Notes on EU-SAMI WEEK 2022

 
 

Between the recent conservative decisions at the Supreme Court and the January 6 hearings, I’ve been online a lot these days, trying to keep up with fast-moving events. But I also made time to stream panel discussions and catch videos on YouTube of the recent EU-SÁMI WEEK 2022, held in Brussels from June 20-22. 

This event is described as “the first step in raising awareness among EU decision-makers about the need to include the Sámi people in EU policymaking.” Sámiráđđi, the Saami Council, a pan-Sámi organization based in Karasjok, Norway, was the prime organizer, along with Finnish Sámi Youth (Suoma Sámi Nuorat: SSN), in Utsjoki, Finland.

The Saami Council formally established an EU Unit in January, 2019, headed by lawyer and reindeer herder, Elle Merete Omma, a quiet but dynamic force much in evidence at the panels.

The panels were notable for including a majority of women and particularly Sámi young women as speakers and moderators. Most of the participants from Sápmi wore gakti. They included those who have been elected representatives of the Sámi parliaments or who belong to the Saami Council, and those who have legal backgrounds and contribute to Arctic organizations. The panels also included non-indigenous people from Finland and Sweden, who are representatives to the EU parliament as well as a few people representing the EU's committees on the Arctic.

It's obvious that decisions made in the EU and decisions among member states, Finland and Sweden, impact the Sámi indigenous peoples of all the Nordic countries, including Norway. The EU-Sámi Week was designed to continue the process of "filling in the knowledge gaps" on both sides. The EU needs to know more about culture, heritage, and economics in Sápmi, and the Sámi people need to know more about how the EU functions, so as to be able to work more effectively with the EU to address issues of concern.

As was pointed out in the opening panel, the EU is very supportive of Indigenous people, but their proclamations have often applied only to Indigenous people outside the EU. The Sámi, as is well-known, are the only Indigenous people within Europe. The panelists pointed out three areas where EU policies impact Sápmi. Some of the clean energy projects promoted by the EU are actually harmful to the people and animals of Sápmi. Many of the solutions to the current climate crisis promoted by the global community have an impact on traditional ways of life, in Sápmi as well as other Indigenous areas. There is often little input from Sámi about where these some of these energy projects are located. The panelists also described how, although member states receive funding from the EU, little of that generally goes to the Sámi. Thirdly, the panelists mentioned that many EU regulations that directly impact the Sámi are often imposed without input from the Sámi, and that exemptions are not discussed. 

More on the panel discussion on Climate Justice to come in another blog. I'm still thinking about the issues that came up when I watched this particular panel and the questions it raised raise about underlying assumptions around resources and sustainability.