Debate contributions by Sofie ERIKSSON

Madam President, thank you very much. I want to turn back home. Because as Europe becomes increasingly insecure, Swedish workers and civil servants become increasingly important. Welders in Karlskoga, engineers in Linköping and Örnsköldsvik, technicians in Arboga, researchers in Kiruna and workers in Karlskrona: Europe needs you. Because we live in troubled times, and we need to equip. The Swedish defence industry is not only important for Sweden, it is crucial for Europe's security. When we decide today on Europe's first real defence industry programme, it is about Europe taking advantage of and investing also in the abilities of Swedish workers, your skills, your innovations. It is you who make sure that Europe is not at a loss, that we can defend our freedom, our democracy and our security. You and I can be very proud of that.

Mr President, thank you very much. The history books need no more empires, no conquerors, no rulers. Yet nostalgic dreams of great power continue to smash Ukrainian homes. They turn off the heat in the middle of winter, kidnap children, murder innocents in violation of international law, in violation of popular conscience. Ordinary people pay the price. Parents, children, workers watching their homes burn, watching their lives disappear in the light of drones. I am very proud that we have managed to reach an agreement here. We will get rid of the Russian energy, but the sober gaze of history will judge. It will judge those politicians, those governments who did not do everything they could, who allowed it to go so far, so deep before we reached this decision. That allowed Putin to bill more for his gas than we have given in support of the people of Ukraine.

Madam President, thank you very much. The Baltic Sea is one of the most overfished seas in the world. Since the 1990s herring stocks have decreased by more than 80 (inaudible words) has collapsed. Almost all fish caught are ground down to feed. We are facing an ecosystem collapse. The Commission has listened and proposed lower quotas for 2026, but it is the ministers who decide. Last week's meeting in Stockholm was about the Baltic Sea, where ministers from eight countries around the sea took part. Then the Commissioner, Mr Kadis, called for: Do not increase the quotas. I hope they listen. The Council of Ministers must stand by the Commission's proposal. Don't increase the quotas any more. Without fish in the sea, there will be no fish on the table, no professional fishing, no sport fishing. We need a recovery in the Baltic Sea based on science and a long-term approach over short-term exploitation. The responsibility now rests very heavily on the ministers of the Member States.

Madam President, thank you very much. I will tell you about Kiruna in Sweden. For it was slow but magnificent TV when we a few weeks ago saw the 40 meter wide and 672 ton heavy church rolling through Kiruna to its new location. The reason: Enabling continued mining. The city is being demolished and will be rebuilt. More than half of the city's population will be relocated. Above the mine lies the home and life of people who together with Malmberget and Svappavaara account for 80 percent of Europe's iron ore. The iron ore that has laid the foundation for our well-being and our industry. You do this with pride. But mining is a common interest of the Union as a whole. Industrial policy and regional policy must be interlinked. When Kiruna supplies large parts of the EU with iron ore, Kiruna residents cannot be left alone with the bill. It is time for the EU and the Swedish government to step forward.

Madam President, thank you very much. In many places where industries are emerging and new jobs are created, it is still a little too quiet between houses in the evenings. Young people moving, clubs fighting and sports facilities have to wait for renovation. Without culture, sports and meeting places, we lose what makes people want to stay or move there. The industry gives jobs, but it's the life between the houses that makes a place come alive. We know that culture plays at least as important a role in industrial areas and sparsely populated areas as it does in our big cities. Yet we see time and time again how EU funds and government spending are concentrated in capital cities and strong regional centres. We will not accept that the value of culture is determined by where you live. We need a policy both in Sweden and in the EU, which sees the whole country and the whole of Europe so that no region is left behind.

Madam President, thank you very much. Unfortunately, this Parliament is plagued by climate denial, as if the crisis is not already here. Here is a testimonial from Sweden. You might think that we have gold and green forests, and that's it in a way, but don't you think that the tick is spreading northwards in my country? Don't you know why, climate deniers? Do you close your eyes to the fact that TBE cases have doubled in my country in just ten years? Avesta. Borlänge. Smedjebacken. seats; The sandwich. Hudik. Söderhamn. There was nothing wrong with ticks in my woods when I was a child. Now the kids have to be vaccinated. This change has already occurred, just as the fire and drought are raging in southern Europe right now. Yes, the heat wave feels a bit far away right now for us in the north. But the consequences of climate change are us into the skin, today. Incidentally, it is laughable to hear people denying climate change come here and stand in the pulpit begging money to deal with its consequences.

Madam President, thank you very much. I live in Grängesberg in Ludvika municipality. We have been a world leader in energy transmission for over 120 years. I now turn to my home – to you, electricians, engineers, fitters and workers. You who screw, lay discs, test and build. You who turn metal, copper and knowledge into power. You deserve respect and good working conditions. For a long time to come, your professional skills will carry Europe. Your world-leading knowledge of HVDC systems and transformers will strengthen Europe. And Europe is looking for you. Europe needs you so that we will never again have to kneel before Russian gas, never again be dependent on the oil of dictatorships. In every transformer, switch, cable, in every shift, my home municipality Ludvika will lead Europe towards a stronger society. A Europe driven by cheap, self-produced energy that has travelled through the crafts of Ludvika's workers. That makes me proud.

Madam President, Commissioner, thank you. I am here with a plea from the Baltic Sea, one of the most overfished seas in the world. Herring stocks have declined by over 80 % since the 1990s. Almost no sprat goes to human consumption, but to pigs, chickens and salmon. Cod stocks have already collapsed. Industrial fishing is emptying our sea, mixed species trawling is halting recovery and underreporting is undermining the credibility of our fisheries data. The Ocean Pact is a welcome step. We do need binding legislation – it is crucial for our small-scale fisheries, for our recreational fisheries, for our local coastal communities. You simply cannot fish in a dead sea. We have to move from words to action now. Ban the industrial trawling in the Baltic Sea. Set recovery quotas based on science, not short-term profit. I plead to you, my colleagues, and to the Commission. The Baltic Sea cannot wait any longer!

Madam President, thank you very much. The ore is mined in Norrbotten, the forest is cultivated in Västernorrland and the water generates energy in Jämtland. But the money and decisions often end up far away from those who actually live there. At the same time, smaller towns struggle with poor roads, dismantling public services and long distances. People want to live, build their lives, but the conditions are often too bad in many places. Our rural and sparsely populated areas contribute enormous values, but get the least back. In times of preparedness, it is important to have strong local communities, people who know the local area, who know their neighbours. It is a common interest. That is why we say no to power and money being piled up in Brussels or Stockholm. For me, it goes without saying that decisions must have a local basis. We cannot accept that some parts of the Union become only raw material colonies for others. Prosperity and co-determination must be shared fairly.

Madam President, thank you very much. What we are seeing in the United States right now is a systematic disintegration, a democracy that is being dismantled piece by piece, a president that despises the rule of law, that undermines science, that only seems to care about enriching itself and other super-rich people, that wants to keep the majority of the people without education and denies them education because we know that an educated population will question authority. But we hear the same cry here in this hall today from the far right who mocks science, who denies climate change, who wants to build power on fear and contempt. It's not good enough. That is why Europe must respond, not with silence but with courage. It is now that we have to take a stand. We are to be the obvious place in the world where knowledge can breathe, where truth is not for sale. That is why this Commission initiative is important. But it takes more than words. Action is required, reason is required. For let us not shrivel into dry, brown, orange and sour oranges, but let us be proud in Europe where science always has a place.

Madam President, thank you very much. It took about five seconds for this to happen. But it only took a second for the right wing across Europe to draw the same conclusion as they always do. Instead of – like the people affected – facing this crisis with solidarity and cohesion, you immediately start squabbling and quarrelling. They made renewables a scapegoat before even an investigation had been set up. This comes from those who want to spread doubt, who want to spread terror, who want to take us back to a world driven by coal, oil and gas, who want to cradle us into the same dependence on rogue states that dictate supply and prices. It's embarrassing. Responsible parties do not take every opportunity to form an opinion against electrification. We must, of course, build an independent and secure Europe, so stop spreading groundless doubt, before we know exactly what has happened and why. In times of uncertainty, reflection is required, not unsubstantiated accusations. Speak with responsibility!

Mr President, the Baltic Sea is dying in front of our eyes. We have seen the images of starving seals, cod as thin as neckties. Herring stocks on the brink of collapse. Fishermen testified to us that catches are in decline. Traditions passed down for generations. They will disappear if we don't change. Right now, overfishing continues despite scientific warnings, and the ecosystem is collapsing. So the EU must act now. Fishing quotas in the Baltic Sea must be reduced. Threatened stocks must be protected so that the sea is given a fair chance to recover. Please, colleagues of this House, hear our plea and stand with us in this fight for our sea. Because no one can fish in a dead sea. And ours is drawing its last breaths.

Madam President, I would like to thank you for your I would like to start by saying congratulations to my father who turns 70 today. Look, I want to be able to look my son in the eye in the future. That we in here did ours so that there are safe jobs when he grows up. But I also want to be able to say that we politicians took our responsibility and prevented a climate collapse. Technology transition – this is the way forward for a strong industry on our continent. We will never be competitive with low quality and dumped prices, because we refuse slave-like conditions, we refuse dangerous environmental toxins. If you stand up for Sweden in the European Parliament, then you stand up for climate policy. Swedish companies and societies have taken the risk, made the investments based on political decisions because they take politics seriously. For this to be profitable, for jobs to be secured, for the climate crisis to be averted, we politicians must stand by our word, by our decisions. So let's stand strong when the wind blows, because our children are watching.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner Jørgensen! I want to highlight two things here today. Firstly, what are we going to do with the bottleneck charges? The EU has locked up money that Swedish households sit and pay in every month. The money is piling up, a pile that currently amounts to SEK 65 billion and is only expected to grow. People at home in Sweden are rightly pissed off. They see how electricity prices differ enormously within the country and of course question why we import higher prices. You have to understand that here too. We should free up bottleneck fees so that countries like Sweden have more control over how they can be used. Secondly, the most important thing for bringing prices down is, of course, that we must become independent of dictatorships and crazy men's gas and oil. The fact that some, so-called patriots, spend their time here in Parliament curving their backs at them is nothing short of a scandal.

Madam President, thank you very much. Thank you, Commissioner. I note that some so-called patriots in here like to act as lapdogs for foreign power. But I feel rather disgusted by Europe's dependence on crazy men in Russia, China, the United States and elsewhere. Therefore, we must stop being dependent on their gas and oil. This change is not made to be kind to someone else, but for our own sake: for jobs, industrial societies and the very real people. If we are to be a producing continent in the future, with good conditions for workers, we cannot cling to technology that is becoming obsolete. Despite this, we hear the extreme right promising to pause time or preferably rewind it. It is absurd and a betrayal of those who work in the mills, in the industries, those whose jobs will disappear if the EU countries try to freeze time. The far right betrays them when they lie and says that everything can be as it always has been. But it's never been the way it always has been. Don't they understand that?

Madam President, thank you very much. The EU is basically created to preserve peace, and part of this has been the EU's so-called cohesion policy. In Sweden, we often say regional development that helps local and regional projects create new jobs, strengthen companies and associations and get people to cooperate based on what is really needed in the community locally, instead of just following the decisions from above. Now the Commission seems to want to take power over the money from the local and regional level and give it to the state – a huge centralisation and transfer of both power and money. As power moves further away from the people affected, we risk losing what makes us strong. Our local knowledge, our ability to solve problems where they actually exist. The future of cohesion policy in the EU should be about including local communities more, not less.

Sweden's national security adviser, the Prime Minister's childhood friend Henrik Landerholm, has forgotten security-classified documents found by unauthorized persons. He has forgotten his phone at Hungary's embassy in the midst of burning NATO negotiations and now also traveled privately for tax money. I still haven't heard what the Democrats think. What does Beatrice Timgren think about this? Is it really trusting?

Everyone who has been a politician in Sweden knows that if there is anything we hear as soon as we are going to talk about energy policy, it is this lie, over and over again, that it would have been us who shut down nuclear power in Sweden. (Parts of speech without microphone) What is true, however, is that it was social democrats who, in a technologically optimistic spirit, built nuclear power in Sweden. It is also Social Democrats who ensure that we also expand the renewable energy in Sweden, which the Sweden Democrats want to dismantle, while instead thinking that we should import high gas prices by expanding the gas in Sweden. You can think about whether it is the price you are protecting, or whether it is the fossil energy.

Madam President, thank you very much. We are facing a crucial time where investing in the energy of the future is not just a technical issue but a moral duty issue. Fusion energy has the potential to change the world, to create a society where energy is clean, safe and virtually infinite. But as with all the other breakthroughs throughout history that have felt distant, we of course meet those who prefer to drive with their eyes in the rear-view mirror. Those who shook their heads at both the car, the internet and the vaccines. But the backwards have not taken us where we are today. If this becomes a reality, we can create a world where energy is not a luxury, but a right: clean, accessible and fair. But the EU needs to speed up and not slow down the pace of ensuring that current energy policies lead to fossil-free, safe access and low prices, especially for those who produce green energy today.

Mr President, I would like to thank you. The Conservative Party is now questioning whether we should future-proof jobs in the automotive industry. The U.S. and China are investing in electric cars. But then the right here will run in the ditch and babbling on about options that will be significantly more expensive for ordinary people. Volvo, Scania and other companies in Sweden have made investments based on decisions in this House. They are waiting for it to pay off. To pull away the carpet for them would be to disappoint Swedish industry. And the question is – will Europe become more competitive if we politicians constantly change the rules of the game? Is the auto industry even asking for this? No, what is needed is measures for infrastructure, increased demand, support for local communities, training for people who are going to take up the new jobs. So, I extend a hand to the Swedish Conservatives in this Parliament. Let us stand united for the more than 150,000 Swedish workers connected to the automotive industry, who I think expect us to stand up for them.

Mr President, I would like to thank you. Electricity prices in southern Sweden last week were 18,000 times higher in southern Sweden than in northern Sweden. If it were milk, a milk package in Landskrona would have cost over 260,000 SEK. Before the 2022 elections, the promises were very clear. With the vacuum cleaner at its peak, Ebba Busch promised lower prices. She built ten nuclear reactors from the pulpit and promised the Swedes a high-cost protection. But then the tax on electricity was increased and there was no high-cost protection. They also said no to privately funded offshore wind power. And nuclear power, it's now estimated to cost taxpayers at least $400 billion. But the basic problem, Mr President, is actually here in Europe. Sweden produces and exports. Then high prices are imported. The Swedish people do not accept this. All countries must follow the rules. Green electricity should pay off for consumers. For you can forget that there will be some new cables as long as it looks like this.

Mr President, I would like to thank you. Politicians like to talk warmly about new inventions – fission, quantum computers and electric aviation. But in our enthusiasm, we often forget something very important – that the best decisions on what to research will not be made in this House. Instead, we need to protect the local anchorage to secure the needs that are actually out there. I mean, look at the Arctic Six, 2,700 kilometers from here at the edge of the Arctic Circle. There, universities have joined forces and created a platform for research and education that makes a real difference. Together with authorities and local communities, they anchor themselves in the real conditions. If we want research to help achieve the policy objectives, it is not enough to talk about supercomputers – I know we are quite in agreement on this. Instead, the big vision must be based on reality, where researchers face the real problems and find the real solutions.

Mr President, I would like to thank you. Competitiveness is not just about counting the number of companies, but about building communities. Look at Luleå. There was a system error in how power is booked on the power grid. Together, municipalities, industries and authorities sat at the same table. What happened? Well, they released energy equivalent to an entire nuclear reactor. That's the power of collaboration. Or as when Norrbotten gathered to agree on where the power lines would be drawn. What otherwise takes years to investigate took two months. And at home in my own village Ludvika: When someone moves to us to work in the industry, we make sure that that person's partner also finds their place, their job, their opportunity. Competitiveness should not be created at the expense of the workers, on chasing short-term profits or pitting groups against each other, but on secure, strong and equal societies where everyone helps each other.

Mr President, I would like to thank you. Sometimes I wonder if people in here have missed how serious the situation is for the Baltic Sea. The cod stock has collapsed, and the same fate now awaits herring. The fishing culture in the regions along the coast of the Baltic Sea is in real danger of dying out. This week, a new punch came in the face when the Council of Ministers decides on fishing quotas for 2025. Outcome: a doubling of quotas for Baltic herring in the Central Baltic. It meets a few companies with major economic interests, at the expense of small-scale fishermen and anglers. This is a huge sign of weakness for both the EU and the Swedish government. It is completely unreasonable, knowing the urgency of the situation, to decide on continued overfishing. It's time to see reality, to change direction. We don't want to live in a dead ocean.