Climate work of state-owned companies

The party programme requires that the government work with an emission budget that ties climate goals to concrete, quantified proposals, and that decisions in jointly owned activities at all levels are based on a strategy for climate transition. To impose scientifically based climate goals, climate plans and an annual emission budget in ownership directives for state-owned enterprises is exactly this.

• emission budgetdecisive»Vi vill att regeringen arbetar med en utsläppsbudget som knyter ihop« (party programme ↗)“We want the government to work with an emission budget that ties together”
• quantified climate goals»klimatmålen med konkreta, siffersatta förslag.« (party programme ↗)“climate goals with concrete, quantified proposals.”
• ownership governance with holistic view»Vi vill att de verksamheter vi äger tillsammans drivs med fokus på den« (party programme ↗)“We want the activities we own together to be run with focus on”
• climate strategy at all levels»präglas av genuin omsorg om människor och natur.« (party programme ↗)“characterized by genuine care for people and nature.”

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 states that policy must take greater responsibility for climate transformation, that the framework remains fixed and that government investments shall increase the pace of industrial transformation. To direct state-owned enterprises through science-based climate targets, climate plans and emission budgets in ownership directives is such political responsibility-taking, and the party programme requires that environmental considerations be built into production processes from the beginning. The plan does not mention ownership directives, why the assessment is derived.

• political climate responsibilitydecisive»Politiken måste ta ett större ansvar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Policy must take greater responsibility.”
• the state drives transformation»Genom statliga investeringar kan vi öka takten i industrins omställning och underlätta ett klimatsmart liv.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Through government investments we can increase the pace of industrial transformation and facilitate a climate-smart life.”
• environmental requirements in production»Hänsynen till miljöns krav ska byggas in i produktionsprocesserna redan från början.« (party programme ↗)“Environmental considerations shall be built into production processes from the very beginning.”
• the climate framework remains fixed»Det klimatpolitiska ramverket ska ligga fast.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The climate policy framework shall remain fixed.”

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 states that public ownership shall be active and used to promote sustainability, and the election manifesto requires a Swedish emissions budget that ensures that climate goals are reached. The counter-proposal's requirement for scientifically-based climate targets, climate plans and an annual emissions budget in the owner's directives is a direct application of these commitments. The plan also requires binding caps for climate impact and ethics and environmental requirements on state investments.

• active ownership for sustainabilitydecisive»I de företag där det allmänna är hel- eller delägare ska ägarskapet vara aktivt och inflytandet användas för att främja exempelvis hållbarhet och jämställdhet.« (party programme ↗)“In the enterprises where the public is wholly or partly owner, the ownership shall be active and the influence shall be used to promote for example sustainability and equality.”
• emissions budget»ta fram en svensk utsläppsbudget som gör att vi når klimatmålen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“draw up a Swedish emissions budget that ensures that we reach the climate goals.”
• binding climate caps»För att klara klimatmålen krävs ett klimatpolitiskt ramverk med bindande tak för vår klimatpåverkan såväl i Sverige som internationellt.« (party programme ↗)“To achieve the climate goals, a climate policy framework is needed with binding caps for our climate impact both in Sweden and internationally.”
• environmental requirements on state funds»Statliga pensions-fonder ska ställa etik- och miljökrav på de företag de investerar i.« (party programme ↗)“State pension funds shall place ethics and environmental requirements on the enterprises they invest in.”

The party programme establishes that climate policy shall be based on what science shows is necessary, and the election manifesto that care for the climate is never a deprioritization. The counter-proposal's demand for science-based climate targets, climate plans and emissions budget for state-owned companies is a direct expression of that principle. The fact that the plan has never advocated a planned economy agenda constitutes a reservation against detailed steering.

• science-based climate policydecisive»Klimatpolitiken ska utgå från vad vetenskapen visar är nödvändigt för att undvika farliga förändringar.« (party programme ↗)“Climate policy shall be based on what science shows is necessary to prevent dangerous changes.”
• climate never deprioritized»För Centerpartiet är omsorg om miljö och klimat en central del av politiken, aldrig en nedprioritering eller ett särintresse.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“For the Centre Party, care for environment and climate is a central part of policy, never a deprioritization or a special interest.”
• the climate first»Centerpartiet sätter klimatet först, för att framtiden måste vara grön.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Centre Party puts the climate first, because the future must be green.”
• no planned economy agenda»partier i världen som aldrig förordat en planekonomisk agenda.« (party programme ↗)“parties in the world that have never advocated a planned economy agenda.”

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 party programme establishes that general and technology-neutral economic policy instruments such as carbon dioxide tax and emissions trading are the most effective tool, and that liberal environmental policy distances itself from symbol politics. To impose on each state-owned company its own climate goals, climate plans and an annual emissions budget in the owner's directive is precisely the kind of detailed steering the plan chooses to abandon. The election manifesto moreover wants to see real climate taxes instead of grants and symbol measures, and the plan wants to limit rather than develop state business.

• general technology-neutral instrumentsdecisive»Generella och teknikneutrala ekonomiska styrmedel« (party programme ↗)“General and technology-neutral economic policy instruments”
• distance from symbol politics»Liberal miljöpolitik tar avstånd från symbolpolitik« (party programme ↗)“Liberal environmental policy distances itself from symbol politics”
• real climate taxes»Därför är vi för riktiga klimatskatter i stället för att göra klimatpolitiken till en tävling i högst bidrag och flest symbolskatter.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Therefore we are for real climate taxes instead of making climate policy into a competition in highest grants and most symbol taxes.”
• limited state business»Det offentliga ska endast driva affärsverksamhet om det finns ett starkt samhällsintresse.« (party programme ↗)“The public sector shall only conduct business if there is a strong societal interest.”

The plan requires that environmental considerations permeate all policy areas and that action is taken to stop greenhouse gas emissions, and the stewardship principle shall characterise the rules of the economy and the awareness of actors. State-owned companies are no exception, so climate goals and emission budgets in owner directives are in line with the plan. The plan's requirement for long-term state rules at the same time sets a limit for how detailed steering the directives should be.

• environmental consideration in all policy areasdecisive»Miljöhänsyn behöver genomsyra alla« (party programme ↗)“Environmental considerations need to permeate all”
• action against climate change»För att motverka klimatförändring krävs krafttag för« (party programme ↗)“To counter climate change requires action to”
• reduced climate emissions»MINSKADE KLIMATUTSLÄPP« (2022 manifesto ↗)“REDUCED CLIMATE EMISSIONS”
• long-term state rules»Det är viktigt att de regler staten ställer upp för« (party programme ↗)“It is important that the rules the state sets up 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 plan warns against climate policy becoming expensive symbolic politics and argues that politics lacks the ability to micromanage complex processes; climate benefits should instead come from technological development and initiatives like the Industrial Climate Action. Imposing scientifically based climate targets on state-owned companies and an annual emissions budget in ownership directives is exactly such micromanagement, and the plan also wants the state to own less rather than steer more. The documents do not directly address ownership directives.

• no symbolic politicsdecisive»Klimatpolitiken får aldrig reduceras till dyrbar symbolpolitik eller snäv klimatnationalism.« (party programme ↗)“Climate policy must never be reduced to expensive symbolic politics or narrow climate nationalism.”
• politics cannot micromanage»att detaljstyra och överpröva en så komplicerad process.« (party programme ↗)“to micromanage and second-guess such a complicated process.”
• transition through technology»Fortsätta satsa på Industriklivet som hjälper industrin att ställa om« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Continue investing in the Industrial Climate Action which helps industry transition”
• the state should own less»Om något kan göras lika bra eller bättre av« (party programme ↗)“If something can be done equally well or better by”

The election manifesto wants to dismantle symbolic policy measures that hamper industrial conditions and believes that Swedish climate targets should be adapted to EU level rather than go ahead. Scientifically based climate targets, climate plans and an annually updated emissions budget in owner directives for state-owned companies are precisely the type of requirement the plan rejects. The plan also states that evidence, results and Swedish competitiveness should guide the implementation of climate targets.

• dismantle symbolic politicsdecisive»Symbolpolitiska åtgärder som riskerar att hämma förutsättningarna för industrin ska rivas upp.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Symbolic policy measures that risk hampering industrial conditions should be dismantled.”
• 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 should guide the implementation of climate targets to a greater extent than politicians' desire to go first and furthest.”
• climate targets adapted to EU»De svenska klimatmålen bör anpassas till den klimatlagstiftning som finns på EU-nivå för att inte kraven på andra länder ska bli lägre som en konsekvens av att vi gör mer än nödvändigt på bekostnad av vår levnadsstandard och konkurrenskraft.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish climate targets should be adapted to the climate legislation that exists at EU level so that demands on other countries do not become lower as a consequence of us doing more than necessary at the expense of our living standards and competitiveness.”
• against poster politics»Svensk klimatpolitik har istället kommit att förvandlas till en kostsam plakatpolitik där det är viktigare att spendera mycket skattemedel, införa nya skatter och införa överdimensionerade regelverk än att göra skillnad på riktigt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish climate policy has instead become costly poster politics where it is more important to spend large amounts of taxpayers' money, introduce new taxes and introduce oversized regulations than to make a real difference.”