Scrutiny of direct investments

The plan requires a conscious and strategic approach to the large corporations and great powers that build positions of power, and wants to strengthen common ownership in key sectors such as natural resources, energy and infrastructure. The counter-proposal's demand for a review to remove obstacles to foreign investment goes in the opposite direction to that control. The plan also emphasises all countries' right to decide for themselves about their production and financial flows.

• strategic against large corporationsdecisive»Sverige behöver ett medvetet och strategiskt förhållningssätt till« (party programme ↗)“Sweden needs a conscious and strategic approach to”
• common ownership in key sectors»strategiska naturtillgångar, energiförsörjning, infrastruktur, bostadsproduktion och den finansiella sektorn.« (party programme ↗)“strategic natural resources, energy supply, infrastructure, housing production and the financial sector.”
• national self-determination»Tillsammans kan vi stärka alla länders möjlighet att besluta« (party programme ↗)“Together we can strengthen every country's ability to decide”

The plan explicitly warns that societally vital functions have been handed over to private actors who in the worst case are controlled by foreign powers, which bears the counter-proposal's requirement that security interests be considered in trade policy. At the same time the plan wants a good business climate and wishes to promote exports, which encompasses a more purposeful inspection system. That the plan sets resilience before market interests still makes the support uncertain.

• protection against foreign powersdecisive»privata marknadsaktörer, som i värsta fall kontrolleras av främmande makt.« (party programme ↗)“private market actors, who in the worst case are controlled by foreign powers.”
• security before market interests»Svensk motståndskraft liksom medborgarnas säkerhet och trygghet sätts före« (party programme ↗)“Swedish resilience as well as citizens' security and safety shall be prioritised over”
• good business climate»Innovationskraft, gott företagsklimat och stark konkurrenskraft för ökad tillväxt.« (party programme ↗)“Innovation capacity, good business climate and strong competitiveness for increased growth.”
• promoted exports»Insatser för att främja svensk export, värna frihandeln och motverka protektionism.« (party programme ↗)“Efforts to promote Swedish exports, safeguard free trade and counter protectionism.”

The plan does not address review of foreign direct investment. The closest principle is that society must secure control of critical infrastructure and that the state has a responsibility to regulate markets, which argues against an overview whose point is that review hinders investment. The plan wants to steer capital flows in a green direction, not ease security review.

• control over critical infrastructuredecisive»Samhället måste säkra kontroll över kritisk infrastruktur« (party programme ↗)“Society must secure control of critical infrastructure”
• state market regulation»Staten ska säkerställa att det finns regelverk och institutioner som ser till att marknader kan fungera väl.« (party programme ↗)“The state shall ensure that there are regulations and institutions that see to it that markets can function well.”
• steered capital flows»Kapitalflödena ska kanaliseras i grön riktning.« (party programme ↗)“Capital flows shall be channeled in a green direction.”

The plan wants to clean up regulatory frameworks that delay investments and establishes that Sweden needs more free trade and openness, at the same time as defence capacity should be adapted to new threats to the country. An overview that both protects security interests and makes scrutiny appropriate and proportionate combines these two commitments. The plan does not mention the scrutiny system, which is why the conclusion is derived from business and security principles.

• proportionate regulationsdecisive»Rensa upp i regelträsket för entreprenörer, stora som små.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Clean up in the regulatory jungle for entrepreneurs, large and small.”
• openness for investments»Sverige klarar sig inte utan frihandel. Öppna upp fler marknader för svenska varor och tjänster.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden cannot manage without free trade. Open up more markets for Swedish goods and services.”
• adaptation to new threats»Därför måste vi också anpassa vår försvarsförmåga efter nya hot mot landet.« (party programme ↗)“Therefore we must also adapt our defence capacity to new threats to the country.”
• avoid trade barriers»Tullar och handelshinder begränsar konsumenters och producenters val.« (party programme ↗)“Tariffs and trade barriers limit consumers' and producers' choice.”

The plan states that acquisitions of strategic assets in democracies by undemocratic states must be viewed from a security-policy perspective, and that trade policy shall take advantage of free trade's benefits without naivety regarding Chinese and Russian power politics. At the same time, Sweden shall be an open country that attracts capital. A review that both protects security interests and enables investments responds to both commitments.

• security perspective on foreign acquisitionsdecisive»Den utveckling där odemokratiska eller rentav totalitära stater förvärvar strategiska tillgångar i demokratiska länder, till exempel hamnar, elnät eller liknande, måste ses i ett säkerhetspolitiskt perspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“The development where undemocratic or even totalitarian states acquire strategic assets in democratic countries, for example ports, power grids or similar, must be viewed from a security-policy perspective.”
• free trade without naivety»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 take advantage of free trade's benefits without the naivety that has long been shown toward Chinese and Russian power politics.”
• openness to capital»Ett öppet, fritt land som erbjuder kreativa miljöer och som lockar till sig människor, idéer och kapital.« (party programme ↗)“An open, free country that offers creative environments and attracts people, ideas and capital.”
• remove obstacles for businesses»Politikens uppgift måste vara att snabbt undanröja hinder för att underlätta för företag och människor att ta vara på de möjligheter som den tekniska utvecklingen skapar.« (party programme ↗)“Policy's task must be to quickly remove obstacles to facilitate businesses and people to take advantage of the opportunities that technical development creates.”

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 new types of threats lead to an expanded security concept and that Sweden must be able to meet, inter alia, international crime and cyberwarfare, which argues for weighing security interests in the examination of foreign investments. At the same time, the plan demands long-term rules for enterprises and that bureaucracy be countered. A review that unites both these requirements is therefore what the plan points to.

• expanded security conceptdecisive»Nya typer av konflikter och hot leder till ett vidgat säkerhetsbegrepp.« (party programme ↗)“New types of conflicts and threats lead to an expanded security concept.”
• meet new threats»Sverige måste kunna möta angrepp från internationell kriminalitet, terrorism,« (party programme ↗)“Sweden must be able to meet attacks from international crime, terrorism,”
• long-term rules for enterprises»Det är viktigt att de regler staten ställer upp för företagen är långsiktiga.« (party programme ↗)“It is important that the rules the state sets for enterprises are long-term.”
• regulatory complexity shall be countered»Byråkrati och krångliga regler ska« (party programme ↗)“Bureaucracy and complex rules shall”

Worldstate weighed in: Israel's and the USA's attacks on Iran, worsened security situation — makes the plan's expanded security concept more directly applicable to investment examination

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 wants to review the scrutiny system for foreign direct investment so that it both protects security interests and does not unnecessarily delay investments. The plan promises concretely to shorten government agencies' processing times with an outer time limit and to remove a third of regulatory red tape, while companies in security-sensitive activities should receive better government support against espionage and attacks from foreign powers. Both sides of the counter-proposal's demands thereby have support.

• shorter processing timesdecisive»Korta myndigheternas handläggningstider genom en bortre tidsgräns« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Shorten government agencies' processing times through an outer time limit”
• protection against foreign powers»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”
• promote investment»Stärka drivkrafterna för investeringar, forskning och entreprenörskap, genom lägre skatter på företagande« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen the incentives for investment, research and entrepreneurship, through lower taxes on business”
• reduced regulatory red tape»Ta bort en tredjedel av företagens administrationskostnader och en tredjedel av regelkrånglet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Remove a third of businesses' administrative costs and a third of regulatory red tape”

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 wants approval processes to become more efficient and predictable and regrets that Sweden's attractiveness for investments declines. At the same time it requires policy that prevents Russian and Chinese advancement and protects Swedish economic interests. A review of the surveillance system that both protects security interests and does not unnecessarily delay strategic investments unites these two commitments.

• predictable processesdecisive»Tillståndsprocesser är ofta långa och oförutsägbara och Sveriges attraktionskraft för investeringar och anställningar minskar« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Approval processes are often long and unpredictable and Sweden's attractiveness for investments and jobs declines”
• protection against foreign power»En tydlig Arktispolitik ska tas fram som hindrar ryska och kinesiska framflyttningar och bejakar svenska ekonomiska intressen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“A clear Arctic policy should be developed that prevents Russian and Chinese advancement and affirms Swedish economic interests.”
• efficient approval processes»Effektivisera och öka förutsägbarheten i tillståndsprocesserna för gruvnäring, elnätsutbyggnad och industri« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Streamline and increase predictability in approval processes for mining, electricity network expansion and industry”
• Swedish competitiveness»Prioritera svensk industri och konkurrenskraft« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Prioritize Swedish industry and competitiveness”

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.