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.
