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Unesco believes that a mine in Gállok can have a very big impact on the world heritage and the protected natural and cultural landscapes in Laponia. There has also been criticism that the Sami villages in the area have not been given sufficient influence and the opportunity to comment on the matter.

A decision is expected in March
On Wednesday, January 19, the time expired for the opportunity to speak. The Sami Parliament has until February 2 and the government is then expected to make a decision in March, according to Sami Radio.
When Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson as chairman of LO visited Poultsa, outside Kiruna six years ago to get a better picture of the reindeer herding industry, he told SVT Nordnytt that he got “a little embarrassed about how little we know in the rest of the country about reindeer husbandry and the Sami ”. He must also have admitted that he then commented on mining establishments without having full insight into the consequences for other industries.

Do you have more insight today?
- I have at least made an honest attempt. We then had a dialogue with the Sami Parliament and the Swedish Sami National Federation, and I was invited to Kiruna for a long snowmobile trip where we looked at deposits that a British company wanted to mine. The Sami Parliament then visited the LO castle and we continued the dialogue in Stockholm. In a leading position, you have an obligation to know more about the Sami rights.

How has the dialogue been with the Sami before the decision on Gállok?
- It has been a very long case. I can only get an overview of the last six, seven weeks. I myself needed information directly from the source so I have met the Sami Parliament at the ministry and talked to them on the phone.
The Minister of Trade and Industry also wants to emphasize that the current case concerns the cultivation concession and which use of the land in the area should take precedence. Should the mining company receive a positive message, a number of other trials await, says Karl-Petter Thorwladsson.

Can we not reuse the steel we have instead of opening a new mine?
- Steel is one of the world's most recycled materials. 93 percent of all iron and steel is recycled. And it can be reused as many times as you like, but everyone understands that we use more steel today and the amount is not enough.

Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson is also looking forward to seeing more of the steel company LKAB's project ReeMAP, which aims to try to recycle rare earth metals in the residual waste from iron ore mining.

- I'm not sure how many mines will be needed in the future, but it is important that ReeMAP can be tested. We do not know how many rare earth metals can be found in the flows, but we know that Northvolt in Skellefteå needs lithium that is found in Sweden, and the EU demands that we become less dependent on metal from outside, so the need is quite large. Mining is needed, but it is not about hundre

https://www.sverigesnatur.org/aktuellt/naringsministern-ser-stort-behov-av-fler-gruvor-i-sverige/

The current government had barely taken office before the new Minister of Trade and Industry Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson told the news agency TT that he "loves mines". The statement has received much attention, especially as the previous government, where the Social Democrats ruled in coalition with the Green Party, at least not as openly mad for the mining industry.

Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson was also clear in his statement that it was precisely his party, the Social Democrats, who love mines. In an interview with Sveriges Natur, he says that it is no secret that the Social Democrats and the Green Party have different views on mines.

- At the same time, I have seen the Green Party say that it needs new mines to cope with the green transition, says Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson.

Already in government, the then Minister of the Environment and Climate Per Bolund also said that the Green Party is positive about new mines, but then with stricter environmental requirements than today.

- We know today that Swedish mines are recognized worldwide for their environmental and climate considerations and fair conditions. I'm not saying that it's good in every single mine in Sweden, but in comparison with the outside world. We are talking about a difficult trade-off, where we need a green transition to meet the climate goals by 2045. It is based on the fact that we must re-prioritize in order to produce the minerals needed in Sweden, says Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson to Sveriges Natur.

"Almost a moral obligation to open new mines"
The Minister of Trade and Industry says that the need for critical metals will be six to eight times greater in the future in comparison with how great the need was in what he calls the old fossil society.

- Then it is almost a moral obligation to open new mines, he says.

At the moment, the Minister of Trade and Industry is examining the processing concession for the extraction of iron ore in Kallak, or Gállok in Sami, west of Jokkmokk. The case has been on the bench for several years, and Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson's representative Ibrahim Baylan was criticized in November 2020 by the Constitution Committee for the permit examination for the mine in Gállok for seven years without a decision by the government.

The UN calls for a clearer account
Several Sami villages say no to a mine in Gállok, which they believe would have a major negative impact on the surrounding nature, reindeer husbandry, fishing, hunting and the area's cultural heritage. The UN agency Unesco has also called on the government to review the impact assessment of a mine in the area and give a clearer account of how reindeer husbandry is to be protected.

Unesco believes that a mine in Gállok can have a very big impact on the world heritage and the protected natural and cultural landscapes in Laponia. There has also been criticism that t

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There are too many question marks. Is it a breakable area? Has a sufficient environmental impact assessment been carried out? Has reindeer husbandry been taken into account? You do not have it. If it now becomes a yes, then the chance is still minimal that it will be something. Beowulf is the third company here. Had it been worth breaking, it would have been a mine there a long time ago, says Håkan Jonsson.

Beowulf Mining, with its wholly owned subsidiary Jokkmokk Iron Mines, like the Social Democrats locally, emphasizes that the mine would mean 250 direct jobs and 300 indirect jobs in Jokkmokk municipality. Something that is of utmost importance in a sparsely populated municipality that is suffering from depopulation and thus a declining tax base.

- This deposit has an economic value that can lead to more jobs and a little more taxpayers, said the municipal board's Social Democratic chairman, Robert Bernhardsson, in an interview with ETC in November.
But the chairman of the Sami Parliament believes that it is not worth it.

- We need mines, there is no doubt about that. But sometimes Sami industry and culture must take precedence. Most of all when you get the impression that it is not so serious, some companies destroy the land without the intention of taking up anything. In this case, it is an important area for the reindeer herding industry, but also for the Sami in general. In addition, it is not a mine that is needed for green energy, but for iron ore. There is no shortage of iron here, says Håkan Jonsson.

The Sami Parliament's board has already met with Thorwaldsson, and been allowed to share his views on the matter. Håkan Jonsson believes, however, that the question marks concerning the possible mine have not yet been rectified. In January, together with the affected Sami villages and the Swedish Sami National Association, they will submit answers to the statements received from Unesco and Jokkmokk Iron Mines. But Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson believes that the parties will be able to reach a solution together.

- I had a rewarding meeting with the Sami Parliament earlier in December and I am keen to have a good dialogue with them about the important issues for which I as Minister of Trade and Industry are responsible, says Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson to Flamman.

Waffle and hot air from the Sammi Parliament - Smoke and mirrors or just plains lies?

Shortly after Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson took office as the new Minister of Trade and Industry, he was called by the Center Party to the Trade and Industry Committee to be held accountable for the government's "late mining policy". They felt that too many cases had to wait too long for information.

One of them was the high-profile question about the plans to build an iron ore mine in Kallak in Jokkmokk municipality. It is almost nine years ago that the British company Beowulf mining's subsidiary Jokkmokk Iron Mines applied for a processing permit for an iron ore mine and activists chained themselves to machines to prevent test drilling. Not least, a video went viral, from a mining conference where Beowulf Mining's chairman of the board in response to a question about what the locals thought of the mining plans in Kallak held up a picture of a clear-cut and asked: "Which locals?"

After many protests and tours around the mine - several instances were against while Bergsstaten said yes - the issue has been on the government's table since 2017.

- We in the Social Democrats love mines, Thorwaldsson said shortly after he was appointed Minister of Trade and Industry in early December. Shortly afterwards, Beowulf Mining's shares soared.

The statements indicate that the government, now without the Green Party, will soon provide information on the issue of Kallak. Thorwaldsson's declaration of love for the Swedish mining industry has been interpreted as meaning that it is also a positive message that awaits Beowulf Mining. Something that led, among others, Amnesty Sápmi, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and the Green Party to sharply criticize the minister. Just before Christmas, the Sami Parliament's board also issued a press release in which they stated that the government "is prepared to sacrifice both nature and Sami culture" and that they view the development with "dismay and deep concern".

- I interpret Thorwaldsson as saying that he will say yes, and in this case I think it is a very stupid decision. There are serious mines that take up minerals that are needed for green development, which are run with the greatest possible consideration for Sami industry and culture, and we must accept them to some extent. But this mine gets a definite no from our side, says Håkan Jonsson, chairman of the board in the Sami Parliament, to Flamman.

He believes that there are a number of uncertainties surrounding the mine. This applies to its impact on Sami areas - on reindeer husbandry, hunting and fishing - but also any environmental consequences. The UN agency Unesco said that a mine would have a negative impact on the nearby world heritage site Laponia, and environmental organizations have pointed to the risk that the mine could threaten both the fish and drinking water in the Lule River due to emissions of heavy metals.

- There

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