Sweden should be a leading mining nation, says Ebba Busch at a press conference.
She presents the mineral strategy - that is, how more mines will be opened and the mineral deposits found in the Swedish bedrock will be exploited.
The strategy lists what the government has done and what will happen in the future, if the Tidö government is allowed to remain in power after the election on September 13.
Municipal money
An investigation will be appointed, in August according to Busch, to review the state mineral fee. It is paid by those who operate the mines. The investigation will examine the size of the fee and whether the money can go to municipalities or regions where a mine is located or is being established. Today, landowners receive most of the money, the state a quarter, the municipalities zero.
Both regions and municipalities can be relevant, says Busch, talking about the great needs in welfare.
But today's fee doesn't provide much money, rather little in relation to the welfare needs Busch is talking about - in 2025, just under 23 million SEK was paid in.
Faster state
The government wants to establish a new environmental authority, to make it faster to obtain mining permits, and wants to see more private mines opened - possibly with the help of a state-owned company that helps with the establishment.
It will also be investigated whether large areas, such as the entire Malmfälten near Kiruna and the Skellefteälten, can be given status of national interest, due to the large deposits of various minerals there.
The government writes in the strategy that there are conflicting interests, for example between the reindeer industry and the country's access to raw materials. Ebba Busch claims that the dialogue with the Sami is good.
In the strategy, the government writes that the fundamental starting point is that "coexistence with other activities must be possible."
