RE: Article written in Kuriren Norrbottens11 Jun 2021 15:51
Article translated by Jonas Sandberg
Obtaining a mining permit is a rather slow process under the best of circumstances. But with the current government, it is hardly a process at all. The mining company Beowulf has been waiting for over ten years to receive information about the iron mine in Kallak. It's downright laughable.
That the government is unable to enforce the law is depressing, but it is not the only time. Remember Preem's expansion of the oil refinery in Lysekil which, despite meeting all legal requirements and being approved by a court, would still be tried by the government, just to. If the government wants to take other considerations than those required by law, it is of course in some sense its privilege - but it comes with a price tag.
Sweden's reputation as a country worth investing in is slowly but surely destroyed when the government ignores the laws and makes other assessments without taking into account what the legislature has expressed. In the long run, this is something that can cost Sweden very dearly.
But that is not what the government is doing in the case of the mine in Kallak. Instead, it does its best to avoid doing anything at all. Prime Minister Stefan Löfven is desperate to avoid dealing with the issue at all. Deciding to let the laws apply also means taking a stand for mining that encroaches on the reindeer herding industry, directly the Sami village Jåhkågasska tjiellde would be affected. But paralysis of action harms all parties involved.
Beowulf has had to wait a long time for permits which, according to current rules, should be granted to the British company. In the meantime, the company has invested as much as SEK 80 million. It is certainly not free not to conduct mining operations in Sweden. While the company is bleeding, the government has rolled its thumbs so much that the constitutional committee teased the government for not having done anything at all for a full three years.
On the other side is the Sami village and its reindeer owners and caretakers who have been forced to live for over a decade with the uncertainty of not knowing if their reindeer herding area will be intact. It's a long time of uncertainty. Should you dare to invest in new equipment, perhaps develop the business? How can one even make such decisions when one is never told what is going to happen.
The government's lifeline was the UN agency Unesco, which asked the government to comment on how the mine would affect the Laponia World Heritage Site. If Unesco could only comment categorically, the matter could be resolved. All the government needed to do was state that there was no choice but to act in accordance with the statement .......
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