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The Swedish prime minister says the country does not have the necessary tools during a peacetime crisis. A committee will analyze how future governments will have more room for maneuver.
The background is the pandemic and the Prime Minister’s recognition that Sweden has failed to stop the spread of the infection and protect the elderly.
– Sweden as a whole has failed to protect the elderly in the care of the elderly. Despite the fact that the employees have really done their best, the care of the elderly was not equipped for such a pandemic, says Löfven.
– Need for clearer management
174 new corona deaths have been reported in Sweden since Friday. A total of 8167 people infected by corona have lost their lives in our neighboring country. 389,439 people have been confirmed to be infected.
Sweden will now study legislative changes to give the government greater opportunities to intervene during a crisis.
– A clearer national management is necessary, says Löfven.
The country will also present a new law on care for the elderly.
The Korona Commission, which is already working, has found that care for the elderly is underfunded.
The government will now discover how medical competence can be strengthened and how nurses and doctors will be available 24 hours a day in the care of the elderly.
Löfven promised at the press conference that more money will be spent on caring for the elderly.
The committee must evaluate legislative changes
When it comes to crisis management as a whole, Sweden needs to change the constitution, believes Löfven.
As in Norway, constitutional amendments must be passed in two successive Stortings (the Riksdag in Sweden). In other words, it is a job that will take time.
The government has decided to create a commission in which all parliamentary parties are represented. The committee will find out how the future government will have greater room for maneuver in crisis situations.
– It can be natural disasters, a wide spread of infections or terrorist attacks, says the Prime Minister.
Interior Minister Mikael Damberg says that in some cases it may be relevant to let the government adopt temporary laws. However, Damberg does not believe that it is necessary to facilitate the introduction of the state of emergency.
The committee’s report is expected to be completed sometime after the Swedish elections in 2022.
Broad powers in Norway
Law professor Eirik Holmøyvik studied law during the pandemic for the Korona Commission. Points out a clear difference between Norwegian and Swedish governance
– The administration in Sweden has greater independence from political control than in Norway. In Sweden, the administration cannot receive instructions from the government to the same extent as in Norway. So Anders Tegnell (state epidemiologist) has a different position than Bjørn Guldvog (health director), says Holmøyvik.
What characterizes Norway is that the powers of the government in public health are very broad, Holmøyvik believes.
– No law in peacetime has such broad powers as the Infection Control Law.
In a health crisis situation, the government does not have to go to the Storting. The government can propose rules that deviate from the legislation. On the other hand, the corona pandemic has shown that the Storting can act quickly. They can pass a law at the Storting in a week, explains Holmøyvik.
One lesson has been that the Storting was more operative in dealing with a crisis than previously thought. And compared to other countries, the Storting has been very connected. It may also be due to the fact that we have a minority government and a situation where the measures have significant consequences for the economy and society, he says.
In Norway, in 2019 it was considered a general power of attorney for crisis management. The bill has not been considered by the government or the Storting.
