New or revised mineral strategy

The plan demands that the state increase its control over the resources needed for climate transition and that public ownership is strong in key sectors such as energy supply and strategic natural resources, with more active state industrial policy. A new minerals strategy for prospecting and strategic raw materials is such a state planning tool. The plan simultaneously demands that more of the value of natural resources remains where they are extracted.

• state control of transition resourcesdecisive»Staten måste öka sin kontroll över infrastruktur och resurser som behövs för att genomföra klimatomställningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The state must increase its control over infrastructure and resources needed to implement the climate transition.”
• public ownership in key sectors»energiförsörjning, strategiska naturtillgångar« (party programme ↗)“energy supply, strategic natural resources”
• active state industrial policy»mer aktiv statlig industri- och landsbygdspolitik.« (party programme ↗)“more active state industrial and rural policy.”
• value remains in the region»Mer av naturresursernas värden måste stanna kvar där de utvinns och produceras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“More of the value of natural resources must remain where they are extracted and produced.”

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 builds job policy on state-driven green investments and identifies fossil-free steel, electric vehicles and battery factories as the core of industrial transformation, which requires access to critical raw materials. A new or revised mineral strategy that capitalises on Swedish conditions is a means to that transformation and to growth across the country, coupled with the requirement that natural resources are used efficiently. However, no mineral strategy is mentioned in the plan.

• state-driven industrial transformationdecisive»Genom statliga investeringar kan vi öka takten i industrins omställning och underlätta ett klimatsmart liv.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Through state investments we can accelerate industrial transformation and facilitate climate-smart living.”
• green industry creates jobs»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 abandoned industries become battery factories.”
• efficient resource use»Naturtillgångarna måste användas mer effektivt och energiproduktionen ställas om.« (party programme ↗)“Natural resources must be used more efficiently and energy production transformed.”
• growth across the country»Socialdemokratisk tillväxtpolitik syftar därför till att skapa goda« (party programme ↗)“Social democratic growth policy therefore aims to create good”

The counter-proposal wants a minerals strategy that harnesses Sweden's interests in prospecting and strategic raw materials, that is a programme for expanded extraction. The plan binds the mining industry to long-term management and states that environmental considerations shall weigh more than short-term exploitation interests, and that extraction of finite resources shall decrease. The plan therefore speaks against the demand.

• management of mineralsdecisive»Gruvnäringen i Sverige ska bygga på långsiktig hushållning med mineraltillgångar.« (party programme ↗)“Mining in Sweden shall be based on long-term management of mineral resources.”
• environment before exploitation»Miljöhänsyn ska väga tyngre än kortsiktiga exploateringsintressen.« (party programme ↗)“Environmental considerations shall weigh more than short-term exploitation interests.”
• decreased extraction of finite resources»måste vi minska användningen av ändliga resurser, sluta slösa med energi och material och i ökad utsträckning återanvända och återvinna.« (party programme ↗)“we must reduce the use of finite resources, stop wasting energy and material and increasingly recycle and reuse.”
• ban on certain extraction»Gas- och oljeborrning samt uranbrytning ska förbjudas i Sverige.« (party programme ↗)“Gas and oil drilling and uranium extraction shall be forbidden in Sweden.”

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 Sweden should take responsibility and extract more minerals and metals instead of importing them from countries with larger climate footprint, and links new rural jobs to extraction of the minerals that the green transition requires. The plan also wants more of the value from mines to remain locally and for the economy to become more circular. A new mineral strategy for prospecting and strategic raw materials thus aligns with the plan.

• increased Swedish mineral extractiondecisive»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 ↗)“It is better that Sweden takes responsibility and extracts more minerals and metals instead of continuing to import them from countries with larger climate footprint and worse 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.”
• local share of mine value»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 — shall remain locally.”
• resource efficiency and recovery»Sverige ska bli världens mest resurseffektiva land och ekonomin mer cirkulär.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden shall become the world's most resource-efficient country and the economy more circular.”

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 does not treat mineral policy particularly, but states that climate transition requires twice as much electricity as today and that control of strategic resources by undemocratic states is a security policy issue where naivety towards Chinese and Russian power politics shall cease. A new or revised mineral strategy for exploration and strategic raw materials follows from these commitments. The conclusion is derived and uncertain; the requirement for circular raw material flows qualifies it.

• transition's raw material needsdecisive»Klimatomställningen kräver dubbelt så mycket el som i dag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Climate transition requires twice as much electricity as today.”
• reduced strategic dependence»dra nytta av frihandelns fördelar utan den naivitet som alltför länge uppvisats för kinesisk och rysk maktpolitik« (2022 manifesto ↗)“benefit from free trade's advantages without the naivety that has been shown too long for Chinese and Russian power politics”
• strategic resources as a security issue»odemokratiska eller rentav totalitära stater förvärvar strategiska tillgångar« (party programme ↗)“undemocratic or downright totalitarian states acquire strategic resources”
• minerals in circulation»grundläggande råvaror, såsom växtnäring och mineraler, ska cirkulera i produktionssystemet« (party programme ↗)“basic raw materials, such as plant nutrients and minerals, shall circulate in the production system”

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.

According to the plan, the stewardship principle means not passive preservation but responsible use and refinement of assets, and regional natural resources are to be supported and promoted. The plan also requires that the state's rules for enterprises are long-term, which a new or revised mineral strategy for prospecting and strategic raw materials responds to. Mineral policy is not explicitly addressed, so the position is derived.

• responsible use of assetsdecisive»Förvaltarskapsprincipen innebär inget passivt bevarande, utan ett ansvarsfullt brukande och förädlande av tillgångarna« (party programme ↗)“The stewardship principle means no passive preservation, but responsible use and refinement of assets”
• regional natural resources are utilized»att skapa goda förutsättningar för hela Sveriges utveckling. De lokala och regionala förutsättningar som finns« (party programme ↗)“to create good conditions for Sweden's entire development. The local and regional conditions that exist”
• long-term rules for enterprises»lagstiftningen och en god etik upprätthålls på marknaden. Det är viktigt att de regler staten ställer upp för« (party programme ↗)“legislation and good ethics are maintained on the market. It is important that the rules the state sets for”
• raw materials as basis for prosperity»har exempelvis varit handel med råvaror och tjänster.« (party programme ↗)“for example has been trade in raw materials and services.”

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 election manifesto establishes that Sweden's rich mineral resources should be able to be extracted responsibly and long-term sustainably and promises shorter and simpler permit processes for industry, while the security situation requires reduced vulnerability. A new or revised mineral strategy that encompasses exploration and strategic raw materials takes advantage of precisely these Swedish conditions. However, the plan does not explicitly require a strategy, which is why the position is derived.

• responsible mineral extractiondecisive»Våra rika mineraltillgångar ska kunna utvinnas ansvarsfullt och långsiktigt hållbart.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Our rich mineral resources should be able to be extracted responsibly and long-term sustainably.”
• shorter permit processes»Utöver det vill vi förkorta och förenkla tillståndsprocesser för industrier som satsar på omställning och få på plats en storskalig satsning på tekniker för att fånga in och lagra koldioxid.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Beyond that we want to shorten and simplify permit processes for industries that invest in transformation and get a large-scale investment in place for technologies to capture and store carbon dioxide.”
• reduced vulnerability»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 that we as a country must reduce our vulnerability and increase our self-sufficiency.”
• natural resources as basis for prosperity»Sveriges välstånd har i hög grad byggt på våra rika naturtillgångar« (party programme ↗)“Sweden's prosperity has been built to a high degree on our rich natural resources”

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 does not discuss a strategy document, but it requires that it become easier and faster to open mines and that permit processes for the mining industry be made more efficient. It highlights the mineral values in the ground as an unutilized asset and wants to prioritize Swedish industry and competitiveness. A coordinated approach to prospecting and strategic raw materials based on Swedish interests thus aligns with the plan.

• facilitate mine openingdecisive»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 faster to open mines for the minerals needed for, for example, battery production.”
• faster permit processes»Effektivisera och öka förutsägbarheten i tillståndsprocesserna för gruvnäring, elnätsutbyggnad och industri« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Make permit processes for the mining industry, power grid expansion and industry more efficient and predictable”
• extract mineral values»Värdet på mineraler i marken, på skogar och potentialen för rekreation och turism är enorm på landsbygden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The value of minerals in the ground, in forests and the potential for recreation and tourism is enormous in rural areas.”
• Swedish industry's 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.