Review of the EU's chemical legislation

The plan requires ambitious environmental goals followed up with sharp legislation and comprehensive work for good conditions for people and nature. The counter-proposal's demand for legislation against hormone-disrupting substances, with phase-out of the most harmful and a requirement for proven safety, is precisely such a sharpening. The plan also sees EU environmental regulations as progress to build on, which supports rapid implementation of the chemicals strategy.

• sharp environmental legislationdecisive»miljömål som följs upp med skarp lagstiftning och praktiskt arbete.« (party programme ↗)“environmental goals that are followed up with sharp legislation and practical work.”
• comprehensive environmental work»Sverige behöver också ett medvetet och heltäckande arbete med att« (party programme ↗)“Sweden also needs a conscious and comprehensive effort to”
• protect nature, pace too slow»Vi måste lösa klimatkrisen och skydda den biologiska mångfalden – omställningen går alldeles för sakta.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We must solve the climate crisis and protect biological diversity—the transition is going far too slowly.”
• defend EU environmental regulations»utbyte mellan länder och vissa klimat- och miljöregleringar.« (party programme ↗)“exchange between countries and certain climate and environmental regulations.”

The goal of a toxic-free environment with clean air and clean water throughout Sweden is the plan's direct commitment on chemicals, and the EU is pointed out as the necessary platform to strengthen protection of environment and consumers. The counter-proposal's requirement for urgent legislation against endocrine-disrupting substances and replacement of hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives follows from this. The plan does not mention endocrine-disrupting substances specifically.

• toxic-free environmentdecisive»Giftfri miljö med ren luft och rent vatten i hela Sverige.« (party programme ↗)“Toxic-free environment with clean air and clean water throughout Sweden.”
• the EU strengthens environmental protection»Socialdemokratin ser EU som en nödvändig plattform för att på europeisk nivå skärpa skyddet av miljö, konsumenter och löntagare.« (party programme ↗)“Social democracy sees the EU as a necessary platform for strengthening protection of environment, consumers and workers at European level.”
• Sweden as leading environmental force»Sverige som ledande kraft i världen för att överenskomna internationella miljö- och klimatmål respekteras och uppnås.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden as a leading force in the world for ensuring agreed international environmental and climate targets are met.”
• protection of nature and water»Värn av biologisk mångfald och Sveriges värdefulla natur och vattenmiljöer.« (party programme ↗)“Protection of biological diversity and Sweden's valuable nature and water environments.”

The party programme explicitly requires that special attention is paid to the risks of combinations of chemicals and that hormone-disrupting substances shall be reduced, which is the core of the counter-proposal's requirement. The precautionary principle shall apply to the assessment of chemicals, and toxic substances shall be phased out immediately. The plan thus speaks directly for swift implementation of the chemicals strategy.

• regulation of combination effectsdecisive»Särskild hänsyn måste tas till riskerna förknippade med kombinationer av olika kemikalier.« (party programme ↗)“Special attention must be paid to the risks associated with combinations of different chemicals.”
• reduced hormone-disrupting substances»Utsläpp av miljöstörande ämnen såsom kväve, fosfor, läkemedelsrester, hormonstörande ämnen, tungmetaller och nanopartiklar ska reduceras« (party programme ↗)“Emissions of environmentally disruptive substances such as nitrogen, phosphorus, pharmaceutical residues, hormone-disrupting substances, heavy metals and nanoparticles shall be reduced”
• reversed burden of proof through precaution»Försiktighetsprincipen måste gälla vid bedömning av kemikalier, eftersom det kan ta tid innan negativa effekter blir tydliga.« (party programme ↗)“The precautionary principle must apply to the assessment of chemicals, because it can take time before negative effects become clear.”
• immediate phasing out of toxins»fasa ut giftiga ämnen omgående, speciellt från produkter för barn.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“phase out toxic substances immediately, especially from products for children.”

The party programme points out that chemicals with harmful or unknown effects are used daily and makes a toxin-free environment a fundamental right. The counter-proposal's requirement that new chemicals are only allowed if proven safe and that the most dangerous are phased out is an application of the precautionary line. The election manifesto's promise of water free from toxins and the obligation not to waste cycles for future generations point in the same direction.

• caution regarding chemicalsdecisive»Dagligen används kemikalier och tekniker vars effekter på människan och naturen är skadliga eller okända.« (party programme ↗)“Daily, chemicals and techniques whose effects on humans and nature are harmful or unknown are used.”
• toxin-free environment as a right»Tillgång till rent vatten, ren luft och giftfri miljö är en fundamental rätt för alla människor och en förutsättning för frihet i en vidare bemärkelse.« (party programme ↗)“Access to clean water, clean air and a toxin-free environment is a fundamental right for all people and a prerequisite for freedom in a wider sense.”
• toxin-free waters»Våra barn ska kunna bada utan att utsättas för gifter, nedskräpning eller algblomning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Our children shall be able to bathe without being exposed to toxins, litter or algal blooms.”
• responsibility to future generations»Vi har en skyldighet att bruka utan att förbruka, att inte föröda kretsloppen för kommande generationer.« (party programme ↗)“We have a duty to use without consuming, not to waste cycles for future generations.”

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 states that chemical legislation shall be based on the precautionary principle and that European chemical legislation needs to be strengthened, with particular regard to children's sensitivity and to combined effects. It also wants EU regulations on environmental matters to be tightened and supervision and sanctions to be improved. The counter-proposal's demand for prompt and strengthened regulation against hormone-disrupting substances and replacement with safer alternatives is substantially the same commitment.

• precautionary principle governsdecisive»Kemikalielagstiftningen ska utgå från försiktighetsprincipen.« (party programme ↗)“Chemical legislation shall be based on the precautionary principle.”
• strengthened chemical legislation»kemikalielagstiftningen behöver skärpas, och särskild hänsyn tas till barn och ungas känslighet« (party programme ↗)“chemical legislation needs to be strengthened, and particular regard is taken to children's and young people's sensitivity”
• elevated EU ambitions»miljö- och klimatområdet måste höjas och regelverken skärpas« (party programme ↗)“environmental and climate areas must be elevated and regulations must be strengthened”
• strengthened supervision»Tillsynen behöver förbättras och sanktionerna skärpas.« (party programme ↗)“Supervision needs to be improved and sanctions strengthened.”

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 wants a strengthened environmental guarantee with reversed burden of proof, which is exactly the burden of proof the counter-proposal requires when new chemicals shall only be allowed if they are proven safe. The substitution principle about dangerous substances being replaced with less dangerous ones carries the demand for phase-out, and the precautionary principle applies when there is suspicion of irreversible damage. The plan also identifies the EU as the appropriate level for cross-border environmental problems.

• reversed burden of proof in environmental workdecisive»En stärkt miljögaranti med omvänd bevisföring« (party programme ↗)“A strengthened environmental guarantee with reversed burden of proof”
• the substitution principle»ersätta farliga, är också ett viktigt verktyg.« (party programme ↗)“replace dangerous, is also an important tool.”
• precautionary principle»också att agerandet grundas på försiktighetsprincipen.« (party programme ↗)“also that action is based on the precautionary principle.”
• EU appropriate level for environmental problems»natur är EU i många fall den mest lämpliga nivån för att« (party programme ↗)“nature is the EU in many cases the most appropriate level for”

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 demands that new chemicals are only allowed if proven safe, which is a comprehensive reversed burden of proof and significantly expanded regulation. The plan instead wants to reduce regulatory red tape, counteract over-implementation of EU decisions and as main rule implement directives at minimum level, and let science and facts guide. The plan's commitment to reduce emissions of hazardous substances goes in another direction, for which reason the assessment is uncertain.

• EU rules at minimum leveldecisive»Minska regelkrånglet och onödig byråkrati, bland annat genom att motverka överimplementering i Sverige av EU-beslut« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce regulatory red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, among other things by counteracting over-implementation in Sweden of EU decisions”
• science guides, not precaution dogmaweak support»Vetenskap och fakta ska vara ledande i klimat- och miljöpolitiken.« (party programme ↗)“Science and facts shall be leading in climate and environmental policy.”
• reduced regulatory burden»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 the regulatory red tape”
• reduce hazardous substances»Vi ska slå vakt om allemansrätten och minska övergödning, försurning, utsläpp av farliga ämnen och nedskräpning, inte minst i Östersjön.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall protect the right of public access to nature and reduce eutrophication, acidification, emissions of hazardous substances and littering, not least in the Baltic Sea.”

flags: citat_svagt

The counter-proposal wants new chemicals to be allowed only if they are proven safe and that phasing out is driven swiftly. The plan instead demands environmental policy based on facts and research and that seeks the most cost-effective measures without harming industries. It also wants to stop symbolic politics that goes at the expense of the ability to conduct industry, which argues against such a far-reaching reversed burden of proof.

• evidence-based chemical policydecisive»Miljöpolitiken måste alltid stämmas av mot nya rön i forskningen och baseras på fakta framför känslor.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Environmental policy must always be calibrated against new research findings and based on facts rather than feelings.”
• cost-effectiveness before special requirements»Sverigedemokratisk miljöpolitik utgår från förvaltarskapstanken och strävar efter att hitta de mest miljöeffektiva och kostnadseffektiva metoderna, som samtidigt inte skadar näringar och landsbygd.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrat environmental policy is based on stewardship thinking and strives to find the most environmentally effective and cost-effective methods, which at the same time do not harm industries and rural areas.”
• protect industry's conditions»Stoppa symbolpolitik som går ut över möjligheten att bedriva industri och näring« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop symbolic politics that goes at the expense of the ability to conduct industry and business”
• risk with stricter requirements»Strängare miljö- och utsläppskrav i Sverige jämfört med i omvärlden riskerar ofta att slå ut svenska näringar och få globalt kontraproduktiva resultat när det kommer till de mål kraven syftar till att uppnå.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stricter environmental and emission requirements in Sweden compared to the outside world often risk eliminating Swedish industries and producing globally counterproductive results when it comes to the goals the requirements aim to achieve.”