Swedish control over defence material production

The plan explicitly demands strong state ownership in arms production so that security-policy key decisions are made with a comprehensive perspective. The counter-proposal's demand that the state ensures control over the production of critical defence material, among other things through ownership or partial ownership, is therefore the same thing the plan itself advocates. It also follows from the commitment to gradually strengthen collective ownership in key sectors and to reclaim privatized socially-important activities.

• state ownership in arms productiondecisive»Vi vill se ett starkt statligt ägande i vapenproduktionen för att säkerhetspolitiska nyckelbeslut ska fattas med ett helhetsperspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“We want to see strong state ownership in arms production so that security-policy key decisions are made with a comprehensive perspective.”
• collective ownership in key sectors»Vi vill steg för steg stärka det gemensamma ägandet i ekonomins nyckelsektorer« (party programme ↗)“We want to gradually strengthen collective ownership in the economy's key sectors”
• reclaim privatized activities»Det är hög tid att agera och ta tillbaka den samhällsviktiga verksamhet och infrastruktur som har privatiserats.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is high time to act and reclaim the socially-important activities and infrastructure that have been privatized.”

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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 makes clear that privatisation of functions vital to preparedness has brought risks to the nation's resilience and that resilience and citizens' security shall be prioritised over market interests. State control, for instance through ownership or part-ownership, of the production of critical defence material follows from this. The plan also wants to strengthen public interest in the governance of state-owned enterprises and build a strong Swedish defence industry. The counter-proposal is supported.

• resilience over marketdecisive»Svensk motståndskraft liksom medborgarnas säkerhet och trygghet sätts före« (party programme ↗)“Swedish resilience as well as citizens' security and safety shall be prioritised over”
• privatisation threatens preparedness»Privatisering av funktioner som är viktiga för Sveriges beredskap har medfört risker för landets« (party programme ↗)“Privatisation of functions vital to Sweden's preparedness has brought risks to the nation's”
• public interest in state enterprises»Stärkt samhällsintresse i styrningen av de statliga bolagen.« (party programme ↗)“Strengthened public interest in the governance of state-owned enterprises.”
• strong Swedish defence industry»Sverige behöver ett robust militärt och civilt folkförsvar, och en stark svensk försvarsindustri.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden needs a robust military and civil national defence, and a strong Swedish defence industry.”

The plan states that society must secure control over critical infrastructure and increase self-sufficiency in important technology, and that policy needs greater power over common resources. That speaks for the counter-proposal's demand for state control, for example through ownership, of critical defence material production. However, the plan's condition that the weapons industry must never undermine work for peace and human rights remains, and the question of ownership structure is not addressed, which is why the assessment is uncertain.

• control over critical productiondecisive»läkemedel, kritiska råmaterial och viktig teknologi. Samhället måste säkra kontroll över« (party programme ↗)“medicines, critical raw materials and important technology. Society must secure control over”
• political control over resources»Politiken behöver därför ha större rådighet över hur våra gemensamma resurser fördelas.« (party programme ↗)“Policy therefore needs greater power over how our common resources are distributed.”
• weapons industry subordinate to peace»av vapen, får aldrig urholka arbetet för fred, demokratisering och mänskliga rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“of weapons, must never undermine work for peace, democratization and human rights.”
• prioritize civil defence»satsa en större andel av försvarets pengar på det civila försvaret, och öka anslagen till krisberedskap« (2022 manifesto ↗)“invest a larger share of defence spending on civil defence, and increase allocation to emergency preparedness”

The plan's economic basic stance is a market economy free from command-economy directives, where companies are owned and run by individuals and where public activities are rather exposed to competition than expanded. A requirement that the state ensure control over production of critical defence material through increased state ownership goes against that line. The plan wants to arm defence quickly and powerfully, but does not prescribe state ownership as a tool.

• competitive public activitiesdecisive»Offentlig verksamhet kan med fördel konkurrensutsättas« (party programme ↗)“Public activities can advantageously be exposed to competition”
• quick defence build-up»Sverige ska försvaras. Vi vill rusta det militära försvaret snabbt, kraftfullt och långsiktigt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden should be defended. We want to arm military defence quickly, powerfully and long-term.”
• private enterprise builds the economy»Det är enskilda människor som startar, driver och utvecklar företagen och som skapar jobben i hela vårt land.« (party programme ↗)“It is individuals who start, run and develop companies and who create jobs throughout our country.”

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The plan states that the public shall only operate businesses when there is a strong societal interest and shall not crowd out functioning private alternatives. The counter-proposal's demand for increased state ownership or part-ownership in companies handling critical defence materiel goes against that line. The plan views strategic assets from a security-political perspective, but handles it with control and requirements rather than through state ownership.

• restrictive public enterprisedecisive»Det offentliga ska endast driva affärsverksamhet om det finns ett starkt samhällsintresse.« (party programme ↗)“The public shall only operate businesses if there is a strong societal interest.”
• no broad state ownership»Staten ska inte äga flygbolag, banker och telebolag.« (party programme ↗)“The state shall not own airlines, banks and telephone companies.”
• protection of strategic assets»Den utveckling där odemokratiska eller rentav totalitära stater förvärvar strategiska tillgångar i« (party programme ↗)“The development where undemocratic or even totalitarian states acquire strategic assets in”
• private enterprise builds prosperity»Sveriges välstånd byggs av företagsamma och strävsamma människor.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden's prosperity is built by enterprising and hard-working people.”

The party programme wants the economy to be built on a high degree of personal ownership and rejects direct enterprise subsidies, while simultaneously requiring a domestic defense industry. The counter-proposal's requirement for state control through increased ownership or part-ownership in companies producing critical defense material contradicts the plan's ownership view. The need for domestic capacity must according to the plan be met through conditions and competence, not through state ownership.

• personal ownership over institutionaldecisive»En väl fungerande ekonomi bör därför bygga på en hög grad av personligt ägande.« (party programme ↗)“A well-functioning economy should therefore be built on a high degree of personal ownership.”
• domestic defense industry required»vilket förutsätter en inhemsk försvarsindustri.« (party programme ↗)“which presupposes a domestic defense industry.”
• no to enterprise subsidies»Direkta företagssubventioner avvisas.« (party programme ↗)“Direct enterprise subsidies are rejected.”
• public venture capital for small businesses»De offentliga organen bör medverka till att nödvändigt riskkapital finns tillgängligt, inte minst för mindre företag och i regioner med svag kapitalbildning och sysselsättningsproblem.« (party programme ↗)“The public bodies should contribute to necessary venture capital being available, not least for smaller companies and in regions with weak capital formation and employment problems.”

The plan builds on ownership rights and business freedom to have strong protection and that the state's role towards the defense industry is to support, for example against cyberattacks and espionage, not to own production. Increased state ownership or co-ownership in companies that manufacture critical defense material goes against that line. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's demand, even though it shares the goal of a strong Swedish defense industry.

• strong ownership rightsdecisive»Äganderätten och näringsfriheten ska ha ett starkt skydd i« (party programme ↗)“Ownership rights and business freedom shall have strong protection in”
• state support without ownership»Ge företag som är engagerade i säkerhetskänslig verksamhet bättre stöd från staten att kunna möta cyberattacker, spionage och stöldförsök från främmande makt« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Give companies engaged in security-sensitive activities better support from the state to meet cyberattacks, espionage and theft attempts from foreign powers”
• strong defense industry»Verka för att Sveriges teknologiska kunnande och kompetenta försvarsindustri kommer hela Nato till del« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work for Sweden's technological knowledge and competent defense industry to be shared with all of NATO”
• private investments»Stärka drivkrafterna för investeringar, forskning och entreprenörskap, genom lägre skatter på företagande« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen the driving forces for investments, research and entrepreneurship, through lower taxes on business”

The plan requires increased Swedish self-sufficiency of critical products and that the strategic interest of Swedish suppliers is valued more clearly in defence procurement, and the party programme states that defence is among the functions that should be under public control. The counter-proposal's requirement for secured public control over production of critical defence materiel follows from these commitments. The plan does not, however, state anything about shareholdings in individual companies, so the assessment is derived.

• self-sufficiency of critical goodsdecisive»Öka den svenska självförsörjningsgraden av kritiska produkter och varor« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase Swedish self-sufficiency of critical products and goods”
• public control of defence»centrala samhällsfunktioner såsom rättsväsende, försvar och väsentliga delar av vår infrastruktur bör stå under statlig kontroll« (party programme ↗)“central state functions such as the justice system, defence and essential parts of our infrastructure should be under public control”
• domestic defence technology»Svensk försvarsindustri ska också stärkas genom att fortsatt satsa på inhemsk försvarsteknologi och att tydligare värdera det strategiska intresset av svenska leverantörer vid inköp av försvarsmateriel.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish defence industry should also be strengthened by continuing to invest in domestic defence technology and by more clearly valuing the strategic interest of Swedish suppliers in defence procurement.”
• defence as guarantee»Sverigedemokraterna ser det militära försvaret som den yttersta garanten för bevarandet av vår demokrati, vår frihet, vårt nationella självbestämmande och vår kulturella särart.« (party programme ↗)“the Sweden Democrats see military defence as the ultimate guarantee for the preservation of our democracy, our freedom, our national self-determination and our cultural distinctiveness.”

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.