Something to tell all who told you how wonderful Sweden is

Government proposal: Only climate believers should be allowed to participate in public procurement
Domestic

October 29, 2021

at 08.45



The market for doing business with the state, regions and municipalities is gigantic. Every year, the public sector buys goods and services for SEK 800 billion. If the red-green government gets what it wants, this market will in the future be closed to anyone who does not profess the belief that the end of the world in a climate catastrophe is imminent.

According to a bill that the government is now sending out for consultation, only climate-believing actors will have access to public procurement. The idea of ​​punishing politically dissident entrepreneurs is that it should act as a means of pressure on the entire business community for the "massive change" the government believes is necessary in Sweden so that the planet does not soon perish.

Minister of Civil Affairs Lena Micko (S) defended the discriminatory bill at a press conference on Thursday , saying that it is necessary to "push" companies in the political direction that the government has set out under the influence of Greta Thunberg. With the combined purchasing power that the public sector has, the Minister believes that there are good conditions for intervening in the free market and forcing companies in the desired direction.

Recommendations should become law
Already today, recommendations of this kind are written into the regulations on public procurement, which means that public actors can discriminate against companies that do not adapt their quotes to the climate. But according to the government, this is not enough and they now want to see the recommendations converted into strict legal requirements.

According to the Minister of Civil Affairs, this is needed to prevent companies that feel unfairly treated in a procurement procedure from appealing. Micko states in his comment on the proposal that by eliminating this possibility, the focus is now "shifted from the law" to what is described as "important societal interests".

To be introduced before the election
- This means that if you want to do business with the state, municipalities or regions in the future, you must sharpen your environmental work and reduce your climate footprint. It will be another important piece of the puzzle in our work to counteract climate change, said Deputy Minister of Finance Åsa Lindhagen (MP) who also participated in Thursday's press conference.

The consultation period expires on 31 January 2022. The Government then urgently wants to implement the amendments to the law so that they enter into force on 1 July 2022, before the parliamentary elections, in which most things now point to a change of government.