Supreme Administrative Court rejected LAT66 right for an appeal

On November 15, 2024, the Administrative Court of Northern Finland overturned Tukes' decision to postpone the expiration of mining rights for the Juomasuo and Pohjasvaara mining concessions. Latitude 66 Cobalt Oy applied for leave to appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court against this decision of the Administrative Court. In its decision on May 13, 2025, the Supreme Administrative Court states that based on what Latitude 66 Cobalt Oy has presented and what is otherwise evident from the documents, there are no grounds for granting leave to appeal.

Furthermore the Supreme Court of Finland ruled 09.04.2025 on another case for Hannukainen Mining Oy in Kolari, Lapland - close to Ylläs ski center and national park. Ruling overturned the municipality of Kolari zoning decision for the mine as illegal.

The court ruled that the local master plan for a large open-pit mine near existing residential areas was illegal due to insufficient assessments of impacts on nearby residents.
Key points:

• The plan allowed a large mine too close to existing homes and cottages without adequately evaluating combined effects of noise, dust, vibration etc.
• Protective measures like noise barriers were not sufficiently analyzed.
• Impacts on groundwater areas were not properly assessed.
• The court emphasized the need to balance mining activities with residents' rights to a safe and healthy living environment.
• While reindeer herding concerns were addressed, impacts on nearby homes were not adequately studied or mitigated.
• Overall, the ruling highlights the court's focus on protecting local residents and environments when evaluating mining projects, requiring thorough impact assessments before approval. - if we notice the context in Kuusamo, the new city council is by far not in favor of any zoning for the Juomasuo area.