State ownership of companies

The party programme states that activities we own together should be run with focus on long-term public benefit and that ownership power should actively direct the economy toward societal goals, which is precisely the counter-proposal's demand for public benefit before profit requirements. The plan also wants to see greater collective ownership in mining and points to regionally balanced development as a reason for collective ownership. Active ownership directives for climate and jobs follow directly from this.

• public benefit before profitabilitydecisive»Vi vill att de verksamheter vi äger tillsammans drivs med fokus på den« (party programme ↗)“We want the activities we own together to be run with focus on the”
• active state ownership»Vi vill använda den ägandemakten till att aktivt styra« (party programme ↗)“We want to use ownership power to actively direct”
• regional balance»för att skapa en regionalt balanserad ekonomisk utveckling.« (party programme ↗)“to create regionally balanced economic development.”
• collectively owned mining»Vi vill gå mot ett större gemensamt ägande av gruvbrytningen i« (party programme ↗)“We want to move toward greater collective ownership of mining in”

The plan explicitly requires strengthened public interest in the governance of state-owned companies and democratic control over socially important functions. That the state is an active owner who through ownership directives drives technological development, climate measures and jobs is thereby the plan's own line, as is greater state responsibility for equivalent conditions throughout the country. This also corresponds to the plan's requirement for systems that strengthen the local community with major industrial establishments.

• public interest in state-owned companiesdecisive»Stärkt samhällsintresse i styrningen av de statliga bolagen.« (party programme ↗)“Strengthened public interest in the governance of state-owned companies.”
• democratic control»Demokratisk kontroll över välfärden och samhällsviktiga funktioner.« (party programme ↗)“Democratic control over welfare and socially important functions.”
• regional equivalence»Större statligt ansvar för likvärdiga förutsättningar i hela Sverige.« (party programme ↗)“Greater state responsibility for equivalent conditions throughout Sweden.”
• support for the local community»System för att stärka lokalsamhället vid stora industrietableringar.« (party programme ↗)“Systems to strengthen the local community with major industrial establishments.”

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 establishes that state-owned enterprises shall be steered toward climate goals and that return on investment shall be deprioritised, and that public funds shall not be invested in environment-destroying activities. It also wants the whole country to live with public services in all areas. The counter-proposal's requirement for public benefit before profitability, active ownership directives for climate and jobs, and regional balance follow from this.

• public benefit before returndecisive»Statliga bolag och myndigheter inom järnvägssektorn ska styras mot klimatmålen och krav på avkastning ska nedprioriteras.« (party programme ↗)“State-owned enterprises and authorities within the railway sector shall be steered toward climate goals and demands for return on investment shall be deprioritised.”
• sustainability requirements on public capital»Offentliga medel och pensionsfonder ska inte placeras i verksamheter som bidrar till miljöförstöring, krig eller kränkningar av mänskliga rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“Public funds and pension funds shall not be invested in activities that contribute to environmental destruction, war or violations of human rights.”
• public services throughout the country»Vi vill att alla delar av landet ska leva, och att samhället ska säkerställa att samhällsservice ska finnas i alla områden.« (party programme ↗)“We want the whole country to live, and society shall ensure that public services shall exist in all areas.”
• market subordinate to public benefit»Marknaden är till för människan – inte tvärtom.« (party programme ↗)“The market is for people – not the other way around.”

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 party programme requires a functioning market economy free from planned economy pointers and establishes that it is individuals who start and run enterprises. That the state as owner shall set socially useful purposes before profitability and steer companies with political ownership directives for technology development and jobs is precisely such political detailed control of business activities. The counter-proposal's demands therefore conflict with the plan's economic worldview.

• competition as driving forcedecisive»Konkurrens är en viktig drivkraft för utvecklingen av marknadsekonomin.« (party programme ↗)“Competition is an important driving force for the development of the market economy.”
• individuals create jobs»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 enterprises and who create jobs across our country.”
• local value from natural resources»Mer av värdet som skapas från naturresurser — exempelvis vindkraft, vattenkraft och gruvor — ska stanna kvar lokalt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“More of the value created from natural resources — for example wind power, hydropower and mines — should remain locally.”

flags: citat_blockerat

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 limits state business operations to cases with strong public interest and warns against operations that crowd out private alternatives. That the state should instead use ownership actively for socially beneficial purposes ahead of profitability, with ownership directives on technology development, climate and jobs, is the opposite of that stance. The plan moreover wants to meet regional challenges with general measures, not through state-owned enterprises.

• limited state business operationsdecisive»Det offentliga ska endast driva affärsverksamhet om det finns ett starkt samhällsintresse.« (party programme ↗)“The public sector shall only run business operations if there is a strong public interest.”
• the state shall not crowd out private»Det offentliga ska inte driva verksamheter som tränger ut fungerande privata alternativ eller försvårar nyföretagande. Staten ska inte äga flygbolag, banker och telebolag.« (party programme ↗)“The public sector shall not run operations that crowd out functioning private alternatives or hinder new enterprise. The state shall not own airlines, banks and telecom companies.”
• general regional policy»Viktigast är generella åtgärder för att förbättra företagsklimatet och infrastrukturen, samt en fungerande offentlig service.« (party programme ↗)“Most important are general measures to improve the business climate and infrastructure, and a functioning public service.”
• market economy's precedence»Den fria marknadsekonomin är det mest framgångsrika ekonomiska system som finns för att skapa välstånd, men också det enda kända system som går att förena med individuell frihet.« (party programme ↗)“The free market economy is the most successful economic system known for creating prosperity, but also the only known system compatible with individual freedom.”

The plan sees the state's role in business policy as overseeing that legislation and good ethics are maintained on the market, wants business policy to be conducted with general means and wants personal ownership to be encouraged at the expense of institutional ownership. The counter-proposal's demand that the state as active owner shall put socially beneficial purposes before profitability and steer companies through owner directives goes in the opposite direction to this market-economic foundation.

• the state's role is to overseedecisive»Statens roll i näringspolitiken är att övervaka att lagstiftningen och en god etik upprätthålls« (party programme ↗)“The state's role in business policy is to oversee that legislation and good ethics are maintained”
• personal ownership instead of institutional»angeläget att det personliga ägandet uppmuntras på bekostnad av det institutionella ägandet.« (party programme ↗)“it is important that personal ownership is encouraged at the expense of institutional ownership.”
• general means in business policy»Näringspolitiken ska bedrivas med generella medel« (party programme ↗)“Business policy shall be conducted with general means”
• market economy as foundation»Marknadsekonomin bygger på att människor enskilt eller i olika former av samverkan fritt« (party programme ↗)“Market economy is based on people individually or in various forms of cooperation freely”

The plan wants to reduce public ownership and sell off a larger share of Sveaskog's holdings, rather than using ownership as a political control instrument. The party programme establishes that a large state leads to a weaker society and that prosperity is created in a free business sector. The requirement that public benefit objectives should take precedence over profitability requirements and that the state should direct the companies through ownership directives therefore goes against the plan.

• reduced state ownershipdecisive»Sälja av en större andel av statliga Sveaskogs innehav till personer med regional anknytning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sell off a larger share of the state-owned Sveaskog's holdings to people with regional ties”
• limited state role»En stor stat leder till ett svagare samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“A large state leads to a weaker society.”
• the business sector drives development»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”
• respect for public funds»Offentligt slöseri i alla former ska bekämpas.« (party programme ↗)“Public waste in all forms should be combated.”

The plan criticizes that income from resource extraction and industry rarely reaches the local region and demands that the whole country benefits from prosperity. The counter-proposal's demand that the state as owner in companies such as Vattenfall, LKAB, and Sveaskog steer towards public benefit and regional balance aligns with this. However, the demand for climate-directed ownership directives has no support in the plan, so the conclusion is uncertain.

• raw material income to local areadecisive»om hur intäkter från råvaruutvinning och industri sällan kommer lokalbygden till del« (2022 manifesto ↗)“about how revenue from resource extraction and industry rarely reaches the local region”
• prosperity for the whole country»Låta hela landet få del av välstånd« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Let the whole country benefit from prosperity”
• all of Sweden shall thrive»Principen om att hela Sverige skall leva är mycket viktig för Sverigedemokraterna.« (party programme ↗)“The principle that all of Sweden shall thrive is very important to Sweden Democrats.”
• prioritized Swedish industry»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.