Reading among 16-25 year olds in Sweden has been halved in just under 10 years.
The government's autumn budget is investing in a new reading council and increased support for libraries.
But the requirement to read must come from home, Jens Liljestrand believes.
- I do not think the state can handle this.
It is about bringing in a different approach: children must see it as a necessity.
I think you can force children to learn the multiplication table, English words and to brush their teeth.
Reading can also be a requirement, he says in SVT's Morgonstudion.
"Historical betrayal"
Jens Liljestrand does not think that the lack of books is the problem.
In a column in Expressen, he focuses on the parents' responsibility and describes the current situation as a "historical betrayal of the children".
- We have stopped reading aloud, especially the fathers.
If the adults do not read, the children will not do so either.
If you take out the phone to relax, the children will learn: this is how you do it.
Reading at home
The solution may be to introduce compulsory reading at home, says Jens Liljestrand.
Something he introduced into his own family.
- Three to four evenings a week we read together, then you sit for 30 to 60 minutes and have quiet reading.
It has not been easy, but after a year or two it works better.
And it's not really that long.