Government legislative proposals

The party programme establishes restrictive regulation of alcohol and sees care as part of a broader public health work. Removing the requirement for an own kitchen in catering operations loosens the restrictive framework and opens for serving only alcohol. The plan therefore supports the counter-proposal's requirement that the requirement for an own kitchen is retained.

• restrictive alcohol policydecisive»Vi vill se en restriktiv reglering av alkohol och tobak.« (party programme ↗)“We want to see restrictive regulation of alcohol and tobacco.”
• public health perspective»Vården behöver ses som en del i det bredare arbetet med folkhälsa.« (party programme ↗)“Care needs to be seen as part of the broader work on public health.”
• support for addiction»Människor som fastnat i missbruk ska ha tillgång till den vård« (party programme ↗)“People who have become stuck in addiction shall have access to the care”

The plan does not address the alcohol act's service regulations. The closest principle is the goal of equitable public health and that systems that provide inadequate control and open the door for unscrupulous operators should be dismantled. On this basis, the counter-proposal's requirement to retain the requirement for an on-site kitchen for permanent serving licenses is closest to the plan.

• equitable public healthdecisive»Jämlik och jämställd folkhälsa.« (party programme ↗)“Equitable and equal public health.”
• no systems with inadequate control»Avskaffande av system som leder till bristande kontroll, läckage av skattemedel,« (party programme ↗)“Dismantling of systems that lead to inadequate control, leakage of tax funds,”
• stop for unscrupulous operators»Bekämpande av kriminalitet på arbetsmarknaden.« (party programme ↗)“Combating criminality in the labour market.”

The documents say nothing about serving permits or the alcohol law's kitchen and food requirements. The closest principle is the plan's public health line: care should contribute to health and society should act preventively in time. Based on that principle, the counter-proposal's requirement to retain the kitchen requirement, and thus more cautious deregulation, is closer to the plan than an untested relaxation.

• health-promoting policydecisive»Miljöpartiet vill att vården ska bidra till hälsa, inte bara behandla sjukdom.« (party programme ↗)“The Greens want care to contribute to health, not just treat disease.”
• prevention of addiction»En effektiv narkotikapolitik måste kombinera förebyggande arbete med skademinimering« (party programme ↗)“An effective drug policy must combine prevention with harm reduction”
• good public health prioritised»Vi vill se ökad samverkan mellan olika aktörer för att uppnå en god folkhälsa« (party programme ↗)“We want to see increased cooperation between different actors to achieve good public health”

The plan consistently promotes regulatory simplification in the alcohol area and even wants to allow farm sales to strengthen the tourism industry and rural areas. A maintained requirement for its own kitchen for catering operations is precisely such a redundant rule that the plan wants to eliminate. The counter-proposal's requirement therefore goes against the plan's line.

• freer alcohol regulationsdecisive»Det är orimligt att lokala producenter av alkoholhaltiga drycker inte kan sälja sina produkter till besökare. Tillåt gårdsförsäljning av alkohol för att stärka besöksnäringen och utveckla landsbygden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is unreasonable that local producers of alcoholic beverages cannot sell their products to visitors. Allow farm sales of alcohol to strengthen the tourism industry and develop rural areas.”
• regulatory simplification for tourism»Regelförenklingar, skattesänkningar, gårdsförsäljning av alkohol och ett mer tillväxtvänligt strandskydd är bara några av de reformer som måste komma på plats för att stärka landsbygdens konkurrenskraft och öka människors frihet och självbestämmande.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Regulatory simplifications, tax cuts, farm sales of alcohol, and a more growth-friendly shoreline protection are just some of the reforms that must be put in place to strengthen rural competitiveness and increase people's freedom and self-determination.”
• eliminate unnecessary rules»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 ↗)“Expensive, complicated and innovation-hindering regulations lie like a wet blanket over parts of the countryside. We shall clear up unnecessary rules and bureaucracy.”
• good conditions for small businesses»Goda villkor för entreprenörer, egenföretagare och små företag är därför avgörande för att skapa nya jobb.« (party programme ↗)“Good conditions for entrepreneurs, self-employed and small businesses are therefore crucial for creating new jobs.”

The plan explicitly establishes that the requirement for food service for alcohol service at restaurants shall be removed and that rules shall be simplified. The counter-proposal wants to retain the requirement for own kitchen with permanent serving permit for catering, thus retain precisely the kind of food requirement the plan wants to abolish. The plan's restrictive alcohol policy is maintained in the plan through the monopoly and other safeguards, not through the food requirement.

• abolished food requirement for servicedecisive»Krav på matservering för alkoholservering på restaurang ska tas bort och reglerna för gårdsförsäljning ska förenklas.« (party programme ↗)“The requirement for food service for alcohol service at restaurants shall be removed and rules for farm sales shall be simplified.”
• monopoly retained but liberalised»Systembolagets detaljhandelsmonopol ska behållas, men öppettiderna ska göras generösare.« (party programme ↗)“The state monopoly's retail monopoly shall be maintained, but opening hours shall be made more generous.”
• more regulated sales forms»Licensbutiker ska, som komplement till Systembolaget och under reglerade former, tillåtas sälja öl, vin och cider.« (party programme ↗)“Licensed shops shall, as a complement to the state monopoly and under regulated forms, be permitted to sell beer, wine and cider.”
• restrictive alcohol policy»Sverige ska ha en restriktiv alkoholpolitik.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden shall have a restrictive alcohol policy.”

The party programme establishes that alcohol policy shall minimize harm through low total consumption and that restrictive legislation is one of the means. Removing the requirement for own kitchen loosens precisely such a restriction. The counter-proposal's requirement to retain the kitchen requirement for catering therefore aligns with the plan, which also accepts competition restrictions for public health reasons.

• restrictive alcohol legislationdecisive»Genom generella och särskilda åtgärder som information, en aktiv prispolitik, försäljningsmonopol och en restriktiv lagstiftning, skapas förutsättningar för att minska skadeverkningarna.« (party programme ↗)“Through general and special measures such as information, active price policy, sales monopoly and restrictive legislation, conditions are created to reduce harmful effects.”
• low total alcohol consumption»Det alkoholpolitiska arbetet ska syfta till att minimera alkoholskador genom en låg totalkonsumtion.« (party programme ↗)“Alcohol policy work shall aim to minimize alcohol harm through low total consumption.”
• restrictions for public health reasons»Monopol och konkurrensbegränsningar får endast förekomma undantagsvis, exempelvis av folkhälsoskäl.« (party programme ↗)“Monopoly and competition restrictions may only occur exceptionally, for example for public health reasons.”
• prevention for youth»I det förebyggande arbetet ska insatser för barn och ungdomar prioriteras.« (party programme ↗)“In preventive work, efforts for children and young people shall be prioritized.”

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 central commitment on the business front is that a third of red tape and companies' administrative costs should be removed and that complicated permit processes should not put obstacles in the way. A retained requirement for its own kitchen for catering operations is precisely such a permit rule that the plan wants to eliminate. The plan therefore argues against the counter-proposal's demands.

• reduced 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 red tape”
• permit complications hinder growth»Men höga skatter, krångliga tillståndsprocesser och byråkrati sätter käppar i hjulet för innovation och tillväxt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“But high taxes, complicated permit processes and bureaucracy put obstacles in the way of innovation and growth.”
• faster permit review»Korta myndigheternas handläggningstider genom en bortre tidsgräns« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Shorten government agencies' processing times by setting a deadline”

The plan does not address alcohol laws' licensing rules. The closest principle is that unnecessary rules where the cost to companies does not match the benefit to society should be eliminated and that small businesses' administrative burden should be relieved. A retained requirement for a dedicated kitchen for catering activities is precisely such a rule, so the counter-proposal's demand is rejected based on the regulatory simplification principle.

• remove unnecessary rulesdecisive»För att få fler och växande företag är det viktigt att ta bort onödiga regler där kostnaderna för företagen inte motsvarar nyttan för samhället.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To get more and growing companies it is important to remove unnecessary rules where the costs to companies do not match the benefit to society.”
• regulatory simplification»Verka för regelförenkling och avlasta småföretagens administrativa börda« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work towards regulatory simplification and relieve small businesses' administrative burden”
• cost-effective rules»Nya regler ska vara kostnadseffektiva och befintliga regler behöver ses över.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“New rules shall be cost-effective and existing rules need to be reviewed.”