The Regulatory Council and consequence assessments

The plan wants to build on democratization and requires sharp legislation for environmental goals and regulations that ensure serious conditions even in operations that prioritize short-term profit. A stop function that prevents new rules from being introduced gives business interests a veto over democratically taken decisions, which the plan explicitly sees as a problem when companies and lobbyists obstruct such decisions. The plan thus speaks against the requirement.

• regulations against short-term profitdecisive»Det behövs regelverk och strukturer som säkrar ett seriöst« (party programme ↗)“There is a need for regulations and structures that ensure serious”
• companies obstruct democracy»motverka demokratiskt fattade beslut« (party programme ↗)“obstruct democratically taken decisions”
• no lobby veto over policy»Det beror på att vi inte tror på den ekonomiska politik som fört Sverige in i passiv underkastelse inför marknadskrafter, privat riskkapital och starka lobbyister från bolag som tjänar sina pengar på att ta dem från elever, gamla och sjuka.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is because we do not believe in the economic policy that has led Sweden into passive subjection to market forces, private risk capital and strong lobbyists from companies that make their money by taking it from students, elderly and sick.”
• strengthened political democracy»Vi vill bygga vidare på Sveriges demokratisering.« (party programme ↗)“We want to build further on Sweden's democratization.”

The party programme's decisive principle is that political responsibility can never be transferred to unelected officials and that economic interests can never set limits to democracy. A stop function that prevents elected representatives from introducing a rule before consequences are deemed adequately examined shifts exactly such power from politics to a supervisory body. The plan certainly wants clear rules for business activity, but that does not support the requirement for a veto right.

• political responsibility cannot be delegateddecisive»ansvaret kan aldrig överlämnas till icke valda ämbetsmän.« (party programme ↗)“responsibility can never be transferred to unelected officials.”
• democracy's priority»har aldrig rätt att sätta gränser för demokratin.« (party programme ↗)“have never the right to set limits to democracy.”
• clear business rules»Reglerna för företagsamheten ska vara« (party programme ↗)“The rules for business activity shall be”

The party programme establishes that the absence of complete scientific evidence shall not be used as an excuse to postpone measures against environmental damage, that policy must show the way to a sustainable society and that member states shall be allowed to go ahead with stricter environmental and health legislation. A blocking function that prevents new rules until their consequences are adequately investigated conflicts with this, even though the plan welcomes regulatory simplification.

• precautionary principle before investigation requirementsdecisive»Om det föreligger hot om allvarlig eller oåterkallelig skada, får inte avsaknaden av fullständig vetenskaplig bevisning användas som ursäkt för att skjuta upp åtgärder för att förhindra miljöförstöring.« (party programme ↗)“If there is a threat of serious or irreversible damage, the absence of complete scientific evidence shall not be used as an excuse to postpone measures to prevent environmental damage.”
• the right to go ahead with protection rules»Medlemsländerna måste få rätt att gå före med hårdare lagstiftning till skydd för miljö och hälsa även om det strider mot EU:s inre marknad.« (party programme ↗)“Member states must have the right to go ahead with stricter legislation to protect environment and health even if it conflicts with the EU's internal market.”
• political action capability»Politiken är nyckeln till förändring och måste visa vägen till ett hållbart samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“Policy is the key to change and must show the way to a sustainable society.”
• regulatory simplification as a limit»Onödig byråkrati ska undvikas genom ett aktivt regelförenklingsarbete.« (party programme ↗)“Unnecessary bureaucracy shall be avoided through active regulatory simplification work.”

The election manifesto commits to clearing away the regulatory thicket for entrepreneurs and sweeping away costly, cumbersome and innovation-hampering regulations. A strengthened and independent Regulatory Council with early influence and a stop function against rules whose consequences have not been investigated is a tool for precisely this. The party programme additionally requires given and predictable rules of the game in the economy. However, the Regulatory Council is not mentioned, so the support is inferred.

• clear the regulatory thicketdecisive»Rensa upp i regelträsket för entreprenörer, stora som små.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Clear away the regulatory thicket for entrepreneurs, large and small.”
• away with surplus regulations»Dyra, krångliga och innovationshämmande regelverk ligger som en våt filt över delar av landsbygden. Vi ska rensa upp bland överflödiga regler och byråkrati.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Costly, cumbersome and innovation-hampering regulations lie like a wet blanket over parts of the countryside. We shall clear away surplus regulations and bureaucracy.”
• predictable rules of the game»Ekonomin ska ha givna och förutsägbara spelregler« (party programme ↗)“The economy shall have given and predictable rules of the game”
• good conditions for small business»Goda villkor för entreprenörer, egenföretagare och små företag är därför avgörande för att skapa nya jobb.« (party programme ↗)“Good conditions for entrepreneurs, the self-employed and small businesses are therefore crucial for creating new jobs.”

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 requires that the regulatory burden for small businesses decreases and that public decisions are analyzed from a small-business perspective, which presupposes that impact assessments actually maintain quality. A strengthened and independent Regulatory Council with a stopping function is a means for this, which is why the counter-proposal is supported. The plan uses the same logic when it requires that all new legislative proposals are analyzed from a privacy perspective.

• small-business perspective in decisionsdecisive»offentliga beslut analyseras ur småföretagarperspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“public decisions are analyzed from a small-business perspective.”
• decreased regulatory burden»Regelbördan för små företag ska minska« (party programme ↗)“The regulatory burden for small businesses shall decrease”
• mandatory impact assessment»Alla nya lagförslag ska analyseras ur integritetssynpunkt.« (party programme ↗)“All new legislative proposals shall be analyzed from a privacy perspective.”
• remove obstacles for business»Politikens uppgift måste vara att snabbt undanröja hinder för att underlätta för företag och« (party programme ↗)“Politics' task must be to quickly remove obstacles to facilitate companies and”

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 incoming laws be tested from a small business perspective, that bureaucracy and complicated rules are opposed and that the state's rules for businesses are long-term, with small and medium-sized enterprises at the centre of business policy. A strengthened and independent Regulatory Board with a stop function in cases of insufficient impact assessments is a means for precisely this.

• new laws tested for small businessdecisive»Tillkommande lagar bör prövas ur ett småföretagarperspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Incoming laws should be tested from a small business perspective.”
• complicated rules are opposed»regler ska motverkas. Direkta företagssubventioner avvisas.« (party programme ↗)“rules shall be opposed. Direct business subsidies are rejected.”
• long-term rules for businesses»Det är viktigt att de regler staten ställer upp för« (party programme ↗)“It is important that the rules the state sets up for”
• small businesses at the centre»De små och medelstora företagen, som ofta är familjeföretag« (party programme ↗)“Small and medium-sized enterprises, which are often family businesses”

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's main commitment is to remove a third of regulatory red tape and administrative costs and to prevent over-implementation of EU regulations. Bureaucracy is identified as a direct obstacle to innovation and growth, and the plan shows that it is willing to place coordinating bodies in the Office of the Prime Minister. A strengthened and independent Regulatory Council with a stop function is an application of the same line.

• reduced regulatory red tapedecisive»Ta bort en tredjedel av företagens administrationskostnader och en tredjedel av regelkrånglet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Remove a third of companies' administrative costs and a third of regulatory red tape”
• rules at minimum level»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 regulatory red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, among other things by preventing over-implementation in Sweden of EU decisions - as a main rule EU directives should be implemented at minimum level”
• bureaucracy hinders growth»Men höga skatter, krångliga tillståndsprocesser och byråkrati sätter käppar i hjulet för innovation och tillväxt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“But high taxes, complicated approval processes, and bureaucracy put obstacles in the way of innovation and growth.”
• coordination at the Office of the Prime Minister»Inrätta ett nationellt säkerhetsråd på Statsrådsberedningen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Establish a national security council at the Office of the Prime Minister”

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's small business commitment is that new rules should be cost-effective, that existing rules should be reviewed and that unnecessary rules where the cost does not match social benefit should be removed. A strengthened and more independent Regulatory Council with a veto function for inadequate impact assessments is a means for precisely that regulatory control. The Regulatory Council's organizational placement is however not addressed in the documents.

• cost-effective rulesdecisive»Nya regler ska vara kostnadseffektiva och befintliga regler behöver ses över.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“New rules should be cost-effective and existing rules need to be reviewed.”
• benefit should exceed cost»ta bort onödiga regler där kostnaderna för företagen inte motsvarar nyttan för samhället« (2022 manifesto ↗)“remove unnecessary rules where the costs for companies do not match the benefit for society”
• regulatory simplification»Verka för regelförenkling och avlasta småföretagens administrativa börda« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work for regulatory simplification and relieve small businesses' administrative burden”
• stop business-hostile symbolic politics»Stoppa symbolpolitik som går ut över möjligheten att bedriva industri och näring« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop symbolic politics that goes against the ability to conduct industry and business”