The new government’s budget and heavy cuts to the environment and climate budget were sharply criticised by former Social Democratic prime minister Magdalena Andersson on Wednesday (16 November) as Sweden is set to take the EU Council presidency on 1 January 2023.
On Wednesday, the Swedish EU presidency was discussed in the Riksdag and several left-wing party leaders noted that the government would cut the environment and climate budget by several billion euros in the recently presented budget.
They are concerned that climate targets for 2030 will not be achieved with the announced policies and that Swedish emissions will increase in the near future.
Sweden will take over the EU Presidency for six months on January 2023, and lead negotiations in a number of areas, including several important climate issues that are expected to be decided in spring.
“How is Prime Minister Kristersson going to get governments in other countries to live up to their objectives when he is completely letting go of his own? What credibility will we have?” said Andersson.
During the EU Presidency debate, Andersson also referred to the recent statement by Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson in an interview for SvD, where she declared: “if we don’t do it, we won’t do it,” when asked about reaching the target of reducing transport sector emissions by 70% from 2010 to 2030.
“I would like to remind Ulf Kristersson that our climate targets are law,” she told the centre-right prime minister, who answered that the responsibility lies with the previous Social Democratic government’s policies.
“The party that accuses other parties of failing to meet the climate targets is the party that, in total disregard for the environment, shut down Sweden’s functioning nuclear power,” said Kristersson.
After the debate, Andersson commented on the prime minister’s response, describing the government’s climate policy as “very messy” and “yet another electoral error.”
“I think Sweden deserves better than this,” she said, adding that when she presented her budget a year ago, it was clear that Sweden would reach the 2030 climate target.
On 25 October, a joint report by Klimatkollen, WWF, ClimateView, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, and Our Children’s Climate stated that the new centre-right Swedish ruling coalition supported by the far-right Sweden Democrats is likely to drastically increase greenhouse gas emissions through its intended climate policies by 25 million tons.
(Charles Szumski | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
