The Swedish election is also about the sea – here’s what the parties want
On 13 September, Sweden will hold a general election. During Almedalen Week in June 2026, Deep Sea Reporter put some key ocean and water-related questions to representatives of Sweden’s parliamentary parties. See their answers in the report.
1: The European Parliament has adopted a proposal to completely halt large-scale industrial fishing in the Baltic Sea; this is now to be further considered within the EU. What are the most important measures to ensure the Baltic Sea has a chance to recover?
2. To ensure food security in times of crisis, Swedish agricultural production must increase. How can this be achieved from an environmental perspective with regard to the Baltic Sea?
3: Sweden has many small hydroelectric power stations. Waterways that have ceased to function as spawning grounds for fish, for example. Should these power stations remain in operation or be decommissioned?
The following politicians answered our questions:
Tomas Kronståhl, Member of the Swedish Parliament (S)
Joanna Lewerentz, Member of the Swedish Parliament (M)
Andrea Andersson Tay, Member of the Swedish Parliament (V)
Anders Karlsson, Member of the Swedish Parliament (C)
Karin Karlsbro, Member of the European Parliament (L)
Isabella Lövin, Member of the European Parliament (MP)
We have sent the questions to the Sweden Democrats (SD) on several occasions, but they have not replied.
The Christian Democrats (KD) chose to reply in writing. We set out the reply from Kjell-Arne Ottosson, Member of the Swedish Parliament (KD), below.
1: The European Parliament has adopted a call for a complete moratorium on large-scale industrial fishing in the Baltic Sea; this is now to be further considered within the EU. What are the most important measures to ensure the Baltic Sea has a chance to recover?
The most important thing is to secure lower quotas, something the current government has been fighting for during the last parliamentary term. Unfortunately, it is rather isolated in this view, which makes it difficult – not to say virtually impossible – to make headway.
2: To ensure food security in times of crisis, Swedish agricultural production must increase. How can this be achieved from an environmental perspective with regard to the Baltic Sea?
Nutrient leaching from agricultural land will always occur to some extent, regardless of whether the land is left uncultivated or farmed intensively; so a certain ‘background load’ is unavoidable. The best way to produce food, feed or energy whilst minimising leaching is to achieve high yields on the land being farmed. It may sound like a paradox, but it is, of course, self-evident that all the measures taken to benefit the crop should end up in the harvest, not left to rot in the field. The fundamental prerequisite for achieving high yields – and with increasingly erratic weather as a result of climate change – is the ability to manage water. There must be neither too much nor too little water for the crop; otherwise, yield levels will drop or, in the worst case, you won’t be able to harvest at all if the fields are too waterlogged (wet) when it’s time to bring in the machinery. Both subsurface drainage and subsequent drainage systems are incredibly important for reducing nutrient leaching. The best thing is that a well-drained field copes better with both rain and drought, so drainage is what we should focus on to reduce nutrient loading whilst still producing food.
3: Sweden has many small hydroelectric power stations. Watercourses that have ceased to function as spawning grounds for fish, for example. Should these power stations be retained or decommissioned?
Many of the small hydroelectric power stations and their associated dams fulfil an important local and regional function, not just from a producer’s perspective.
They help to regulate water levels, which was very important during the summer of 2018, but they also play a major role during periods of high water flow. Small-scale hydropower generates enough electricity to meet the annual consumption of the city of Gothenburg – that cannot be ignored. At the same time, it is important to restore waterways in those areas.
About Deep Sea Reporter: Our ambition is to examine and report on issues related to the sea and the life that exists beneath its surface. We operate in the public interest and are independent of political, commercial, and other interests in society.
