the rules concerning forests. Since the plan at the same time requires strong protection of forest with rich ecosystems and regulation free from one-sided profit interests, it argues against loosening environmental regulations for forestry. The plan's general defence of national self-determination pulls in the other direction, which makes the assessment uncertain.

• defend EU's environmental regulationsdecisive»utbyte mellan länder och vissa klimat- och miljöregleringar.« (party programme ↗)“exchange between countries and certain climate and environmental regulations.”
• strong forest protection»behövs ett starkt skydd av skog med rika ekosystem och en genom« (party programme ↗)“there is a need for strong protection of forest with rich ecosystems and a through”
• holistic view in forestry»tänkt reglering av skogsbruket, som utgår från en helhetssyn och inte« (party programme ↗)“considered regulation of forestry, which starts from a holistic view and not”
• national self-determination over natural resources»regioner ska ges möjlighet att kontrollera sin produktion, sina finansiella flöden och sina naturresurser.« (party programme ↗)“regions shall be given the opportunity to control their production, their financial flows and their natural resources.”

The plan sees the EU as a necessary platform for sharpening environmental protection and wants Sweden to fully participate and be a leading actor in the union. An increased scope for national exceptions from EU rules concerning forests pulls in the opposite direction. The plan reserves national determination for other issues, such as taxes, not for environmental and climate regulation.

• EU sharpens environmental protectiondecisive»plattform för att på europeisk nivå skärpa skyddet av miljö, konsumenter och löntagare.« (party programme ↗)“platform for sharpening environmental, consumer and worker protection at European level.”
• full Swedish EU participation»Sverige fullt ut deltar i det europeiska samarbetet.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden fully participates in the European cooperation.”
• limited national competence»För andra frågor, som exempelvis skatter, ska den nationella bestämmanderätten vara kvar.« (party programme ↗)“For other issues, such as for example taxes, national determination shall remain.”
• climate perspective in all decisions»Klimatperspektiv på alla nivåer av beslut och beslutsfattande.« (party programme ↗)“Climate perspective at all levels of decision and decision-making.”

The plan holds that supranational decisions and international agreements are needed to set frameworks for how individual countries affect their nature, and wants to see the EU as a leading force in climate work. Increased scope for national and regional adaptation of forest regulations pulls in the opposite direction and risks loosening environmental legislation. The plan therefore rejects the counter-proposal's demand.

• supranational frameworks for naturedecisive»Därför behövs överstatliga beslut och internationella överenskommelser som sätter ramar för hur enskilda länder påverkar sin natur.« (party programme ↗)“Therefore supranational decisions and international agreements are needed that set frameworks for how individual countries affect their nature.”
• EU leads climate work»EU ska vara den ledande kraften i det globala klimatarbetet och driva på för att minska såväl de egna som övriga delar av världens utsläpp.« (party programme ↗)“The EU should be the leading force in global climate work and push to reduce both its own and the rest of the world's emissions.”
• no loosened environmental legislation»Den gröna omställningen ska inte användas som ursäkt för att luckra upp miljölagstiftning eller urholka minoriteters rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“The green transition should not be used as an excuse to loosen environmental legislation or undermine minorities' rights.”
• more interstate cooperation»Vi är övertygade om att det behövs mer samarbete mellan länder för att lösa gränsöverskridande problem.« (party programme ↗)“We are convinced that more cooperation between countries is needed to solve transboundary problems.”

The party programme wants the EU to become narrower but sharper and explicitly opens for questions to be moved back from the EU to national level, with decisions as close to the citizen as possible. According to the election manifesto, forestry should have good conditions based on strong property rights, which argues for national and regional room for manoeuvre in forestry issues. The counter-proposal's requirement for increased scope for national adaptation therefore follows from the plan.

• return questions to national leveldecisive»öppna för att frågor flyttas tillbaka från EU till nationell nivå.« (party programme ↗)“open to questions being moved back from the EU to national level.”
• narrower but sharper EU»EU måste bli smalare, men vassare, göra färre saker men göra dem bättre.« (party programme ↗)“The EU must become narrower, but sharper, do fewer things but do them better.”
• forestry with strong property rights»Skogsbruket behöver goda förutsättningar grundade i en stark äganderätt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Forestry needs good conditions based on strong property rights.”
• limit EU central power»Unionens byråkrati får inte överskugga demokratin.« (party programme ↗)“The Union's bureaucracy must not overshadow democracy.”

The counter-proposal wants to increase scope for national and regional adaptation of EU rules concerning forests. The plan goes in the opposite direction and makes EU cooperation the most important instrument in environmental matters, where ambitions shall be raised and regulations sharpened and more decisions made jointly. The plan certainly wants to return certain policy areas to national level, but environment and climate are not among them.

• sharpened EU rules on environmentdecisive»EU-samarbetet är vårt viktigaste instrument för att driva på miljöarbetet internationellt. EU:s ambitioner måste höjas och regelverken skärpas.« (party programme ↗)“EU cooperation is our most important instrument for driving environmental work internationally. EU ambitions must be raised and regulations sharpened.”
• more joint EU decisions»Fler gemensamma beslut på EU-nivå och global nivå är nödvändiga, både för miljöns skull och för att skapa rättvis konkurrens.« (party programme ↗)“More joint decisions at EU level and global level are necessary, both for the environment and to create fair competition.”
• the EU as environmental organization»EU är världens viktigaste miljöorganisation – det är bara genom samarbete i Europa och globalt som klimatutmaningen kan mötas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The EU is the world's most important environmental organization – it is only through cooperation in Europe and globally that the climate challenge can be met.”
• clear responsibility distribution in the EU»Vår vision är ett federalt Europa som står starkt och enat i de frågor där samarbete behövs, och som lämnar andra frågor åt medlemsländerna och medborgarna själva.« (party programme ↗)“Our vision is a federal Europe that stands strong and united on questions where cooperation is needed, and that leaves other questions to member states and citizens themselves.”

The plan explicitly requires that environmental policy is flexible enough that each country and region can adapt measures to its unique circumstances, and that the EU's tasks are limited to prevent unwanted centralization. The counter-proposal's demand for increased scope for national and regional adaptation of rules affecting forests is exactly this. The plan also requires a mechanism for the subsidiarity principle in the decision-making process.

• national adaptation of environmental policydecisive»flexibel att varje land och region kan anpassa åtgärder efter sina unika förhållanden.« (party programme ↗)“flexible so that each country and region can adapt measures to its unique circumstances.”
• limited EU competence»En avgränsning av EU:s uppgifter är nödvändig« (party programme ↗)“A limitation of the EU's tasks is necessary”
• subsidiarity in decision-making»subsidiaritetsprincipen i beslutsprocessen måste finnas.« (party programme ↗)“the subsidiarity principle in the decision-making process must exist.”
• long-term ground rules for forestry»övergripande långsiktiga och hållbara spelregler som främjar såväl produktions som« (party programme ↗)“overarching long-term and sustainable ground rules that promote both production 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 plan explicitly points out conditions for the forest industry as an issue Sweden should drive in the EU, and establishes that decisions should be made at the lowest possible level and that the EU should never develop at the expense of member states. Increased room for national and regional adaptation of forest regulations follows directly from that. The plan also wants to counter over-implementation of EU decisions in Sweden.

• Swedish forest interests in the EUdecisive»samtidigt driva frågor som är särskilt viktiga för Sverige, som villkoren för skogsnäringen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“at the same time drive issues that are particularly important for Sweden, such as conditions for the forest industry”
• subsidiarity»Beslut ska fattas på lägsta möjliga nivå, så nära medborgarna som möjligt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Decisions should be made at the lowest possible level, as close to citizens as possible.”
• member states' sovereignty»Men EU ska aldrig utvecklas på medlemsstaternas bekostnad.« (party programme ↗)“But the EU should never develop at the expense of member states.”
• no over-implementation»Minska regelkrånglet och onödig byråkrati, bland annat genom att motverka överimplementering i Sverige av EU-beslut – som huvudregel ska EU-direktiv genomföras på miniminivå« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, including by countering over-implementation in Sweden of EU decisions - as a main rule, EU directives should be implemented at the minimum level”

flags: citat_migrerat

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 Sweden's self-determination over forests be protected against the EU and states that forests shall be managed by member states themselves but that the Commission restricts this right. The counter-proposal's requirement for increased scope for national and regional adaptation of forestry rules is the same commitment. The plan furthermore wants EU rules to become fewer and more flexible based on each member state's circumstances.

• national forest self-determinationdecisive»Värna Sveriges självbestämmande över skogen gentemot EU« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protect Sweden's self-determination over forests against the EU”
• forests are national competence»Skogen inom EU ska skötas av medlemsländerna själva, men EU-kommissionen inskränker allt mer denna rätt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Forests within the EU shall be managed by member states themselves, but the EU Commission increasingly restricts this right.”
• flexible EU rules»EU-reglerna måste bli färre och mer flexibla utifrån varje medlemsstats unika landskap, tradition och standarder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“EU rules must become fewer and more flexible based on each member state's unique landscape, tradition and standards.”
• national self-determination»Stärka det nationella självbestämmandet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen national self-determination”

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.