2025-05-072024/25:KU28 · p.3KUConstitution
Indigenous status
Inquiry into indigenous-people status for additional groups in Sweden
What's at stake: Recognition as an indigenous people is a status under international law that today only the Sami hold in Sweden, and for other groups it would mean a formal recognition that could strengthen protection for their language, identity and culture. The decision therefore primarily affects the Tornedalians, Kven and Lantalaiset, but also the broader question of what principles should govern minority status in Sweden.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether the government should set up an inquiry into the criteria for national minority status and whether more groups, such as the Tornedalians, Kven and Lantalaiset, should be able to be recognised as an indigenous people, or whether this should wait for the ongoing processing of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee sees no reason to take any initiative to investigate indigenous-people or minority status for more groups. The reason is that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the Tornedalians, Kven and Lantalaiset has already raised that the minority's status needs further investigation, that the Commission's report is being processed within the Government Offices, and that the outcome of that processing should not be pre-empted.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 4 (V, MP)
The reservation (V, MP) calls for the government to set up an inquiry to evaluate the principles for which groups should have status as a national minority, and which would also examine whether more groups, such as the Tornedalians, Kven and Lantalaiset, should be regarded as an indigenous people. The reasoning is that such recognition would be a formal recognition under international law that helps preserve and develop the language, identity and culture of these groups, whose long-standing presence in Sweden is well documented.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 4 by V, MP.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
What each plan points to — and how the party voted
For each party: the vote its own election manifesto and party programme point to in this case, next to how the party actually voted. A plan can only point to Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| Plan | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | No 0/21/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| S | No | Yes 93/0/0/13 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| MP | No | No 0/16/0/2 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| C | No | Yes 21/0/0/3 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| L | Yes | Yes 14/0/0/2 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| KD | No | Yes 17/0/0/2 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| M | Yes | Yes 60/0/0/8 | follows the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| SD | No | Abstain 0/0/63/9 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
Committee proposal
Parliament rejects the motions 2024/25:171 by Cecilia Engström and Magnus Oscarsson (both KD), 2024/25:1321 by Jan Riise et al. (MP) motion 1, 2024/25:1421 by Michael Rubbestad et al. (SD) motion 12 and 2024/25:2643 by Leila Ali Elmi et al. (MP) motion 17.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna 2024/25:171 av Cecilia Engström och Magnus Oscarsson (båda KD), 2024/25:1321 av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP) yrkande 1, 2024/25:1421 av Michael Rubbestad m.fl. (SD) yrkande 12 och 2024/25:2643 av Leila Ali Elmi m.fl. (MP) yrkande 17.
Riksdag decision: Parliament rejected about sixty proposals on minority issues in motions submitted during the general motion period 2024. The reason is, among other things, that work is already underway on several of the issues raised by the motions. The proposals concern, for example, indigenous status for Tornedalians, Kvens and Lantalaiset, Sámi policy, Jewish life in Sweden, Romani inclusion and the rights of Swedish Finns to language and culture.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants Sweden to ratify ILO convention nr 169 on indigenous peoples. (V, MP) — Reservation 4
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The plan establishes that Sweden has a special task to strengthen indigenous peoples' and national minorities' rights to identity, language, and cultural heritage, and that this should be seen in light of the state's historical wrongs against these groups.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan establishes that Sweden has a special task to strengthen indigenous peoples' and national minorities' rights to identity, language, and cultural heritage, and that this should be seen in light of the state's historical wrongs against these groups. An investigation of which groups should have minority or indigenous status is a direct means for that commitment. The plan therefore supports the counter-proposal's demand.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att Sverige har en särskild uppgift att stärka urfolks och de nationella minoriteternas rättigheter till identitet, språk och kulturarv, och att detta ska ses i ljuset av statens historiska oförrätter mot dessa grupper. En utredning av vilka grupper som bör ha minoritets- eller urfolksstatus är ett direkt medel för det åtagandet. Planen ger därför stöd åt motförslagets krav.
- strengthened indigenous peoples' rightsdecisive»Sverige har en särskild uppgift att stärka urfolks och« (party programme ↗)“Sweden has a special task to strengthen indigenous peoples' and”
- redress for historical wrongs»Den svenska staten har genom historien utsatt urfolk och nationella« (party programme ↗)“The Swedish state has through history subjected indigenous peoples and national”
- knowledge about structural racism»Sverige behöver överhuvudtaget bygga upp och sprida kunskap om« (party programme ↗)“Sweden needs overall to build up and spread knowledge about”
The party programme commits itself to assert and support the national minorities' possibilities to maintain and develop language and culture, which speaks for the principles for minority and indigenous status to be investigated and tested for more groups.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme commits itself to assert and support the national minorities' possibilities to maintain and develop language and culture, which speaks for the principles for minority and indigenous status to be investigated and tested for more groups. The basic stance about all people's equal value and respect for human rights point in the same direction. The plan does not mention Tornedalians, Kvens or Lantalaiset, so the support is derived from the nearest-lying principle.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet åtar sig att hävda och stödja de nationella minoriteternas möjligheter att behålla och utveckla språk och kultur, vilket talar för att principerna för minoritets- och urfolksstatus utreds och prövas för fler grupper. Grundsynen om alla människors lika värde och respekten för mänskliga rättigheter pekar åt samma håll. Planen nämner inte tornedalingar, kväner eller lantalaiset, så stödet är härlett ur närmast liggande princip.
- support for national minoritiesdecisive»hävda och stödja nationella minoriteters möjligheter att« (party programme ↗)“assert and support national minorities' possibilities to”
- human rights foundational»Respekten för de mänskliga rättigheterna är en förutsättning för demokrati.« (party programme ↗)“Respect for human rights is a prerequisite for democracy.”
- all people's equal value»Socialdemokratin vill forma ett samhälle grundat på demokratins ideal och alla människors« (party programme ↗)“Social democracy wants to form a society based on the ideals of democracy and all people's”
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 commits to strengthening the rights of national minorities and indigenous peoples and that Sweden should bind itself to the indigenous peoples' convention ILO 169.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan commits to strengthening the rights of national minorities and indigenous peoples and that Sweden should bind itself to the indigenous peoples' convention ILO 169. An inquiry that tests the principles for minority and indigenous status, including for Tornedalians, is in line with this commitment regarding recognition and strengthened position. The plan does not mention precisely these groups as indigenous peoples, so the position is derived.
Original (Swedish)
Planen åtar sig att stärka de nationella minoriteternas och urfolkets rättigheter och att Sverige ska binda sig vid urfolkskonventionen ILO 169. En utredning som prövar principerna för minoritets- och urfolksstatus, bland annat för tornedalingar, ligger i linje med detta åtagande om erkännande och stärkt ställning. Planen nämner inte just dessa grupper som urfolk, varför ställningstagandet är härlett.
- strengthened minority and indigenous rightsdecisive»stärka nationella minoriteters och urfolket samernas rättigheter och att Sverige ska förbinda sig att följa den internationella konventionen om urfolks rättigheter (ILO 169).« (2022 manifesto ↗)“strengthen national minorities' and indigenous Sámi peoples' rights and that Sweden should commit to follow the international convention on the rights of indigenous peoples (ILO 169).”
- ratify ILO 169»bör snarast ratificera FN:s konvention om urfolks« (party programme ↗)“should soon ratify the UN convention on indigenous”
- recognised national minorities»Sverige har fem nationella minoriteter: samer,« (party programme ↗)“Sweden has five national minorities: Sámi,”
- human rights nationally»Sverige ska arbeta för« (party programme ↗)“Sweden should work for”
The plan explicitly commits to strengthening minority protection and the position of minority languages, which is precisely what the counter-proposal's investigation aims to test for Tornedal Finns, Kven people and Lantalaiset.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan explicitly commits to strengthening minority protection and the position of minority languages, which is precisely what the counter-proposal's investigation aims to test for Tornedal Finns, Kven people and Lantalaiset. The party programme additionally places weight on every individual's right to create their own identity and on combating structures that discriminate. An investigation of the principles for minority and indigenous status therefore follows from the plan's commitments, even though the indigenous question is not mentioned as such.
Original (Swedish)
Planen åtar sig uttryckligen att stärka minoritetsskyddet och minoritetsspråkens ställning, vilket är precis det motförslagets utredning syftar till att pröva för tornedalingar, kväner och lantalaiset. Partiprogrammet lägger dessutom vikt vid varje individs rätt att skapa sin egen identitet och vid att bekämpa strukturer som diskriminerar. En utredning av principerna för minoritets- och urfolksstatus följer därför av planens åtaganden, även om just urfolksfrågan inte nämns.
- strengthened minority protectiondecisive»Vi vill stärka bland annat äganderätten, diskrimineringsförbudet, minoritetsskyddet och minoritetsspråkens ställning, och grundlagsskydda rätten till abort och reproduktiv hälsa.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to strengthen, among other things, property rights, the non-discrimination prohibition, minority protection and the position of minority languages, and constitutionally protect the right to abortion and reproductive health.”
- right to own identity»Varje individ har rätt att skapa sin egen identitet.« (party programme ↗)“Every individual has the right to create their own identity.”
- expanded discrimination protection»Mer måste göras mot diskriminering. Vi vill stärka myndigheternas arbete mot diskriminering och höja ersättningen till dem som utsatts, samt lägga till kön och funktionsnedsättning som hatbrottsgrunder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“More must be done against discrimination. We want to strengthen authorities' work against discrimination and raise compensation for those exposed, and add sex and disability as hate crime grounds.”
- counteract oppressive structures»Vi bekämpar alla strukturer, formella och informella, som förtrycker eller diskriminerar människor.« (party programme ↗)“We combat all structures, formal and informal, that oppress or discriminate against people.”
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 which groups have which status: five national minorities, including Tornedalians, and indigenous status attached to the Sámi.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan establishes which groups have which status: five national minorities, including Tornedalians, and indigenous status attached to the Sámi. That commitment is to maintain that order, not to test whether more groups shall be recognized as indigenous peoples. The plan is, however, clear that the languages and cultures of minorities shall be supported, which the counter-proposal's purpose partly captures, but the actual demand for an investigation of indigenous status for more groups lacks support in the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast vilka grupper som har vilken ställning: fem nationella minoriteter, däribland tornedalingarna, och urfolksstatus knuten till samerna. Det åtagandet är att upprätthålla den ordningen, inte att pröva om fler grupper ska erkännas som urfolk. Planen är samtidigt tydlig med att minoriteternas språk och kultur ska stödjas, vilket motförslagets syfte delvis fångar, men själva kravet om en utredning av urfolksstatus för fler grupper saknar stöd i planen.
- the Sámi as Sweden's indigenous peopledecisive»minoriteter och samernas ställning som urfolk ska upprätthållas.« (party programme ↗)“minorities and the Sámi's position as indigenous people shall be maintained.”
- Sámi indigenous rights protected»En nordisk samekonvention ska upprättas. ILO-konvention 169 ska ratificeras efter samråd« (party programme ↗)“A Nordic Sámi convention shall be established. ILO Convention 169 shall be ratified after consultation”
- support for minority languages»språk-, kultur- och medieutbud med minoritetsspråksprofil.« (party programme ↗)“language, culture and media provision with minority language profile.”
The party programme names Tornedalians among the groups whose linguistic and ethnic rights shall be granted to strengthen self-confidence and cultural identity, and makes support for minorities' own efforts a central public task.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme names Tornedalians among the groups whose linguistic and ethnic rights shall be granted to strengthen self-confidence and cultural identity, and makes support for minorities' own efforts a central public task. To investigate principles for minority and indigenous people status thus aligns with this. The plan however says nothing about the indigenous people concept as such, so the support is derived from nearby commitments.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet namnger tornedalingar bland de grupper vars språkliga och etniska rättigheter ska tillerkännas för att stärka självtillit och kulturell identitet, och gör stödet till minoriteters egna insatser till en central offentlig uppgift. Att utreda principerna för minoritets- och urfolksstatus ligger i linje med detta. Planen säger dock inget om urfolksbegreppet som sådant, varför stödet härleds ur närliggande åtaganden.
- recognized minority rightsdecisive»Genom att tillerkänna samer, sverigefinländare, tornedalingar, romer och judar språkliga och etniska rättigheter stärks deras självtillit« (party programme ↗)“By granting Sámi, Swedish Finns, Tornedalians, Roma and Jews linguistic and ethnic rights their self-confidence is strengthened”
- support for minority culture»Det är en central offentlig uppgift att stödja minoriteters egna insatser för att behålla och vidareutveckla de kulturella drag som de själva anser viktiga.« (party programme ↗)“It is a central public task to support minorities' own efforts to maintain and further develop the cultural features they themselves consider important.”
- statutory protection for minority languages»Ett sätt att göra detta är att tillförsäkra minoritetsspråken en stark ställning genom lagstiftning.« (party programme ↗)“One way to do this is to ensure minority languages a strong position through legislation.”
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 lacks commitments regarding indigenous or minority status, but its underlying principle is that rights belong to individuals and not collectives and that categorisation based on background is rejected.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan lacks commitments regarding indigenous or minority status, but its underlying principle is that rights belong to individuals and not collectives and that categorisation based on background is rejected. To investigate formal recognition of more groups means precisely linking rights and status to group membership. Based on the most closely related principle, the plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's demand.
Original (Swedish)
Planen saknar åtaganden om urfolks- eller minoritetsstatus, men dess bärande princip är att rättigheter tillhör individer och inte kollektiv och att kategorisering utifrån bakgrund avvisas. Att utreda formellt erkännande av fler grupper innebär just att knyta rättigheter och status till grupptillhörighet. Utifrån den närmast liggande principen talar planen därför emot motförslagets krav.
- rights belong to individualsdecisive»Fri- och rättigheter tillhör individer och aldrig« (party programme ↗)“Freedoms and rights belong to individuals and never”
- the individual before the collective»kommer alltid hävda individen mot kollektivismen« (party programme ↗)“will always uphold the individual against collectivism”
- rejected identity politics»Denna identitetspolitikens kollektivism strider mot« (party programme ↗)“This identity politics' collectivism conflicts with”
- the nation state as foundation»Den svenska demokratin och vår rättsstat vilar på nationalstaten.« (party programme ↗)“Swedish democracy and our rule of law rest on the nation state.”
The party programme explicitly recognizes the Torne Valley Finnish nation alongside the Sámi and establishes that national minorities as groups shall be exempted from general assimilation efforts and given far-reaching cultural autonomy.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme explicitly recognizes the Torne Valley Finnish nation alongside the Sámi and establishes that national minorities as groups shall be exempted from general assimilation efforts and given far-reaching cultural autonomy. The election manifesto furthermore wants indigenous peoples' position and cultural values to be valued. An investigation of the principles for which groups should have minority or indigenous status is in line with this, although the plan does not specifically address such an investigation.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet erkänner uttryckligen den tornedalsfinska nationen vid sidan av den samiska och slår fast att nationella minoriteter som grupper ska undantas från allmänna assimileringssträvanden och ges långtgående kulturell autonomi. Valmanifestet vill dessutom att urfolkens ställning och kulturella värden värnas. En utredning av principerna för vilka grupper som bör ha minoritets- eller urfolksstatus ligger i linje med detta, även om planen inte uttalar sig om just en sådan utredning.
- recognition of the Torne Valley Finnish nationdecisive»de samiska och tornedalsfinska nationerna« (party programme ↗)“the Sámi and Torne Valley Finnish nations”
- cultural autonomy for minorities»ges långtgående kulturell autonomi« (party programme ↗)“given far-reaching cultural autonomy”
- value indigenous peoples' position»Urfolkens ställning och kulturella värden ska värnas i den utrikespolitiska inriktningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Indigenous peoples' position and cultural values shall be valued in the foreign policy direction.”
- preserve historical identities»lokala och regionala identiteter med en djup historisk förankring« (party programme ↗)“local and regional identities with a deep historical anchor”
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.
Share and embed
Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2024/25:KU28)
- Committee report full text (HC01KU28)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2024/25:1071 — Utredning om älvdalskans status som språk för ett framtida erkännande som landsdelsspråk av Gudrun Brunegård och Mathias Bengtsson (båda KD)
- Motion 2024/25:1288 — Teckenspråk av Carita Boulwén (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1321 — Politik för tornedalingar, kväner och lantalaiset av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:1421 — Nationella minoriteter och urfolk i Sverige av Michael Rubbestad m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:171 — Tornedalingar som urfolk av Cecilia Engström och Magnus Oscarsson (båda KD)
- Motion 2024/25:1745 — Politik för minoriteter av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:1746 — Politik för romer av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:1747 — Politik för sverigefinländarna av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:1754 — Politik för samer av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:1932 — Språk och litteratur av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2024/25:1935 — Åtgärder för de nationella minoriteterna och minoritetsspråken av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2024/25:2372 — Älvdalska - ett eget språk av Malin Höglund (M)
- Motion 2024/25:2643 — En rättvis framtid: strategier för att bekämpa rasism och främja social rättvisa av Leila Ali Elmi m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:3040 — Judiskt liv i Sverige av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:3110 — Utgiftsområde 17 Kultur, medier, trossamfund och fritid av Lawen Redar m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2024/25:3159 — Konstitution och demokrati av Malin Björk m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2024/25:3193 — Utgiftsområde 1 Rikets styrelse av Ida Karkiainen m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2024/25:61 — Åtgärder för att motverka den muslimska antisemitismen av Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)
Source: The Swedish Parliament