Government declaration - hoping to accelerate the pace of reform in troubled times
"Sweden needs higher growth, to become more competitive and even more attractive as an investment country."
This is what Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in the government statement presented yesterday. "So far, no rules have been changed, but this sends a positive message and we hope that it will set the tone for the reforms that the government will make in the coming years. The fact that the pace of reform will increase during the term of office is indicated by the establishment of a new office with experienced investigators under the Prime Minister's Office to shorten investigation times and to speed up the reform processes, which TechSverige welcomes.
Of course, the 40-minute government statement contained many different elements.
Issues related to high inflation, the security situation, the development of violence and NATO membership were of course prominent.
Some interesting points for the tech industry were raised. As the Prime Minister has previously announced, it was highlighted that an AI commission will be appointed with the task of providing guidance to both take advantage of the great opportunities but also manage various risks. TechSverige welcomes the appointment of a commission and sees the need to focus on business collaboration and the development of concrete measures. It is also clear that cyber defense will be expanded, as will adult education and higher vocational education. To meet the skills needs of the tech industry, this is a welcome initiative, but it also requires increased awareness of the form of education so that more people will apply for the courses in demand. It is important that the investment in higher vocational education is followed by clear assignments and resources to the Swedish Higher Vocational Education Authority to increase awareness among prospective students.
Last week, the government also presented reforms linked to simplification measures, expert tax and 3:12 rules. Something that the Prime Minister also emphasized in the government declaration. An important piece of the puzzle for Swedish competitiveness and we look forward to more. Clearly more encouraging than the announcements linked to income taxes.
The section on welfare getting more money was given a lot of space, although no sums were specified. However, the advance notice that the government has announced SEK 350 million over 3 years to realize a digital infrastructure for healthcare is very positive and welcome. Sweden's perhaps largest soft infrastructure project needs resources and now it is important that this investment benefits the business community and promotes innovation.
The Prime Minister stated that an investment in school books will be implemented where screen time will be exchanged for reading time. We believe that schools have a responsibility to equip students for the future, where digital literacy and digital skills will be absolutely necessary, both in everyday life and in the labor market. Digitalization in schools makes it possible to individualize and tailor learning. Often, digital solutions are used in combination with analog learning materials. It is rarely either/or.TechSverige wants to see a responsible development of digitization in schools, including by moving forward with the national digitization strategy, which the National Agency for Education has proposed.
As I said, we choose to focus on the positive and there were several messages in the government declaration that promised good things and that TechSverige has pointed out that we want to see measures in. A government declaration is a lot of words. We hope that the messages about the direction will be transformed into concrete reforms to strengthen Sweden's international competitiveness.
On Wednesday, September 20, the budget bill will be submitted to the Riksdag, where the government will specify its initiatives and cutbacks.
Christina Ramm-Ericson
Head of Industrial Policy, TechSverige