Voices from Norra Scen: "Invest now to reap the benefits later"

With Norra Scen in Almedalen, Norrbotten received three days of meetings, dialogue and debate. Almost a hundred voices were heard from the stage: members of parliament, cultural creators, business leaders, a minister, media executives, researchers, heads of government agencies and young people from Norrbotten.

Together they shared their knowledge, experiences, perspectives, ideas and concerns. They discussed youth participation, the need for investments in infrastructure, security policy challenges and the need to change society's view of Norrbotten.

Here is a selection of voices from some of the seminars at Norra Scen.

"It's a steel Eiffel Tower we send from Norrbotten every day, if we have another steel mill it is clear that additional capacity is needed in the infrastructure. We are talking, but we need a financing decision - otherwise we will lose momentum. It's about investing now to get the profits later. When we built the Malmbanan Railway in the 1800th century, we invested 8% of Sweden's treasury," he said. Anders Oberg, Chairman of the Regional Board of the Norrbotten Region.

"There is no pressure on the unemployed to move north, and even if they do, there is no housing. It is a difficult dilemma we have found ourselves in. There are two dysfunctional markets where comprehensive reforms are needed: the labor market and the housing market," Sven-Olof Daunfeldt, Chief Economist, Confederation of Swedish Enterprise.

"Now almost 100% of the public risk is on the municipalities. We have to have a dialogue about it, it won't work like this. Actually, the state efforts should go into everything except industry," he said. Pär Weihed, Professor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Luleå University of Technology.

Ida Drougge, Member of Parliament, (M), does not see government funding as the solution.

"The state has an extremely large amount of work we need to do better. If we have shorter permit processes, construction times and lead times, it will be cheaper. The state does not need to contribute money, but the state should do its job. In the long run, this minimizes risk for everyone," he said. Ida Drougge, Member of Parliament, Finance Committee (M).

Want to hear more? Here is the seminar Industrial Transformation in Norrbotten's Social Benefits:
The industrial transition in Norrbotten benefits society - Develop Norrbotten

“Food security is central, something we must not take for granted. There are local small food producers, but we may not know how important they are. The more of them there are, the more resistant and resilient our society will be. We need food that is produced where people are,” said Anna Öhrwall Rönnbäck, professor, Luleå University of Technology.

"We are going to have a tougher climate, so it is important that we take care of our soils so that they can withstand it, that we find plants that can withstand both drought and a lot of water. But since the price is the key and we are short-sighted, future generations will have to pay," he said. Karin Bodin, CEO of Polarbröd AB.

Karin Bodin, CEO of Polarbröd, spoke about the company's commitment to sustainability.

"I can stop flying and stop consuming unnecessary gadgets but I can never stop eating, and we eat three times a day. If we chefs create trends, they will come to the grocery store and then to consumers. We can be knowledge carriers, because knowledge about sustainable food is quite low today," he said. Jessie Sommarström, Chef of the Year 2022.

Want to hear more? Here is the seminar Norrbotten – an excellent county for food - Develop Norrbotten

"Why should we worry about rare earths? They are not conflict-provoking in themselves. But the security situation in the world has changed and therefore the interest in having them has increased. The worst situation arises if we have a more conflict-filled world and at the same time a shortage of rare earths. Then we run the risk of a war over resources," said Niklas Rossbach, senior analyst, Swedish National Defense University.

"The infrastructure in Norrbotten is grossly neglected. We have an infrastructure that does not function in peace, how can it function in war? The Norrbotten Line must be financed, the Luleå-Boden railway line is Sweden's Suez Canal, and we need double tracks all the way to Narvik. There is already a queue in the Suez Canal today, we have problems in the other direction when the Malmbanan is at a standstill. How this can continue is difficult for us in Norrbotten to understand," he said. Claes Nordmark (S), Chairman of the Municipal Executive Board of the Municipality of Boden.

Claes Nordmark, municipal councilor in Boden and chairman of Norrbotten's municipalities, expressed concern about how the infrastructure and municipalities will cope in the event of crisis and war. 

"The external situation is changing, but we must start from our mission. We are facing a decision on a new infrastructure bill, and we at the Swedish Transport Administration have contributed to it from our perspective. I can see opportunities. Rare earth metals have a geopolitical bearing, it can change priorities. The entire space domain, minerals, the needs of civil society, while with NATO membership we get a completely different perspective," said Mattias Dejke, Safety Director, Swedish Transport Administration.

 "We are critical of the government giving us too little for health and medical care in general in a situation where we need to build preparedness, it is not a reasonable development. We are responsible for other social functions as well, such as public transport which should function even in higher preparedness," said Camilla Friberg (S), Regional Councillor, Norrbotten Region.

Want to hear more? Here is the seminar Preparedness and infrastructure in strategically important Norrbotten - Develop Norrbotten

"Culture IS development, not just of the brain and free thinking, but culture and education do not develop us as human beings. Hjalmar Lundbohm, who should be a role model for all business leaders, already understood this. A society-supporting industry like LKAB still has traces of what Hjalmar Lundbohm built up. If I were an industry leader today, I would hunt for businesses that work with culture," he said. Anette Winblad von Walter, Head of Culture, Norrbotten Region.

Anette Winblad von Walter emphasized that creativity is built into humans and that culture is a prerequisite for development. 

"The business community is asked about paying for railways and roads and ports and electricity infrastructure and culture, as if it is our responsibility to cover up for everything that is not working. Then you have given up on politics and are turning to business instead. We are about to do something now in Norrbotten that has never been done before. We want the result to be different than last time and then we have to do something different. Because even though Hjalmar Lundbohm did very well, there are many challenges in Kiruna today. The choices we make now affect what it will be like in Boden and Kiruna for a hundred years," he said. Anne Graf, director of regional public affairs at H2 Green Steel.

Want to hear more? Here is the seminar Culture sets societal transformation in motion - Develop Norrbotten

"Everyone is talking about infrastructure in Almedalen this year. Based on our preparedness and capability with NATO, it is important there, and also when it comes to new industrialization in northern Sweden. It is either a bottleneck or an enabler. Increased co-financing by the EU and NATO are important parts of getting more money for infrastructure and more infrastructure for the money. But the gap between need and resources cannot be filled with alternative financing alone. KD wants to open up for loan financing and use our low national debt to pay off our maintenance debt," said Andreas Carlson, Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Christian Democrats.

Andreas Carlson, Minister of Infrastructure, intends to pursue the issue of loan financing to upgrade and expand Sweden's neglected infrastructure. 

"There is a stable majority for more money for infrastructure, the Transport Committee looks forward to the dialogue to create as broad support as possible. This is long-term, it cannot live in four-year periods. We are doing this for Sweden's competitiveness, it is a bigger goal than just infrastructure," said Ulrika Heie, Chair of the Traffic Committee, Centre Party.

Want to hear more? Here is the seminar Can Nordic cooperation and new financing solutions accelerate the expansion of the core network corridor? - Develop Norrbotten

"In Västerbotten we have the lowest unemployment and the population is increasing the most in Sweden, perhaps 3000 people this year. The population forecasts say something different, but behind closed doors the Swedish Transport Administration knows that they do not match reality. Companies want it to work logistically: infrastructure, education, population supply and housing, because otherwise it is too big a risk to come to Sweden and establish yourself," he said. Lorents Burman, Chairman, Norrbothnia Railway Group.

Ulrika Geeraedts, from the Swedish Transport Administration, said that her Dutch relatives had received a very positive image of northern Sweden through news coverage in the country.

"From an infrastructure perspective, we have challenges to work faster. We have a mission to accelerate investments in northern Sweden as much as possible. We proposed loan financing, it was not relevant, but now we are raising it again and I believe it will be in the infrastructure bill this autumn. We are trying to bring forward certain measures such as double track Luleå-Boden, we are preparing so that if a decision comes, we can accelerate. We want to start construction for the Norrbothnia Line. We want to implement the Skellefteå bypass urgently. We are constantly trying to find ways to work in parallel so that we do not end up in this drawn-out, very long way", Ulrika Geeraedts, Head of Planning, Swedish Transport Administration.

Want to hear more? Here is the seminar What happens to the infrastructure when the forecasts confirm the stereotype? - Develop Norrbotten

"We have found the keys to a more inclusive democracy. We recognize that the regional and municipal levels must be linked, young people's faith in the future is limited by municipal boundaries. Young people are more socially engaged than ever but feel less able than ever to influence. For me it is simple: let young people into power at all levels and let young people be involved in building the societal transformation we are all talking about," said Oliver Karlsson, Youth 2030 Movement.

Oliwer Karlsson talked about the Youth Up North project, where the Norrbotten Region and several municipalities in the county are partners. 

"Young people who are involved in building events or an association gain pride in the place. The sports movement has 114 members, and that community is everywhere. The power of voluntary work may be fleeting or unreliable, but if you get involved in the right way, it is almost invaluable. You can ask yourself: am I a stonemason or a cathedral builder? We need to make people feel like cathedral builders. That my handball association is part of the new Kiruna," said Mattias Hjelmberg, National Sports Federation.

"I wish it would be a given to be able to go to the store and speak Sami, that our flag day is a general flag day, that Sami young people are not exposed to hatred and threats. That it is a given in Sweden that you can be Sami," he said. Sara-Elvira Kuhmunen, Sáminuorra.

Want to hear more? Here is the seminar Young people's perspective on the green transition - Develop Norrbotten

"The Luleå model opens up the possibility of looking at the effect practically and pragmatically. We will use all the effect we have specified, but it is a gradual escalation. We do not need everything from the beginning, then it can be used in other ways for the benefit of society. We have continued in the group to talk about other things, entrepreneur housing, dialogue forums to reduce uncertainties and fears, a broader approach than just effect," said David Högnelid, Vice President, LKAB.

"If you work with complex issues that need to be resolved quickly, you need to do it together. Get a common goal. It's about setting up the rules of the game that build trust. We have fantastic industries that have chosen to share and shown that courage. This means that Svenska kraftnät, Vattenfall and we can be part of optimizing and working together. It's a brave group that has taken on a very big responsibility," said Malin Larsson, CEO, Luleå Energy.

"We have adopted a kind of humility. Resources are scarce, if we just take and take they will run out. The start-up was quite tentative, feeling and squeezing. The prerequisite was that we gave it time, that we listened to each other. There was a climate that said it was possible to talk to each other," said Carl Wangel, Head of Governmental relations Sweden, SSAB.

The AGON network, for which County Governor Lotta Finstorp is responsible, has been highlighted as an example by Minister of Economic Affairs Ebba Busch.

"The AGON network includes the municipalities that have the large establishments, the Armed Forces, Vattenfall, Svenska kraftnät, the Region, all the large industries. We don't just talk about energy in AGON, it's skills development, we have a working group on reindeer husbandry issues, land issues are a huge issue, then you have to understand each other's perspectives. They find each other across the table. Norrbotten people are fantastic people, used to rolling up their sleeves and solving things. We know what's needed, we're on the right track," said Lotta Finstorp, County Governor, Norrbotten County Administrative Board.

Want to hear more? Here is the seminar It's not possible! Or is it? How the roundtable in Luleå unleashed power for the green transition - Develop Norrbotten

Other recorded seminars:
From power strokes to handshakes - how do we build a fossil-free energy society? - Develop Norrbotten

How do we deal with the Arctic's increased strategic importance? - Develop Norrbotten

Future space technology – Sweden's way forward - Develop Norrbotten

Is it difficult enough to open a mine in Sweden? - Develop Norrbotten