When FUF asks five of the eight parliamentary parties what they want to do with the aid, they agree that the aid should contribute to development and humanitarian support. But they disagree on how much Sweden should invest, where the money should go and what role the aid should play in trade and migration policy.
Ahead of the 2026 election, FUF has contacted all parliamentary parties and asked to interview them about their views on aid. This text will be updated as more party hearings are conducted.
During the current mandate, Swedish aid has undergone several changes. The reform agenda for aid, which was presented by the government and the Sweden Democrats in the autumn of 2023, included the abolition of the historic the XNUMX% target that Sweden's budget for international aid should correspond to one percent of gross national income (GNI).
Since then, the government has instead decided on a fixed aid framework for three years at a time. A maximum of 56 million per year for the period 2023–2025 and SEK 53 billion 2026–2028. The number of aid countries and strategies has decreased, while the government emphasizes that the link between aid and trade has been strengthened. The share of total aid going to Ukraine has gradually increased and will amount to nearly 20 percent of the total development aid budget in 2026 and 2027.
Moderates wants to continue the reform of Swedish aid and further strengthen the link between aid and trade. According to the party's committee leader in the Foreign Affairs Committee, Fredrik Ahlstedt, there are no plans to increase aid. The party is satisfied with the current fixed budget framework and does not want to return to the one percent target. It should be added, however, that several prominent moderates have emphasized that they can imagine that further reduce the aid budget to finance domestic investments in care, defense and .
Sverigedemo Craterna takes the same line and emphasizes that it is not the share of aid in the state budget that is most important, but the effect the aid has on the ground. The party's aid policy spokesperson also highlights the importance of a clearer connection between aid and Swedish interests, including in migration policy.
– Aid recipient countries must fulfill their international law obligations and be able to take back citizens who, for example, no longer have a residence permit and protection reasons in Sweden, says Aron Emilsson, foreign policy spokesperson for the Sweden Democrats.
Center Party, The Green Party and The Social Democrats wants to reintroduce the one percent target. However, according to the various spokespeople, when the target will be reached depends on the election results and future collaborations. The Center Party's aid policy spokesperson Anna Lasses says that the party's goal is to reach one percent of GNI by 2030.
The three opposition parties also agree that they want to redirect development aid towards poverty reduction and shift the focus towards low-income countries.
– We think this one-sided focus on Swedish economic interests is completely wrong. We want the resources to go where they are needed most, says Janine Alm Ericson, the Green Party's aid policy spokesperson.
Social Democrats spokesperson Olle Thorell also highlights that the party wants to reintroduce a feminist foreign and development policy. In this they receive support from the Green Party.
– Gender mainstreaming in aid has disappeared. We see how less money is being spent on SRHR and gender equality initiatives than it was when we had a feminist foreign and aid policy. So it is a concrete thing that we will reintroduce, says Olle Thorell (S).
PGU and Swedish cohesion policy
During the current term of office, the following were also abolished: Global Development Policy (GDP)The PGU was a steering document that aimed to create coherence within Swedish policy and ensure that the various areas of policy contributed to global development, poverty reduction and human rights.
The Centre Party, the Social Democrats and the Green Party want to reintroduce coherence in Swedish politics regarding the work on Agenda 2030, although it does not necessarily have to take the form of the previous PGU model. Anna Lasses (C) states that the PGU at least needs to be updated and developed, while Janine Alm Ericson (MP) emphasizes the importance of including the work of implementing Agenda 2030 and the global goals in all politics.
Support for Ukraine
All parties surveyed agree that they want to increase support for Ukraine and to work towards future Ukrainian EU membership. However, there is disagreement about how the support should be financed and whether it should be included within the regular development aid budget of SEK 53 billion.
The Center Party proposes establishing a special loan fund for Ukraine that corresponds to one percent of GNI and that should be outside the regular budget process.
– We think that all support for Ukraine will be allocated to this fund. This will include military support, civilian support, and also what is classified as aid, according to all constellations, says Anna Lasses (C).
The Social Democrats emphasize that it is justified with a large support during an ongoing war, but strongly opposes this being made into a long-term strategy for reconstruction. Olle Thorell (S) believes that the government's current priorities are at the expense of the rest of the the world:
– It must not be the case that Ukraine support becomes an excuse to turn our backs on the rest of the world. It is not unreasonable that Ukraine support is large and takes up a large proportion of the aid budget when there is a burning war going on. [...] We find it unreasonable that Sweden currently provides more aid to Ukraine than to all of Africa combined. We have also discontinued country strategies and bilateral cooperation with all countries in Asia except Bangladesh.
The Moderates describe Ukraine as their most important foreign policy issue and emphasize that the needs, especially for reconstruction, will grow. However, it is not clear how the reconstruction will be financed. If the party is allowed to decide, Ahlstedt believes that a part of Support for Ukraine's reconstruction will likely fall within the aid framework of SEK 53 billion.
– How will the reconstruction be financed? It will certainly be the case that we will have to take part of the aid budget, but it will also need to be funded, says Fredrik Ahlstedt (M).
The Sweden Democrats are critical of the fact that aid to Ukraine should be established in ways other than through the ordinary aid framework.
– We have negotiated the aid budget just as we have done with other budget items and decided what the aid will be used for. It is important to have a long-term perspective and predictability, both when it comes to the level of aid and what we will prioritize going forward, says Aron Emilsson.
Want to watch the interviews yourself? You can find all our party hearings and other videos about the world in the Swedish election here.
Is there something in the text that is not correct? Contact us at opinion@fuf.se
