The Swedish government wants to make it easier to use cash to buy essentials such as food or fuel, it announced on Friday in a country where liquid money is rare, the AFP news agency quoted Agerpres as saying.

“We need to quickly review the possibility of paying for some goods in cash, especially because there are categories of people who, for various reasons, have difficulties using digital payment methods,” said Niklas Wikman at a press conference. The Swedish Minister of Financial Markets.

It is also important to analyze the problem in order to prepare for times of crisis, he emphasized.

Only 8% of Swedes paid cash for recent purchases in 2022, compared to nearly 40% in 2010, according to a survey by Sweden’s central bank, the Riksbank.

But since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the few ATMs that are still operational have been stormed: cash withdrawals in Sweden have increased by 30%, according to the government.

This trend was also observed in other European countries, such as the Czech Republic or Slovakia.

“Today it is difficult to pay in cash in Sweden”

Therefore, it should be possible to pay in cash for some products, such as medicine, food and fuel, according to the Swedish government, which has set up a parliamentary commission to investigate the issue.

“It’s difficult to pay with cash in Sweden today,” said Dennis Dukarev, head of the commission, at the same press conference, announcing that about a million Swedes suffer from “digital alienation.”

Dukarev emphasized the importance of not depending on a single payment system, especially during a crisis.

The Swedish Civil Protection Authority (MSB) recommends on its website that you always have cash in case of crisis or war, and lists the advantages of this means of payment, which is considered anachronistic in this country.

The investigative commission should give its conclusion on December 31, 2024.