RE: Raw Materials Week15 Nov 2023 11:21
...is this it?
In northern Sweden, Europe's only indigenous people, the Sami, are found. Part of the Sami culture is reindeer herding, which is carried out by Sami villages within large areas. Sweden has committed to protecting the Sami culture in, among other things, four binding conventions in the UN and the Council of Europe.
The European Commission presented a proposal in March and on September 14 the European Parliament voted on the same issue.
In parliament, the Swedish Social Democrats and the Green Party put forward proposals that indigenous rights should be included.
The indigenous term that the parliament voted through by a narrow margin is called FPIC - an important part of the UN's indigenous peoples declaration from 2007, which Sweden stands behind. FPIC stands for free and informed prior consent. The interpretation according to the UN's expert body for indigenous peoples' rights, EMRIP, is that indigenous peoples do not have veto rights, but that in practice they should gain more and more influence if the encroachments become greater in their traditional lands, according to the UN's definition.
Subsequently, there have been three so-called trilogies in the EU - where the two legislative assemblies, the parliament and the Council of Ministers, have compromised on a document everyone can stand behind, under the leadership of the Commission.
But now the word FPIC is gone. Jessica Polfjärd confirms this.
- No, it's not left.
Jessica Polfjärd cannot say exactly what FPIC is replaced with. That text is not completely clear. Legal and technical expertise in Parliament must go through it and there is some scope for changes.
- But the spirit of what we are going to achieve at the political level is clear.
If a Sámi village considers it a major intrusion - should they say no?
- They will get to give their view early in the consultation process on how it affects. But they will not have a right of veto. You can make an assessment for the whole. There are difficult trade-offs that must be made. But we also have to see that we need raw materials for the green and digital transition.
She continues:
- You cannot be in favor of the green transition if you are not also in favor of mining. We need these minerals.
Jenny Wik Karlsson is director of operations at the Riksförbud of the Swedish Sami.
- It will be problematic that FPIC is removed. It is a clear writing.
She also wonders what is different about today's system where she already sees that the Sami villages come in early.
- Coming in early to be told that you will be run over - then there is no influence. They must show the difference to the conditions that prevail today.
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