A discussion of failed/stalled mining applications in Sweden, page-28

Hi zoulou, thanks for taking the time to write this up.

I have come across a few things which may be of interest to others here. I am not sure if they have been shared here before already. Apologies as they are all in Swedish.

The battle for Cementa rages on: https://www.foyen.se/cementakrisen-visar-pa-akut-behov-av-battre-tillstandsprocesser. This was penned by a legal consulting group that works with businesses across various industries, including mining. They conclude the article with a series of proposals for the government to simplify the permitting process.

From the link above, I noticed an ongoing review of the environmental impact assessment process. They talk about having a gräddfil for "activities that contribute to green change and climate-promoting measures." In English, the literal translation for gräddfil is "sour cream", but it essentially means a set of special privileges afforded to someone or something. Previously, a gräddfil for green projects was investigated in 2018. But it was concluded that it would be too unfair and would lead to suboptimal use of resources. You can read a little more here: https://www.regeringen.se/4a4bbe/contentassets/ea3a4b77147140b8b853761f61f42d1c/en-modern-och-effektiv-miljoprovning-dir.-202086. I kindly ask that @cosors or @manual please translate this if possible, as I found the Google translation a bit awkward.

There is also a little overview of the inquiry here https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-lagar/dokument/kommitteberattelse/miljoprovningsutredningen-m-202006_H8B2M06. A quick search of some of the names involved in this committee reveals a mix of backgrounds in industry and policy. Specifically, organisations like Fossilfritt Sverige, Volvo, Sandvik, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, and country administrative boards. I think this represents a well-rounded and impartial committee, so it will be interesting to see the conclusion of this inquiry.

Whatever comes of this inquiry might not help much with Nunasvaara South. But might be helpful for the Niska expansion and any other future expansions.