New authority for environmental assessment

The plan requires that school, healthcare, care and other services function everywhere and wants to see tools for regionally balanced development, while at the same time environmental goals shall be followed up with sharp legislation and practical work. A centralization of environmental review to a new authority in Stockholm risks draining county administrative boards' regional expertise and thus their oversight. The counter-proposal's objection therefore lies closer to the plan's principles than the committee's line.

• regionally balanced developmentdecisive»för att skapa en regionalt balanserad ekonomisk utveckling.« (party programme ↗)“to create regionally balanced economic development.”
• service throughout the country»Skola, vård, omsorg och annan service behöver fungera överallt.« (party programme ↗)“School, healthcare, care and other services need to function everywhere.”
• sharp environmental oversight»miljömål som följs upp med skarp lagstiftning och praktiskt arbete.« (party programme ↗)“environmental goals followed up with sharp legislation and practical work.”

The plan requires that slow approval processes be accelerated and good conditions for industrial establishments throughout the country, which speaks for financing the new examination authority. Rejecting the financing would preserve the long processing times the plan wants to eliminate. The plan's requirement for state presence throughout the country provides some support for the objection to centralization, but does not weigh as heavily.

• faster approval processesdecisive»Riv de byråkratiska hindren för mer el. Långsamma tillståndsprocesser ska snabbas på.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Tear down the bureaucratic barriers to more electricity. Slow approval processes shall be accelerated.”
• conditions for industry»Goda förutsättningar för industrietableringar och utveckling av befintlig industri i hela« (party programme ↗)“Good conditions for industrial establishments and development of existing industry throughout”
• equal review throughout the country»Större statligt ansvar för likvärdiga förutsättningar i hela Sverige.« (party programme ↗)“Greater state responsibility for equal conditions throughout Sweden.”
• state presence throughout the country»Staten ska finnas närvarande i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The state shall be present throughout the country.”

The counter-proposal warns that centralising environmental review undermines regional expertise and thus county administrative board oversight. The plan requires effective oversight that environmental laws are followed and that the transition is not used as an excuse to relax environmental protection, while decentralisation and locally adapted solutions are guiding principles. The basis is, however, weak and the conclusion is derived.

• effective environmental oversightdecisive»behövs en tydlig lagstiftning mot miljöförstöring och en effektiv tillsyn av att lagarna« (party programme ↗)“there is a need for clear legislation against environmental destruction and effective oversight that the laws are”
• strong environmental protection in transition»ekosystem och miljö vara starkt. Den gröna omställningen ska inte användas som ursäkt« (party programme ↗)“ecosystem and environment must be strong. The green transition shall not be used as an excuse”
• decentralisation»Decentralisering skapar motvikt till maktkoncentration.« (party programme ↗)“Decentralisation creates counterbalance to power concentration.”
• locally adapted solutions»utvecklas. Det kräver lokalt anpassade lösningar, där boende och aktörer i både städer« (party programme ↗)“developed. It requires locally adapted solutions, where residents and actors in both cities”

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 explicit commitment of the election manifesto is to halve the time it takes to get approval for green investments and that the climate cannot wait for complicated regulations. A coordinated approval authority is a means for precisely that, and rejecting its financing would slow down the reform. The plan's decentralist line and the requirement for presence throughout the country speaks for the counter-proposal's objection, but weighs less than the approval promise.

• halved approval timesdecisive»Det är dags att halvera tiden det tar att få tillstånd för gröna investeringar och reformera miljöbalken så att ett projekts klimatnytta ges större vikt i miljöprövningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is time to halve the time it takes to get approval for green investments and reform the Environmental Code so that a project's climate benefit is given greater weight in environmental review.”
• the climate cannot wait»Klimatet kan inte vänta på dyra och krångliga regelverk.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The climate cannot wait for expensive and complicated regulations.”
• shortened processing times»Ledtiderna för handläggning och myndighetsutövning i domstolar och myndigheter måste kortas och tillgången till ombud förbättras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Processing times for court and authority proceedings must be shortened and access to lawyers must be improved.”
• decentralization»Decentralisera mera. Människor ska få bestämma mer själva, och politiska beslut ska fattas nära dem som berörs.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Decentralize more. People should have more say, and political decisions should be made close to those affected.”

The plan wants to shorten processes, reduce regulatory burden and quickly remove obstacles for business, which is precisely the purpose of an integrated authority for environmental assessment. The counter-proposal rejects the financing and thus stops the reform. The plan's requirement for state presence throughout the country supports however the objection about regional expertise.

• remove obstaclesdecisive»Politikens uppgift måste vara att snabbt undanröja hinder för att underlätta för företag och människor att ta vara på de möjligheter som den tekniska utvecklingen skapar.« (party programme ↗)“Politics' task must be quickly to remove obstacles to facilitate companies and people to take advantage of the opportunities that technical development creates.”
• shorter processes»korta överklagandeprocesserna och fortsätta förenkla byggreglerna« (2022 manifesto ↗)“shorten appeal processes and continue simplifying building regulations”
• state presence throughout the country»Vägnätet ska fungera och statliga myndigheter ska finnas närvarande i alla delar av Sverige.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The road network shall function and state authorities shall be present in all parts of Sweden.”
• reduced regulatory burden»Regelbördan för små företag ska minska, genom ansträngningar på både kommunal, statlig och europeisk nivå, och offentliga beslut analyseras ur småföretagarperspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“The regulatory burden on small businesses shall decrease, through efforts at municipal, state and European level, and public decisions analysed from a small business perspective.”

The plan establishes a purposeful pursuit of a decentralized society, that state services shall be available throughout Sweden, and that regional conditions in the form of people's competence shall be supported and promoted. The counter-proposal's objection that centralization to a new agency undermines county administrative boards' regional competence rests on precisely that principle of the right power in the right place.

• decentralized societydecisive»målmedveten strävan mot ett decentraliserat samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“purposeful pursuit of a decentralized society.”
• state services throughout the country»Samtidigt har staten ansvar för att den statliga servicen är tillgänglig i hela Sverige.« (party programme ↗)“At the same time, the state has responsibility for state services to be available throughout Sweden.”
• regional competence shall be promoted»förutsättningar som finns i form av naturresurser och människors kompetens och kreativitet« (party programme ↗)“conditions that exist in the form of natural resources and people's competence and creativity”
• subsidiarity»Rätt makt på rätt plats, det är den kristdemokratiska subsidiaritetsprincipens innebörd.« (party programme ↗)“Right power in the right place, that is the meaning of the Christian Democratic subsidiarity principle.”

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 demands in the environmental review area are shorter processing times and simplified permit processes, with a deadline for government agencies. A consolidated review authority serves that purpose, and the counter-proposal wants to reject its financing. The plan says nothing about where the agency should be located, but its goals of faster and more equitable review weigh more heavily. The demand is rejected.

• deadline for processingdecisive»Korta myndigheternas handläggningstider genom en bortre tidsgräns« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Shorten government agencies' processing times by setting a deadline”
• shorter times for environmental permits»Minska antalet regler för jordbruket och korta handläggningstider för miljötillstånd« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce the number of regulations for agriculture and shorten processing times for environmental permits”
• faster review for electricity grid»Investera i det svenska elnätet och korta tillståndsprocesserna för elnätsutbyggnad« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Invest in the Swedish electricity grid and shorten permit processes for electricity grid expansion”

The plan states that licensing processes are too long and unpredictable and shall be made more efficient, and wants to merge agencies and streamline public operations. A new unified licensing authority is in line with this, while the counter-proposal rejects financing. The plan's wish to relocate government jobs gives some support to the objection to centralization, but weighs less than the demand for faster licensing.

• more efficient licensingdecisive»Effektivisera och öka förutsägbarheten i tillståndsprocesserna för gruvnäring, elnätsutbyggnad och industri« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Make licensing processes more efficient and increase predictability for mining, power grid expansion and industry”
• long processes harm Sweden»Tillståndsprocesser är ofta långa och oförutsägbara och Sveriges attraktionskraft för investeringar och anställningar minskar« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Licensing processes are often long and unpredictable and Sweden's attractiveness for investments and jobs decreases”
• merge agencies»Sverigedemokraterna vill också slå samman myndigheter och renodla offentliga verksamheter där det är möjligt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats also want to merge agencies and streamline public operations where possible.”
• government jobs outside major cities»Sverigedemokraterna ser potential för att utlokalisera fler myndighetsjobb till mindre orter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats see potential for relocating more government jobs to smaller towns”