Tidö Agreement

Tidö Agreement

Tidö Castle, where the negotiations took place
Native name	Tidöavtalet
Date	14 October 2022
Location	Tidö Castle, Västmanland, Sweden
Type	Coalition government agreement
Organised by	Ulf Kristersson (M) Ebba Busch (KD) Johan Pehrson (L) Jimmie Åkesson (SD)
Participants	Moderate Party (2022–) Christian Democrats (2022–) Liberals (2022–) Sweden Democrats (2022–)

The Tidö Agreement (Swedish: Tidöavtalet) is a political agreement between the Riksdag parties Christian Democrats, Liberals, Moderates and Sweden Democrats that is the basis for being able to appoint the Kristersson government with the Moderate Ulf Kristersson as Prime Minister and government-former after the 2022 Riksdag election.

History

The parliamentary election was held on 11 September 2022 and the agreement was announced on 14 October 2022, one month after the election. The four parties behind the deal had a narrow parliamentary majority to win a vote, and it could be achieved through compromise. The Riksdag approved Ulf Kristersson as prime minister on 17 October 2022.

The agreement was finalized after a month of negotiations between the Riksdag parties Christian Democrats, Liberals, Moderates and Sweden Democrats.

The agreement means that the Moderates, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals are part of a government, while the Sweden Democrats get civil servants in the government office. The name Tidö Agreement comes from Tidö Castle in Västmanland, where the four party leaders negotiated the agreement.

Background

Historically, the Moderates, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals have sat together in government. The Sweden Democrats have not sat in a government and have not been involved in the formation of a government, but had participated in state budget talks with the Moderates and the Christian Democrats for the first time in autumn 2021, and then got the budget through. Otherwise, this is the first time the Sweden Democrats have formalized influence over a government's policy. The party leaders will annually decide how the cooperation projects will continue for the coming year. The Sweden Democrats will have the same influence on issues in the cooperation projects as the parties in the government.

Content of the agreement

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  Moderate Party logo
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  Christian Democrats logo
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  Liberals logo

The agreement is around 63 pages in which the parties have agreed on seven major "cooperation projects":

Growth and household economy

Paragraph one of the Tidö Agreement describes the overall direction of the economic policy during the term of office. The agreement has led to the direction of the economic policy being to counteract unemployment and strengthen Sweden's ability to grow. The companies' administrative costs must be reduced during the mandate period. Arbetslinjen will be strengthened through a major grant reform with, among other things, grant caps and activity requirements for those who live on welfare support. Health insurance must provide financial security for those who cannot work due to illness. That the level of the A fund that applies today should apply in the future is not included in the agreement, but was stated at the press meeting. The tax on work is reduced with a focus on low and middle income earners, as is the tax on pensions. To further support households, the tax on savings is reduced. Households are compensated for the high electricity prices and fuel prices are greatly reduced, among other things by lowering the reduction obligation to the EU's minimum level. Corporate taxation must be competitive and companies must have good incentives to invest in research and be given a better opportunity to attract and retain key competence. The conditions for small and medium-sized enterprises to grow, employ and attract capital must be improved.

Crime

Point two of the Tidö Agreement deals with crime and punishment. The agreement explains that groundbreaking measures will be implemented to stop the gangs. These include, among other things, double punishment for gang criminals, criminalization of participation in criminal gangs, more effective secret means of coercion, visitation zones, anonymous witnesses, residence bans, abolition of penalty discounts for those over 18 and abolition of today's quantity discount. At the same time, efforts are being made to prevent crime with increased parental responsibility, more care in accordance with the LVU and an investigation into the lowering of the age of criminal responsibility. A national social intervention force is established, which will conduct environmental analysis and convey proven methods to prevent crime and train social workers in dealing with young people who commit or are at risk of committing crime. Parental support programs are being expanded. A complete and thorough review of the criminal legislation is being carried out with the aim of, among other things, toughening the punishment for violent and sexual crimes. The police, correctional services and other authorities within the justice system will expand greatly.

Migration and integration

The third point on migration and integration explains that there will be a shift in Swedish migration policy. Swedish migration must be adjusted to the minimum level according to EU law, while maintaining international conventions, including the right to asylum. The following reforms will be implemented within the framework of the project: increased use of biometric data in alien cases, enhanced possibilities for internal alien controls, intensified return work, tightened labor immigration and tightened conditions for family immigration, transit centers throughout the asylum process, deportation due to lack of travel, tightened requirements for citizenship and revocation of residence permits in several cases. The integration policy is being changed to become more demand-based, where those who are in Sweden for a long time must take responsibility for becoming part of society.

Climate and energy

Point four of the agreement explains that the electricity system must be restored so that people and companies receive stable and low electricity prices and to reduce emissions by increasing the efficiency of the transition. The energy policy goal is changed from 100 percent "renewable" to 100 percent fossil-free. The conditions for investments in nuclear power must be strengthened through, among other things, government credit guarantees of SEK 400 billion. New rules must be introduced that prevent politics from arbitrarily shutting down nuclear power plants - nuclear power must be guaranteed the right to operate and produce electricity as long as the facilities are in good condition and operated safely. An investigation into the restart of Ringhals 1 and 2 will be carried out quickly. The prohibitions in the Environmental Code to allow new reactors in other locations than today and to have more than ten in operation at the same time are removed. The ban on restarting closed reactors must be removed. We also agree on better conditions for hydropower and cogeneration.

A program for international climate investments in accordance with Article Six of the Paris Agreement is being developed. The investments contribute through complementary measures to achieving the Swedish climate goal of net zero emissions in 2045. Investments in expanded charging infrastructure and carbon dioxide capture will be implemented.

Healthcare

Point five of the agreement concerns health care where the focus of care must change. Care queues must be cut, accessibility improved and equality between different parts of the country ensured. An inquiry is appointed with the task of analyzing and elucidating the pros and cons as well as making proposals on the possibilities of introducing partial or full state ownership in the long term. A national healthcare agency under state auspices is being set up to cut queues in healthcare. A national long-term plan to eliminate the shortage of care places must also be drawn up. Work to strengthen mental health and suicide prevention must be prioritized as part of public health work, not least for young people. Special investments in cancer and childhood cancer care, including aftercare and rehabilitation, must be made, as well as investments in equal care as well as care and research into women's diseases and health. A national maternity plan is drawn up with the aim of strengthening maternity care, increasing accessibility and reducing regional differences. The digital infrastructure in healthcare is reformed and becomes more uniform. Opportunities for home abortion are carried out in accordance with previous decisions. Proposals are made about how the woman's right to abortion can be protected in the form of government. An investigation is added to strengthen dental care's high-cost protection to more closely mimic what exists in other care. Elderly people with the worst oral health must be prioritized.

School and education

Point six of the agreement concerns the Swedish school and education. Swedish schools must undergo a substantial knowledge lift. Steps are being taken to introduce a nationally binding school fee standard with the aim of increasing equality in Swedish schools throughout the country through state control of funding. Teaching time must be increased and the school's governing documents (curricula, syllabus and subject plans) reformed and given increased focus on learning, skills and factual and subject knowledge. A knowledge-focused grading system is introduced to stop problems with grade inflation. A new independent school law is to be introduced. Profit distribution must not occur in the first years after a school is started or bought by a new owner. The purpose is to guarantee long-term ownership and that whoever starts or acquires a charter school must have financial strength. Investments in more special teachers, smaller teaching groups and clearer rules of order to establish order and order in the classrooms.

Democracy and culture

The seventh and last point in the agreement deals with democracy and culture. Freedom and diversity of the media must be promoted. The independence of the public service media must remain and its long-term funding maintained. In a partially new media landscape, public service operations need to be developed as part of the democratic infrastructure. Measures are taken to reduce the political control of cultural content. A Swedish cultural canon must be produced.