When Sweden’s Minister for Energy, Business and Industry, Ebba Busch, praised the American company Lyten’s takeover of Northvolt’s factories, the words weren’t hers. They came straight from Lyten.
SVT has reviewed email exchanges showing that Lyten drafted the minister’s quote, passed it through Business Sweden, and sent it to the Government Offices. No edits were made. The company’s phrasing—about Sweden’s excitement, the “enormous value” of the assets, and the deal as a victory for the country—was published verbatim in Lyten’s press release on August 7.
Political scientist Jenny Madestam calls it troubling. “A private company has its interests and Sweden has its own. Politicians at this level are expected to control their own words, not borrow them from a company,” she says.
When asked by SVT, Busch first insisted the words were hers. The day before publication, however, Lyten had already written and circulated the statement, telling Business Sweden to “share this quote with her team to help work towards a final, approved quote.” Business Sweden then forwarded it to the Government Offices with the note: “Below are suggested quotes… you can adjust as you wish.” No adjustments were made.
Pressed again, Busch’s press secretary later confirmed the process in a text message: “Based on conversations with Lyten, they drafted a quote that Ebba Busch approved.”
Madestam says approval is not enough. “It’s every company’s dream to have a minister praise their deal. But a minister should never let a company put words in their mouth. There must be a clear line between politics and business.”