General matters about mining and mineral industry

The plan wants mining to move towards shared ownership and be conducted with a long-term holistic perspective, and for more of the value of natural resources to remain where they are extracted. An updated strategy that safeguards national interests and strategic raw materials is in line with that desire to steer the mining industry politically. The plan does not, however, state whether a Riksdag statement is needed when a strategy has already been announced.

• shared ownership of miningdecisive»Vi vill gå mot ett större gemensamt ägande av gruvbrytningen i Sverige för att säkra ett seriöst arbete och fördela vinsterna till hela befolkningen.« (party programme ↗)“We want to move towards greater shared ownership of mining in Sweden to secure serious work and distribute profits to the entire population.”
• natural resource value remains locally»Mer av naturresursernas värden måste stanna kvar där de utvinns och produceras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“More of the value of natural resources must remain where they are extracted and produced.”
• holistic view in the mining industry»Den behöver drivas med ett långsiktigt helhetsperspektiv som ser till såväl de globala behoven som lokala naturvärden« (party programme ↗)“It needs to be conducted with a long-term holistic perspective that considers both global needs and local nature values.”
• key sectors under democratic control»strategiska naturtillgångar, energiförsörjning, infrastruktur, bostadsproduktion och den finansiella sektorn.« (party programme ↗)“strategic natural assets, energy supply, infrastructure, housing production and the financial sector.”

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 election manifesto's industrial policy commitment is that the state through investments increases the pace of industry's transition, with fossil-free steel, electric cars and battery factories that carry thousands of jobs throughout the country. An updated strategy describing how good conditions are taken advantage of and national interests protected, including prospecting and strategic raw materials, is a means for precisely the industrial base. Mining and mineral industry are, however, not explicitly mentioned in the plan.

• green industrial basedecisive»Nu tillverkar vi fossilfritt stål i Sverige, vi bygger elbilar och vi ser hur nedlagda industrier blir till batterifabriker.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Now we manufacture fossil-free steel in Sweden, we build electric cars and we see how abandoned industries become battery factories.”
• state investments in transition»Genom statliga investeringar kan vi öka takten i industrins omställning och underlätta ett klimatsmart liv.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Through state investments we can increase the pace of industry's transition and facilitate a climate-smart life.”
• long-term business conditions»Stärk de långsiktiga förutsättningarna för företagande och innovation.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen the long-term preconditions for business and innovation.”
• the entire country shall live»Alla har ett gemensamt intresse av att hela landet kan leva och utvecklas.« (party programme ↗)“Everyone has a shared interest in the entire country being able to live and develop.”

The plan states that mining shall be built on long-term stewardship and that environmental considerations shall weigh more heavily than short-term extraction interests. The counter-proposal's demands for a strategy that shall capture good opportunities and promote prospecting and strategic raw materials point in the opposite direction, towards increased extraction. The party instead wants to protect large areas of nature, not to facilitate new mining projects.

• environmental considerations before extractiondecisive»mineraltillgångar. Miljöhänsyn ska väga tyngre än« (party programme ↗)“mineral resources. Environmental considerations shall weigh more heavily than”
• protect 30 per cent nature»skydda 30 procent av Sveriges natur, bland annat våra unika sammanhängande fjällskogar och skyddsvärda skogar i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“protect 30 per cent of Sweden's nature, including our unique contiguous mountain forests and forests worth protecting throughout the country.”
• ecocide legislation»att Sverige verkar för en ekocidlagstiftning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“that Sweden promotes ecocide legislation.”
• land protected from extraction»goda jordbruksmarker ska skyddas från exploatering.« (party programme ↗)“good agricultural land shall be protected from extraction.”

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 election manifesto commits Sweden to make use of its natural resources and extract more minerals and metals for the green transition, and that new jobs shall be created in that extraction. An updated strategy for how conditions are seized, including prospecting and strategic raw materials, is a tool for this. The plan also requires faster permits and that part of the value stays locally.

• extract more mineral in Swedendecisive»För att klara den gröna omställningen måste vi ta vara på Sveriges naturresurser. Det är bättre att Sverige tar ansvar och utvinner mer mineral och metaller istället för att fortsätta importera dem från länder med större klimatavtryck och sämre arbetsvillkor.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To achieve the green transition we must make use of Sweden's natural resources. It is better that Sweden takes responsibility and extracts more minerals and metals instead of continuing to import them from countries with greater climate footprint and worse working conditions.”
• mining jobs for transition»Med rätt reformer kommer nya jobb att skapas på landsbygden inom allt från produktion av biobränslen till utvinning av de mineral och metaller som krävs för den gröna omställningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“With the right reforms new jobs will be created in the countryside from everything from biofuel production to extraction of the minerals and metals needed for the green transition.”
• faster permit review»Det är dags att halvera tiden det tar att få tillstånd för gröna investeringar« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is time to halve the time it takes to get permission for green investments”
• local share of mining value»Mer av värdet som skapas från naturresurser — exempelvis vindkraft, vattenkraft och gruvor — ska stanna kvar lokalt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“More of the value created from natural resources — for example wind power, hydropower and mines — should stay locally.”

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 election manifesto establishes that trade and development policy shall strengthen Sweden without naivety toward Chinese and Russian power politics, which speaks for a strategy that protects national interests around prospecting and strategic raw materials. The party programme addresses minerals as a fundamental raw material that must be secured in the production system, and climate targets shall be achieved within the framework of a growing economy. The plan, however, does not directly mention mining strategies.

• no naivety about raw material dependencedecisive»Handels- och främjandepolitiken ska stärka Sverige som aktör för en friare värld och dra nytta av frihandelns fördelar utan den naivitet som alltför länge uppvisats för kinesisk och rysk maktpolitik.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Trade and development policy shall strengthen Sweden as an actor for a freer world and benefit from the advantages of free trade without the naivety that has long been shown toward Chinese and Russian power politics.”
• minerals as a strategic raw material»grundläggande råvaror, såsom växtnäring och mineraler, ska cirkulera i produktionssystemet« (party programme ↗)“fundamental raw materials, such as nutrients and minerals, shall circulate in the production system”
• growth and new technology»Vi ska nå klimatmålen – inga nettoutsläpp av växthusgaser senast 2045 och därefter negativa utsläpp – inom ramen för en växande ekonomi.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall reach climate targets – zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 and thereafter negative emissions – within the framework of a growing economy.”
• business throughout the country»företagande, innovationer och tillväxt ska stärkas i hela landet.« (party programme ↗)“enterprise, innovations, and growth shall be strengthened throughout the country.”

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 does not address mining and minerals directly, but the stewardship principle means active and responsible use of the country's resources, not passive preservation. An updated strategy that takes advantage of good conditions and safeguards national interests is in line with this and with the requirement for long-term, equal terms for business. The conclusion is based on derivation from general principles, therefore certainty is low.

• responsible stewardship of resourcesdecisive»Förvaltarskapsprincipen innebär inget passivt bevarande, utan ett ansvarsfullt brukande och förädlande av tillgångarna.« (party programme ↗)“The stewardship principle means no passive preservation, but responsible use and development of resources.”
• general economic policy instruments»Näringspolitiken ska bedrivas med generella medel,« (party programme ↗)“Economic policy shall be conducted with general means,”
• equal terms for enterprises»övergripande ansvaret för att likvärdiga villkor ska gälla« (party programme ↗)“overarching responsibility for equal terms to apply”

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 establishes that mineral resources shall be able to be extracted responsibly and that Sweden must reduce its vulnerability and increase its self-sufficiency in the new security situation. It also uses national strategies as a tool, for example through a strengthened food strategy, and wants to shorten government agencies' processing times. An updated minerals strategy that protects national interests and exploration aligns with this.

• responsible mineral extractiondecisive»Våra rika mineraltillgångar ska kunna utvinnas ansvarsfullt och långsiktigt hållbart.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Our rich mineral resources shall be able to be extracted responsibly and long-term sustainably.”
• reduced vulnerability»Det nya säkerhetsläget i Europa gör att vi som land måste minska vår sårbarhet och öka vår självförsörjningsgrad.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The new security situation in Europe means that we as a nation must reduce our vulnerability and increase our self-sufficiency.”
• national strategies as a tool»Förstärka livsmedelsstrategin« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen the food strategy”
• faster licensing processes»Korta myndigheternas handläggningstider genom en bortre tidsgräns« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Shorten government agencies' processing times through a deadline”

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 to conduct a targeted policy to make Sweden a leading industrial nation, prioritize Swedish industry and competitiveness and make it easier to open mines for the minerals that are needed. An updated mineral strategy that makes use of conditions and safeguards national interests, including prospecting and strategic raw materials, is an expression of that line. Such strategic writing is not specifically mentioned in the documents.

• Swedish industry firstdecisive»Prioritera svensk industri och konkurrenskraft« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Prioritize Swedish industry and competitiveness”
• easier to open mines»Det behöver också bli enklare och gå snabbare att öppna gruvor för de mineraler som behövs för exempelvis tillverkning av batterier.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It also needs to become easier and faster to open mines for the minerals needed for example for battery manufacturing.”
• effective permit processes»Effektivisera och öka förutsägbarheten i tillståndsprocesserna för gruvnäring, elnätsutbyggnad och industri« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Streamline and increase predictability in permit processes for mining, power grid expansion and industry”
• national interests safeguarded»Värna svenska intressen i internationella sammanhang« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Safeguard Swedish interests in international contexts”

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.