2025-05-222024/25:UbU15 · p.49UbUEducation
Organizational Form etc.
The authority form of higher-education institutions
What's at stake: The decision affects how much self-governance universities and colleges have over their own organisation, which in turn can affect the conditions for research and academic freedom.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether the government's announced review of the institutions' authority form should go ahead, or whether the Riksdag should use a formal statement to establish that the authority form should not be reviewed.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee considers that the authority form of higher-education institutions should not be reviewed and directs a formal statement to that effect to the government; it stresses that the state's organisation for research and innovation funding already functions appropriately and is adapted to societal developments, which argues against changing the basic legal form of the institutions.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 92 (M, C, KD, L)
The reservation (M, C, KD, L) instead considers that the review of the institutions' authority form already announced by the government should go ahead, since institutional self-governance and the organisational conditions for the freedom of research and academic freedom are central to quality in education and research; they see no need for the Riksdag to use a formal statement to try to stop the already announced review.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: a formal request (tillkännagivande) telling the government to act on att lärosätenas myndighetsform inte bör utredas and rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 92 by M, C, KD, L.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
How the AI parties would have voted
For each party: what its own plan – election manifesto and party programme – argues for in this case, next to how the party actually voted. The AI can only answer Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| AI | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | Yes 18/0/0/6 | differs | confidence: low | derived |
| S | Yes | Yes 89/0/0/17 | match | confidence: low | not addressed |
| MP | No | No 0/14/0/4 | match | confidence: medium | derived |
| C | No | No 0/21/0/3 | match | confidence: medium | derived |
| L | No | No 0/11/0/5 | match | confidence: high | explicit |
| KD | No | No 1/14/0/4 | match | confidence: medium | derived |
| M | No | No 0/58/0/10 | match | confidence: medium | derived |
| SD | No | Yes 63/0/0/9 | differs | confidence: medium | derived |
Broke with the party line
| KDMikael Oscarsson (KD, Uppsala län) | Yes — party line: No |
MPs whose vote differs from their party's majority position in this division. Marked with a dark ring in the chamber view.
Committee proposal
Parliament supports the committee's position that the organizational form of educational institutions should not be investigated and announces this to the Government. Thereby Parliament grants the motion 2024/25:3309 by Åsa Westlund et al. (S) request 17 and rejects the motions 2024/25:2292 by Louise Meijer et al. (M) request 6, 2024/25:3167 by Anders Ådahl et al. (C) requests 15, 18 and 19 and 2024/25:3312 by Anders Ådahl et al. (C) requests 11 and 29.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen ställer sig bakom det som utskottet anför om att lärosätenas myndighetsform inte bör utredas och tillkännager detta för regeringen. Därmed bifaller riksdagen motion 2024/25:3309 av Åsa Westlund m.fl. (S) yrkande 17 och avslår motionerna 2024/25:2292 av Louise Meijer m.fl. (M) yrkande 6, 2024/25:3167 av Anders Ådahl m.fl. (C) yrkandena 15, 18 och 19 samt 2024/25:3312 av Anders Ådahl m.fl. (C) yrkandena 11 och 29.
Riksdag decision: The Government has presented research policy for 2025–2028. In connection with this, the Government also presented a proposal that would allow the Government to determine rules enabling universities to decide that employment with them can be combined with employment outside the university. Parliament approved the Government's proposal. Today, combined employment at universities applies only to certain positions such as specially trained doctors and dentists, and the Government's proposal means that the limitation to certain sectors or positions can be removed. The purpose of the legislative amendment is to increase opportunities for knowledge and skills exchange between individual researchers, educational institutions and other sectors of society, and thereby strengthen skills supply and competitiveness. The legislative amendment enters into force on 1 July 2025. Parliament also issued a so-called formal request (tillkännagivande) to the Government regarding the Government's announced inquiry into how appropriate the current organizational form is for state educational institutions. According to Parliament, an inquiry into organizational change should not be conducted. The formal request was issued in connection with a proposal in a supplementary motion. Parliament rejected the remaining motions, of which approximately 140 proposals come from the general motion period 2024.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants the government to address working conditions and workplace risks related to combined employment through a quick investigation. (M, C, KD, L) — Reservation 92
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The plan's closest commitment is that academies should be independent and free from political steering, which speaks for universities' organizational conditions for academic freedom to be investigated.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan's closest commitment is that academies should be independent and free from political steering, which speaks for universities' organizational conditions for academic freedom to be investigated. The plan says nothing about the form of authority as such and at the same time holds fast that common ownership is the most reliable alternative in the education system, which makes the conclusion uncertain.
Original (Swedish)
Planens närmast liggande åtagande är att akademierna ska vara självständiga och fria från politisk styrning, vilket talar för att lärosätenas organisatoriska förutsättningar för akademisk frihet får utredas. Planen säger dock inget om myndighetsformen som sådan och håller samtidigt fast vid att gemensamt ägande är det tryggaste alternativet i utbildningsväsendet, vilket gör slutsatsen osäker.
- independent academiesdecisive»självständiga akademier utan politisk styrning« (party programme ↗)“independent academies without political steering”
- value universities' independence»Vänsterpartiet vill värna universitetens oberoende och finansiering och höja studiestödet så att fler kan välja att vidareutbilda sig.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party wants to value universities' independence and financing and raise study support so that more can choose to further education.”
- influence in education»rätt till inflytande över sin utbildning genom hela utbildningssystemet.« (party programme ↗)“right to influence on one's education throughout the entire education system.”
- common ownership in education»Gemensamt ägande är det tryggaste alternativet« (party programme ↗)“Common ownership is the most reliable alternative”
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 says nothing about institutions of higher education's form of governance.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan says nothing about institutions of higher education's form of governance. The nearest lying principle is the party programme's demands that political responsibility can never be handed over to non-elected officials and that tax-financed activities shall be able to be examined and responsibility demanded. To investigate away the form of governance weakens democratic anchorage, even if freedom of research speaks the other way. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's demands.
Original (Swedish)
Planen säger inget om lärosätenas myndighetsform. Närmast liggande princip är partiprogrammets krav att det politiska ansvaret aldrig kan överlämnas till icke valda ämbetsmän och att skattefinansierad verksamhet ska kunna granskas och ansvar utkrävas. Att utreda bort myndighetsformen försvagar den demokratiska förankringen, även om forskningens frihet talar åt andra hållet. Planen talar därför emot motförslagets krav.
- political responsibility retaineddecisive»ansvaret kan aldrig överlämnas till icke valda ämbetsmän.« (party programme ↗)“responsibility can never be handed over to non-elected officials.”
- transparency in tax-financed activities»Oavsett i vilken form skattefinansierad verksamhet drivs ska medborgarna ha möjlighet att« (party programme ↗)“Regardless of what form tax-financed activities are conducted in, citizens shall have the opportunity to”
- freedom of research»ansvar att garantera forskningens frihet och att trygga grundforskningen.« (party programme ↗)“responsibility to guarantee freedom of research and to secure basic research.”
- openness and transparency»Den demokratiska processen och samhällsförvaltningen måste bygga på offentlighet och« (party programme ↗)“The democratic process and public administration must be based on openness and”
The party programme establishes that educational institutions' independence and autonomy shall be developed and that political priorities must not come at the expense of educational institutions' freedom to shape their own activities.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme establishes that educational institutions' independence and autonomy shall be developed and that political priorities must not come at the expense of educational institutions' freedom to shape their own activities. An investigation of the authority structure aims precisely to strengthen that self-determination. The plan requires at the same time that the public access principle is protected, which is a limit for such an investigation.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet slår fast att lärosätenas självständighet och oberoende ska utvecklas och att politiska prioriteringar inte får gå ut över lärosätenas frihet att själva utforma sin verksamhet. En utredning av myndighetsformen syftar just till att stärka det självbestämmandet. Planen kräver samtidigt att offentlighetsprincipen värnas, vilket är en gräns för en sådan översyn.
- independence with transparencydecisive»Lärosätenas självständighet och oberoende ska utvecklas i samspel med en stor offentlig insyn.« (party programme ↗)“Educational institutions' independence and autonomy shall be developed in interaction with strong public transparency.”
- educational institutions' own freedom»Detta får dock inte gå ut över grundforskningen eller universitetens och högskolornas frihet att själva utforma sin verksamhet.« (party programme ↗)“This must not, however, come at the expense of basic research or universities' and higher education institutions' freedom to shape their own activities.”
- academic freedom»Den akademiska friheten ska värnas och jämställdheten måste förbättras.« (party programme ↗)“Academic freedom shall be protected and equality must be improved.”
- preserved public access principle»Offentlighetsprincipen och meddelarfriheten måste värnas och stärkas.« (party programme ↗)“The public access principle and freedom of information must be protected and strengthened.”
The party programme requires that free institutions of higher education be able to independently conduct high-quality research and education, and the election manifesto that policy keep an arm's length distance from academia.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme requires that free institutions of higher education be able to independently conduct high-quality research and education, and the election manifesto that policy keep an arm's length distance from academia. Investigating whether the organizational form best serves institutions' self-determination is a direct application of this, as is the demand to decentralize more and make decisions close to those affected. The plan, however, does not take a position on organizational form as such.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet kräver att fria lärosäten självständigt kan bedriva högkvalitativ forskning och utbildning, och valmanifestet att politiken håller armlängds avstånd till akademin. Att utreda om myndighetsformen bäst tjänar lärosätenas självbestämmande är en direkt tillämpning av det, liksom av kravet att decentralisera mera och fatta beslut nära dem som berörs. Planen tar dock inte ställning till organisationsformen som sådan.
- free and independent institutionsdecisive»Högre utbildning och fria lärosäten ska självständigt kunna bedriva högkvalitativ forskning och utbildning.« (party programme ↗)“Higher education and free institutions of higher education must be able to independently conduct high-quality research and education.”
- arm's length distance»Den akademiska och konstnärliga friheten liksom den fria kulturen är grundbultar i ett vitalt civilsamhälle. Politiken ska bidra till goda förutsättningar men hålla armlängds avstånd.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Academic and artistic freedom as well as free culture are cornerstones of vital civil society. Policy must contribute to good conditions but keep an arm's length distance.”
- decentralization»Decentralisera mera. Människor ska få bestämma mer själva, och politiska beslut ska fattas nära dem som berörs.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Decentralize more. People must get to decide more themselves, and political decisions must be made close to those affected.”
The party programme explicitly requires that state-funded institutions be given a new agency form that gives greater autonomy from executive power, and that institutional independence is protected.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme explicitly requires that state-funded institutions be given a new agency form that gives greater autonomy from executive power, and that institutional independence is protected. The election manifesto also wants to constitute-protect academic freedom. An investigation of agency form is exactly the step the plan presupposes, and to stop such an investigation conflicts with it.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet kräver uttryckligen att statliga lärosäten ges en ny myndighetsform som ger större autonomi från regeringsmakten, och att lärosätenas oberoende värnas. Valmanifestet vill dessutom grundlagsskydda den akademiska friheten. En utredning av myndighetsformen är just det steg planen förutsätter, och att stoppa en sådan utredning strider mot den.
- new agency form for institutionsdecisive»lärosäten ska ges en ny myndighetsform, som ger större autonomi från regeringsmakten.« (party programme ↗)“institutions shall be given a new agency form, which gives greater autonomy from executive power.”
- academic freedom as guiding principle»Individuell akademisk frihet ska vara en bärande princip för all offentlig verksamhet inom« (party programme ↗)“Individual academic freedom shall be a guiding principle for all public activity within”
- constitute-protected academic freedom»Den akademiska friheten ska ges skydd i grundlagen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Academic freedom shall be given constitutional protection.”
The plan requires that universities and colleges enjoy a large degree of self-determination in relation to the state and encourages institutions with principals other than the state.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan requires that universities and colleges enjoy a large degree of self-determination in relation to the state and encourages institutions with principals other than the state. Investigating the authority form is to test exactly that question, and the subsidiarity principle places the burden of proof on the higher level that wishes to retain control. The counter-proposal's demand for an investigation therefore aligns with the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Planen kräver att universitet och högskolor åtnjuter ett stort mått av självbestämmande i förhållande till staten och uppmuntrar lärosäten med andra huvudmän än staten. Att utreda myndighetsformen är att pröva just den frågan, och subsidiaritetsprincipen lägger bevisbördan på den överordnade nivån som vill behålla styrningen. Motförslagets krav på en utredning ligger därför i linje med planen.
- institutions of higher education's self-determinationdecisive»Tankens frihet är en förutsättning för framgångsrikt kunskapssökande. Universitet och högskolor ska åtnjuta stort mått av självbestämmande i förhållande till staten.« (party programme ↗)“Freedom of thought is a prerequisite for successful knowledge-seeking. Universities and colleges shall enjoy a large degree of self-determination in relation to the state.”
- diversity of principals»Högskolor och universitet med andra huvudmän än staten ska också uppmuntras och stödjas.« (party programme ↗)“Colleges and universities with principals other than the state shall also be encouraged and supported.”
- the subsidiarity principle»Subsidiaritetsprincipen innebär att det som en liten gemenskap själv klarar av att hantera ska den också själv ansvara för och besluta om.« (party programme ↗)“The subsidiarity principle means that what a smaller community can manage itself, it should also itself be responsible for and decide on.”
- knowledge-seeking as a right»Sökandet efter kunskap är en mänsklig rättighet som måste värnas.« (party programme ↗)“The search for knowledge is a human right that must be safeguarded.”
The party programme requires strong and independent institutions of higher education and sees academia as an independent sphere that balances power, and the manifesto establishes that academic freedom must be better protected and research be free from political interference.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme requires strong and independent institutions of higher education and sees academia as an independent sphere that balances power, and the manifesto establishes that academic freedom must be better protected and research be free from political interference. An investigation of the administrative form has explicitly as its purpose to strengthen institutions' self-determination. It is in line with the plan's principles of decentralised decision-making.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet kräver starka och självständiga lärosäten och ser akademin som en självständig sfär som balanserar makten, och manifestet slår fast att den akademiska friheten måste värnas bättre och forskningen stå fri från politiska pekpinnar. En utredning av myndighetsformen har uttryckligen som syfte att stärka lärosätenas självbestämmande. Det ligger i linje med planens principer om decentraliserat beslutsfattande.
- independent institutions of higher educationdecisive»Sverige ska ha starka och självständiga lärosäten« (party programme ↗)“Sweden shall have strong and independent institutions of higher education”
- academic freedom shall be protected»Vi måste bättre värna den akademiska friheten i Sverige och se till att forskningen står fri från politiska pekpinnar och möjliggöra banbrytande forskningsresultat.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We must better protect academic freedom in Sweden and ensure that research is free from political interference and enable groundbreaking research results.”
- institutional independence»Starka självständiga institutioner och en pluralism av samhällssfärer ger en viktig maktbalans i samhället.« (party programme ↗)“Strong independent institutions and a plurality of societal spheres give important power balance in society.”
- decentralised decision-making»I en allt mer komplex värld är det decentraliserat beslutsfattande« (party programme ↗)“In an increasingly complex world decentralised decision-making”
The election manifesto demands that political control of higher education is reduced and that the independence of academia increases, and criticizes political control of research and academia.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The election manifesto demands that political control of higher education is reduced and that the independence of academia increases, and criticizes political control of research and academia. An investigation of the institutional form of universities, motivated by self-determination and academic freedom, is in line with that. The party programme also takes a pragmatic approach to how public tasks should be organized.
Original (Swedish)
Valmanifestet kräver att den politiska styrningen av högre utbildning minskar och att akademins självständighet ökar, och kritiserar politisk styrning av forskning och akademi. En utredning av lärosätenas myndighetsform, motiverad av självbestämmande och akademisk frihet, ligger i linje med det. Principprogrammet intar dessutom ett pragmatiskt förhållningssätt till hur offentliga uppgifter ska organiseras.
- reduced political controldecisive»Den politiska styrningen av högre utbildning ska minska och akademins självständighet öka.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Political control of higher education should be reduced and the independence of academia should increase.”
- academic independence»Slå vakt om den högre akademins självständighet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protect the independence of higher academia”
- criticism of controlled research»Allvarlig kritik har riktats mot att politisk styrning och ideologiskt präglade värdegrunder i hög grad präglar forskning och akademi.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Serious criticism has been directed at political control and ideologically shaped values greatly shaping research and academia.”
- pragmatic organizational view»intar Sverigedemokraterna ett pragmatiskt och resultatinriktat förhållningssätt.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden Democrats take a pragmatic and results-oriented approach.”
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.
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2024/25:UbU15)
- Committee report full text (HC01UbU15)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2024/25:10 — Försök inom medicinsk forskning av Josef Fransson (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1007 — Flytt av Rymdstyrelsen till Västsverige av Rickard Nordin (C)
- Motion 2024/25:1096 — Stöd till forskningen om traumabehandling för sexualbrottsutsatta av Marléne Lund Kopparklint och Jan Ericson (båda M)
- Motion 2024/25:1103 — Bättre villkor för den forskande life science-industrin i Sverige av Helena Storckenfeldt och Gustaf Göthberg (båda M)
- Motion 2024/25:1313 — Minskande av PFAS i vår närmiljö av Katarina Luhr m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:1360 — En kvalitativ cancervård i framkant av Carina Ståhl Herrstedt m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1362 — En stärkt psykisk hälsa i hela landet av Carina Ståhl Herrstedt m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1366 — Socialtjänsten av Carina Ståhl Herrstedt m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1369 — Svenskt fiske och vattenbruk av Martin Kinnunen m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1372 — Marina miljöer och vattenvård av Martin Kinnunen m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1382 — Vattenförsörjning och vattenhantering av Mikael Eskilandersson m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1397 — Djurskydd av Martin Kinnunen m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1403 — En human sjukförsäkring med individen i centrum av Clara Aranda m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1412 — Jämställdhet och diskriminering av Michael Rubbestad m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1421 — Nationella minoriteter och urfolk i Sverige av Michael Rubbestad m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1436 — Rymdstrategi av Aron Emilsson m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1443 — Kvalitet och frihet för en högskola i världsklass av Patrick Reslow m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1445 — Forskning i världsklass av Patrick Reslow m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1451 — Svensk innovationskraft och immaterialrätt av Tobias Andersson m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1452 — Stärkande av life science-sektorn inom näringslivet av Tobias Andersson m.fl. (SD)
Source: The Swedish Parliament