Objectives for the area of Foreign trade, export and investment promotion

The party programme states that Sweden should work for fair trade conditions and opposes trade agreements that restrict the scope for democratic decisions. That the goal for foreign trade explicitly must include environment, climate, social security and decent working conditions is the same demand expressed as a goal formulation. The election manifesto emphasizes that global inequality must be significantly reduced.

• fair trade conditionsdecisive»solidariskt bistånd och rättvisa handelsvillkor.« (party programme ↗)“solidary aid and fair trade conditions.”
• trade agreements subordinated to democracy»mot handelsavtal som inskränker utrymmet för« (party programme ↗)“against trade agreements that restrict the scope for”
• reduced global inequality»I en rättvis värld måste den globala ojämlikheten kraftigt minskas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“In a just world, global inequality must be significantly reduced.”

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 explicitly stands for open, free and fair trade and requires that trade agreements be guided by social dialogue, human rights and environment. That the goal for foreign trade explicitly encompasses fair trade with regard to environment and working conditions is thus the plan's own line. Free trade is simultaneously valued, which the counter-proposal does not shake.

• free and fair tradedecisive»Vi står upp för en öppen, fri och rättvis handel.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We stand up for open, free and fair trade.”
• value-guided trade agreements»EU behöver sluta fler handelsavtal där också våra värderingar om social dialog, mänskliga rättigheter och miljö är vägledande.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The EU needs to conclude more trade agreements where also our values on social dialogue, human rights and environment are guiding.”
• valued free trade»Insatser för att främja svensk export, värna frihandeln och motverka protektionism.« (party programme ↗)“Efforts to promote Swedish exports, value free trade and counter protectionism.”
• fair global distribution»strävar efter en rättvis fördelning av resurser.« (party programme ↗)“strives for a fair distribution of resources.”

The plan explicitly states that the objective is to promote fair trade and that Sweden's and the EU's trade policy shall be a tool for poverty alleviation, human rights and global climate policy. The counter-proposal wants to write in precisely fair trade with regard to environment, climate and working conditions in the objective. This coincides with the plan's commitment.

• fair trade as objectivedecisive»Vår målsättning är att främja rättvis handel och ge länder i det globala syd större ekonomiskt självbestämmande, inklusive kontroll över sina egna naturresurser.« (party programme ↗)“Our objective is to promote fair trade and give countries in the global south greater economic self-determination, including control over their own natural resources.”
• trade policy with social objectives»Sveriges och EU:s handelspolitik ska vara ett verktyg för fattigdomsbekämpning, främjande av mänskliga rättigheter, fredliga samarbeten, demokratisering och global klimatpolitik.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden's and the EU's trade policy shall be a tool for poverty alleviation, promotion of human rights, peaceful cooperation, democratization and global climate policy.”
• trade must not prevent environmental protection»Handelsavtal ska inte förhindra länder att skärpa skyddet för människor, miljö och djur.« (party programme ↗)“Trade agreements must not prevent countries from sharpening protection for people, environment and animals.”
• climate conditions in trade»införa klimattullar på varor från länder utanför EU« (2022 manifesto ↗)“introduce climate tariffs on goods from countries outside the EU”

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 election manifesto is explicit: free trade should be valued and more markets opened, while at the same time stricter requirements for working conditions, environment and climate should be placed in trade agreements. That is in substance the same thing as the counter-proposal wants to write into the goal for foreign trade. The party programme confirms that ethical and environmental perspectives must be taken into account within free trade.

• requirements for working conditions and environment in trade agreementsdecisive»Sverige klarar sig inte utan frihandel. Öppna upp fler marknader för svenska varor och tjänster. Ställ hårdare krav på arbetsvillkor, miljö och klimat i handelsavtal.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden cannot manage without free trade. Open up more markets for Swedish goods and services. Set stricter requirements for working conditions, environment and climate in trade agreements.”
• ethical and environmental consideration in trade»Hänsyn måste tas till etiska och miljömässiga perspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Ethical and environmental perspectives must be taken into account.”
• trade policy as climate tool»Vi ska använda handelspolitiken för att kapa fossila subventioner runtom i världen och pressa stora utsläppare som Kina att stänga ner sina kolkraftverk.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We should use trade policy to cut fossil subsidies around the world and pressure large emitters like China to close down their coal power plants.”

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's trade policy commitment is unambiguously pro-free trade: Sweden shall be a strong voice for free trade and the EU shall completely abolish tariffs and other trade barriers. Writing in conditions about fair trade in the goal opens for trade-restricting requirements and is not in line with that commitment. The plan's values-driven foreign policy motivates requirements for democracy and rights, but the plan chooses free trade as the means.

• free trade without trade barriersdecisive»Sverige ska vara en stark röst för frihandel, i första hand genom globala avtal men annars genom regionala överenskommelser. EU ska helt avskaffa tullar och andra handelshinder mot omvärlden.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden shall be a strong voice for free trade, primarily through global agreements but otherwise through regional agreements. The EU shall completely abolish tariffs and other trade barriers against the rest of the world.”
• more free trade agreements»Vi ska stärka EU som frihandelsunion med en fördjupad inre marknad, värna den fria rörligheten i Europa och verka för fler frihandelsavtal med omvärlden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall strengthen the EU as a free trade union with a deepened internal market, protect free movement in Europe and work for more free trade agreements with the rest of the world.”
• efficiency of free trade»Frihandel leder till effektivare hushållning med resurser och snabbare teknikspridning.« (party programme ↗)“Free trade leads to more efficient management of resources and faster technology transfer.”
• values-driven foreign policy»Vi kallar det för vad det är: en ny värderingsstyrd utrikespolitik.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We call it what it is: a new values-driven foreign policy.”

The plan states that the EU has a responsibility to contribute to fair global rules that give all countries the possibility of sustainable development, and that freer world trade with fairer rules is required to reduce inequality. It also requires that global ethical codes for business are strengthened and that international trade and finance bodies set high demands for human rights. A goal that explicitly encompasses fair trade is therefore in line with the plan.

• fair global rulesdecisive»EU har ett ansvar att bidra till rättvisa globala spelregler som kan ge alla länder« (party programme ↗)“the EU has a responsibility to contribute to fair global rules that can give all countries”
• freer trade with fairer rules»rättvisare spelregler är en förutsättning för att klyftorna ska kunna minska.« (party programme ↗)“fairer rules are a precondition for inequality to be able to decrease.”
• human rights demands in international bodies»höga krav på respekt för mänskliga rättigheter i sin verksamhet.« (party programme ↗)“high demands for respect for human rights in its operations.”
• ethical codes for business»Därför är det viktigt att förstärka de globala etiska« (party programme ↗)“Therefore it is important to strengthen the global ethical”

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 wants the EU to focus on free trade and a deepened internal market and wants growth to be set first, not for the trade goal to be filled out with further political conditions. The party programme warns against politics reduced to expensive symbol politics. Writing fair trade with demands on environment, social security and working conditions into the goal therefore lies outside what the plan commits to.

• free trade as EU coredecisive»EU:s fokus ska ligga på att lösa problem som Sverige inte kan hantera ensamt, till exempel handel, klimat, migration och säkerhet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The EU's focus should be on solving problems that Sweden cannot handle alone, for example trade, climate, migration and security.”
• deepened internal market»Fördjupa den inre marknaden, inte minst för tjänster och digitala produkter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Deepen the internal market, not least for services and digital products”
• growth as priority»Arrangera ett EU-toppmöte om tillväxt under det svenska EU-ordförandeskapet i syfte att sätta i gång ett arbete med att få på plats en ny tillväxtstrategi för EU« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Arrange an EU summit on growth during Sweden's EU presidency with the aim of launching work to put in place a new growth strategy for the EU”
• no symbol politics»Klimatpolitiken får aldrig reduceras till dyrbar symbolpolitik eller snäv klimatnationalism.« (party programme ↗)“Climate policy must never be reduced to expensive symbol politics or narrow climate nationalism.”

The plan's trade policy commitment is to protect Swedish interests and strengthen Sweden's position in trade, and that evidence and Swedish competitiveness shall guide the implementation of climate targets rather than the desire to go first and furthest. The counter-proposal's requirement that the target explicitly should include fair trade with environmental, climate and labor condition requirements adds precisely the type of conditions the plan wants to avoid. The plan wants instead to stop symbolic politics that harms business.

• Swedish interests in tradedecisive»Värna svenska intressen i frihandelsavtal« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protect Swedish interests in free trade agreements”
• competitiveness guides climate targets»Evidens, resultat och svensk konkurrenskraft ska styra genomförandet av klimatmål i högre utsträckning än politikers vilja att gå först och längst.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Evidence, results and Swedish competitiveness shall guide the implementation of climate targets to a greater extent than politicians' desire to go first and furthest.”
• no to symbolic politics»Stoppa symbolpolitik som går ut över möjligheten att bedriva industri och näring« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop symbolic politics that harms the ability to conduct industry and business”
• strengthened trade position»Förbättra Sveriges ställning på den internationella marknaden och i handel« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Improve Sweden's position on the international market and in trade”