Critical metals and minerals

The plan does not specifically address innovation-critical metals, but it wants Sweden to secure the technological shifts that industry needs and sees good conditions for domestic production. At the same time, the plan conditions mining: it shall happen with greater common ownership and a holistic perspective that factors in local natural values. A guaranteed supply of metals for environmental technology thus aligns with the plan, but only under those conditions.

• strategic technological shifts in industrydecisive»Vi vill att Sverige beslutsamt genomför de strategiska teknikskiften« (party programme ↗)“We want Sweden to decisively implement the strategic technological shifts”
• common ownership of mining»Vi vill gå mot ett större gemensamt ägande av gruvbrytningen i« (party programme ↗)“We want to move towards greater common ownership of mining in”
• holistic view of mining»Den behöver drivas med ett långsiktigt helhetsperspektiv som ser till såväl de globala behoven som lokala naturvärden och« (party programme ↗)“It needs to be run with a long-term holistic perspective that considers both global needs and local natural values and”
• increased recycling of material»Återanvändning och återvinning av material behöver öka.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reuse and recycling of material needs to increase.”

The plan builds the green transition on a strong Swedish industry and innovation capacity, which requires that the supply of innovation-critical metals be actively secured rather than relying on import from a few countries. The plan also sees preparedness risks in strong dependencies on other countries' supplies and wants to strengthen the domestic supply capacity. Recycling is covered by the commitment to a circular economy but is not pointed out in the plan as sufficient.

• industrial climate leadershipdecisive»Svenskt ledarskap i klimatomställningen genom stark industri och innovationskraft.« (party programme ↗)“Swedish leadership in climate transition through strong industry and innovation capacity.”
• circular resource use»Omställning till cirkulär ekonomi, för bättre användning av befintliga resurser.« (party programme ↗)“Transition to circular economy, for better use of existing resources.”
• new green industry in Sweden»Nu tillverkar vi fossilfritt stål i Sverige, vi bygger elbilar och vi ser hur nedlagda industrier blir till batterifabriker.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Now we manufacture fossil-free steel in Sweden, we build electric cars and we see how closed industries become battery factories.”
• strengthened self-sufficiency capacity»Livskraftig svensk livsmedelsproduktion som stärker landets självförsörjningsförmåga.« (party programme ↗)“Viable Swedish food production that strengthens the country's self-sufficiency capacity.”

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 ranks: resource efficiency first, reuse and recycling second, existing mines third and new mines only after that. The counter-proposal reverses that order by dismissing recycling as insufficient and making actively guaranteed extraction the main track. The plan also states that the transition must not become an excuse to loosen environmental legislation. Therefore the plan speaks against the counter-proposal's demand.

• resource efficiency firstdecisive»Miljöpartiet vill i första hand att mineraler och metaller« (party programme ↗)“The Green Party wants first and foremost that minerals and metals”
• recycling before extraction»I andra hand ska resurser återanvändas och återvinnas« (party programme ↗)“Secondly, resources should be reused and recycled”
• new mines last»tredje hand ska redan existerande gruvor användas och först därefter bör nya gruvor« (party programme ↗)“third, existing mines should be used and only then should new mines”
• transition does not excuse environmental damage»Den gröna omställningen ska inte användas som ursäkt« (party programme ↗)“The green transition should not be used as an excuse”

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 states that Sweden should extract more minerals and metals rather than import them from countries with larger carbon footprints and poorer working conditions, and identifies extraction of the minerals required for the green transition as a source of new jobs. It also wants to halve approval times for green investments. The counter-proposal's demand to actively secure supply of innovation-critical metals follows directly from this.

• own extraction rather than importdecisive»För att klara den gröna omställningen måste vi ta vara på Sveriges naturresurser. Det är bättre att Sverige tar ansvar och utvinner mer mineral och metaller istället för att fortsätta importera dem från länder med större klimatavtryck och sämre arbetsvillkor.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To achieve the green transition, we must use Sweden's natural resources. It is better for Sweden to take responsibility and extract more minerals and metals instead of continuing to import them from countries with larger carbon footprints and poorer working conditions.”
• minerals for green transition»Med rätt reformer kommer nya jobb att skapas på landsbygden inom allt från produktion av biobränslen till utvinning av de mineral och metaller som krävs för den gröna omställningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“With the right reforms, new jobs will be created in the countryside ranging from biofuel production to extraction of the minerals and metals required for the green transition.”
• recycling as complement»Sverige ska bli världens mest resurseffektiva land och ekonomin mer cirkulär. Med rätt stöd och regelförenklingar kan vi återvinna och återbruka allt från kläder till mineral och metaller.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden should become the world's most resource-efficient country and the economy more circular. With the right support and deregulation, we can recycle and reuse everything from clothes to minerals and metals.”
• faster approval processes»Det är dags att halvera tiden det tar att få tillstånd för gröna investeringar och reformera miljöbalken så att ett projekts klimatnytta ges större vikt i miljöprövningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is time to halve the time it takes to get approval for green investments and reform the Environmental Code so that a project's climate benefit is given more weight in environmental assessment.”

The plan requires that trade and promotion policy be conducted without naivety towards Chinese and Russian power politics and sees undemocratic states' control over strategic assets as a security issue. Actively securing the supply of innovation-critical metals reduces precisely such dependence. The plan moreover emphasizes that minerals should circulate in the production system, which the counter-proposal also acknowledges as insufficient in itself.

• reduced naivety towards dictatorshipsdecisive»Handels- och främjandepolitiken ska stärka Sverige som aktör för en friare värld och dra nytta av frihandelns fördelar utan den naivitet som alltför länge uppvisats för kinesisk och rysk maktpolitik.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Trade and promotion policy shall strengthen Sweden as an actor for a freer world and benefit from the advantages of free trade without the naivety that has been shown too long towards Chinese and Russian power politics.”
• strategic dependencies as a security issue»Den utveckling där odemokratiska eller rentav totalitära stater förvärvar strategiska« (party programme ↗)“The development where undemocratic or indeed totalitarian states acquire strategic”
• circular raw material use»grundläggande råvaror, såsom växtnäring och mineraler, ska cirkulera i produktionssystemet« (party programme ↗)“basic raw materials, such as fertilizers and minerals, should circulate in the production system”
• technology for climate transition»Medan andra gröna partier grundades för att stoppa tillväxten vet vi att ny teknik och nya lösningar är en del av lösningen på klimatutmaningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“While other green parties were founded to stop growth, we know that new technology and new solutions are part of the solution to the climate challenge.”

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 makes economic defence an important part of total defence and requires that Sweden can in principle provide for its own supply and maintain good preparedness for a blockade of foreign trade. A large import dependence on innovation-critical metals from a few countries is exactly such a vulnerability, and the stewardship principle means responsible use of resources, not passive preservation. Actively securing the supply of critical metals and minerals thus lies in line with the plan.

• economic defencedecisive»Det ekonomiska försvaret är en viktig del av totalförsvaret.« (party programme ↗)“Economic defence is an important part of total defence.”
• national supply capacity»kunna svara för befolkningens livsmedels och energiförsörjning samt hålla en god beredskap« (party programme ↗)“be able to provide for the population's food and energy supply and maintain good preparedness”
• preparedness for blockade»inför avspärrning av utrikeshandeln.« (party programme ↗)“against a blockade of foreign trade.”
• active stewardship of resources»Förvaltarskapsprincipen innebär inget passivt bevarande, utan ett ansvarsfullt brukande och« (party programme ↗)“The stewardship principle means no passive preservation, but a responsible use and”

Worldstate weighed in: US and Israeli attacks on Iran in February 2026 — increases the risk of disrupted supply chains and makes the plan's demands on supply preparedness more acute; Foreign Ministry's advice against travel to several Gulf states — illustrates how quickly supply chains from a few countries can be broken

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 links the new security situation to the requirement to reduce vulnerability and increase self-sufficiency, and establishes that our rich mineral resources should be able to be extracted responsibly. The counter-proposal's demand to actively secure the supply of innovation-critical metals and minerals is thus in line with the plan. The plan also shortens processing times that would otherwise slow down extraction.

• reduced vulnerability and increased self-sufficiencydecisive»Det nya säkerhetsläget i Europa gör att vi som land måste minska vår sårbarhet och öka vår självförsörjningsgrad.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The new security situation in Europe means we as a country must reduce our vulnerability and increase our self-sufficiency.”
• domestic mineral extraction»Våra rika mineraltillgångar ska kunna utvinnas ansvarsfullt och långsiktigt hållbart.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Our rich mineral resources should be able to be extracted responsibly and sustainably long-term.”
• sustainably extracted long-term»Våra rika mineraltillgångar ska även fortsättningsvis kunna utvinnas på ett« (party programme ↗)“Our rich mineral resources should continue to be able to be extracted”
• faster permit processes»Korta myndigheternas handläggningstider genom en bortre tidsgräns« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Shorten the processing times of authorities through an outer time limit”

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 counter-proposal seeks to secure the supply of innovation-critical metals and minerals and reduce import dependency through own sustainable extraction. The election manifesto explicitly states that it shall become easier and faster to open mines for the minerals needed, that licensing processes for mining shall be streamlined and that Sweden's self-sufficiency degree of critical goods shall increase. It bears the requirement directly.

• facilitate mineral extractiondecisive»Det behöver också bli enklare och gå snabbare att öppna gruvor för de mineraler som behövs för exempelvis tillverkning av batterier.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It also needs to become easier and go faster to open mines for the minerals needed, for example for the manufacture of batteries.”
• faster licensing processes»Effektivisera och öka förutsägbarheten i tillståndsprocesserna för gruvnäring, elnätsutbyggnad och industri« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Streamline and increase predictability in licensing processes for mining, grid expansion and industry”
• increased self-sufficiency»Öka den svenska självförsörjningsgraden av kritiska produkter och varor« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase Sweden's self-sufficiency degree of critical products and goods”
• Swedish industry competitiveness»Prioritera svensk industri och konkurrenskraft« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Prioritise Swedish industry and competitiveness”

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.