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Saami Council

The Saami Council, founded in 1956, is a non–governmental organization, with Sámi member organizations in Finland, Russia, Norway and Sweden.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Circular Economy Act

6 Nov 2025

The Saami Council, a voluntary Sámi organization representing Sámi interests and rights across Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Russia, welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the European Commissions consultation on the potential of a Circular Economy Act. As the only Indigenous people recognized within the European Union, the Saami Council emphasizes that a truly circular economy must not only address the technical dimensions of material use and efficiency but also respect Indigenous rights, knowledge systems, and the interdependence between people and ecosystems that sustains life in the European Arctic and beyond. For millenia, Sámi people have lived according to birgejupmi - a holistic worldview and way of life that embodies balance, reciprocity, and continuity between humans, animals, and the land. Birgejupmi does not separate economy from ecology, but sees them as parts of a living system in which cultural, social, and environmental wellbeing are inseparable and decisions are made with future generations in mind. The Saami Council considers that this worldview, born of lived experience and local stewardship, represents a model of circularity that the European Union could learn from and integrate into the Circular Economy Act. The development of a European circular economy must recognize that sustainability cannot be achieved through substitution of one form of extraction for another. The Arctic, including Sápmi, is already under immense pressure from industrial expansion, resource exploitation, and accelerating climate change. The boreal forests, wetlands, and tundra ecosystems of Sámi territories are critical carbon sinks and biodiversity reservoirs. Increasing extraction of biomass or other so-called renewable resources in the name of circularity risks undermining these ecosystems and the livelihoods that depend on them. The Saami Council therefore urges that the Circular Economy Act explicitly establish ecological limits to resource extraction and promote practices that allow ecosystems to recover and regenerate informed by Indigenous ecosystem knowledge. A truly circular economy must minimize the total demand for new material inputs rather than simply recycling or repurposing at the margins. The Saami Council further stresses that Indigenous peoples rights must be at the heart of the EUs transition to a circular economy. This includes the right to participate in decision-making processes and to give or withhold free, prior, and informed consent regarding projects and policies that affect Sámi lands, waters, and livelihoods. These rights are enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the International Labour Organizations Convention No. 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which guarantees respect for cultural, linguistic, and environmental diversity. The implementation of the Circular Economy Act must therefore include mechanisms that ensure Sámi participation in governance, monitoring, and evaluation. It should also ensure that Indigenous knowledge is recognized as a legitimate and equal source of evidence and innovation in sustainability policymaking. Please find further information in the attached document.
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Response to Uniform format for national restoration plans

7 Feb 2025

When developing the uniform format for the national restoration plan, EU must recognise and uphold Indigenous Peoples (IPs) rights. This includes respecting Sámi governance systems, integrating Sámi Indigenous Knowledge (SIK), and ensuring Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC). Restoration efforts must be inclusive, effective, and aligned with international legal obligations. In the uniform format points such as 2.2.1, 4.1.4, and 4.2.9 must be mandatory for all countries with IPs. These provisions should secure IPs involvement in restoration planning and the recognition of their land and ecosystem management practices. Additionally, point 4.2.10 and 4.2.6 should be explicitly tied to FPIC, as outlined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and be mandatory for countries with IPs. Also reinforcing commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), particularly Article 8(j), which recognises IPs contributions to biodiversity conservation. The SC supports points 4.1.3, 4.2.1, 4.2.3, 4.2.4, 4.2.7, and 4.2.8 but stresses that IPs participation must be substantive. IPs must have a central role in defining and addressing biodiversity knowledge gaps where SIK should be a cornerstone of national restoration plans. Additionally, SC endorses 14.1.3d, advocating for cross-border cooperation. Governance and equity in restoration planning must be strengthened. While SC fully supports the commitment to full respect of ecological principles in point 13.1.2, SC emphasises that this must also respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, including their land rights and management practices. This includes ensuring that the selection of tree species is carried out in consultation with IPs to align with their traditional livelihoods, knowledge systems, and land stewardship practices. IPs fishing rights and traditional practices must be incorporated into national restoration frameworks in point 7.1.4. Additionally, co-management models in IPs areas should be implemented, ensuring that Sámi communities hold a central role in managing land while integrating their traditional knowledge and practices. Strengthening IPs leadership in restoration planning enhances ecosystem resilience, upholds human rights, and supports climate adaptation strategies.
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Response to New EU Forest Monitoring and Strategic Planning Framework

7 Feb 2024

Saami Council, (SC) supports and welcomes the EU´s forest monitoring legislation (FML) proposal. However, SC expresses deep concern regarding the omission of Indigenous Peoples rights in the proposal. SC urges the integration of Indigenous knowledge, and the recognition of Indigenous rights to be significantly strengthened and respected throughout the development of FML. Todays prevailing forestry practices have led to substantial land-use transformations, depleting essential elements such as natural and old-growth forests. This loss of biodiversity not only disrupts ecosystems but also endangers traditional Sámi food systems, including Sámi food security and food sovereignty. Without a) safeguarding of the last remaining old-growth forest b) restoration of already degraded reindeer grazing land c) a shift away from today's forestry practices that leads to loss, degradation and fragmentation of grazing lands and d) a shift away from todays forest densification and plantation of invasive species (Pinus Contorta) that harms reindeers traditional migration routes between seasonal grazing lands - the survival of reindeers and, consequently, Sámi culture is at risk. Hence, SC recommends the following key indicator recommendations to be included in the FML to address these urgent needs: Old-growth forests and lichen-rich habitats must be safeguarded as they are essential for the survival of reindeer herding communities and the preservation of Sámi culture: The reporting of the location of old growth forests is urgent and the proposed timeline needs to be shortened. Primary and old-growth must be defined by the EU based on best available knowledge including input from Indigenous Peoples and not be dependent on Nordic member states narrow definition of old growth forests that does not align with current scientific debates. Mapping and protection of primary and old-growth, such as lichen-rich forests, must be mandatory. Note that the Swedish government has stated that they oppose monitoring of primary and OGF. There's an urgent need for restoration and increased connectivity: The proposal contains an indicator of forest naturalness classes that is linked to the EU Deforestation Law (EUDR). Compliance-related indicators with this regulation are important, but calling this naturalness is misleading. Naturalness should include a definition that combines Sámi traditional knowledge and scientific knowledge in the list of indicators. Furthermore, improve the definition of connectivity by using the forest integrity index, which combines forest extent with pressures/exploitation affecting naturalness. The law also needs to include more species indicators in monitoring requirements to monitor both the state and trends of forest-dwelling species. Also an indicator on forest structure needs to include forest development stages, number of stems per ha, uneven-aged structures, and height into the forest data collection framework outlined in Article 5. In line with the NRL, there is a need to add an indicator of carbon stock (above and below ground carbon) to FML requirements. As well as enhance the alignment between the indicators and descriptors used in the FML and the Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive and ensure that the datasets are used for the implementation of both Directives. Methodology: Geodata is required when monitoring remaining primary and old-growth forests. Plot-surveys and the statistics, such as those currently made by the Swedish Forest Inventory (SFI) and the Swedish Forest Agency do not show polygons where all remaining primary and OGF are located in the landscapes, there are also too few lichen-rich plots based on random random sample of field plots. Nor are the statistics sufficient to monitor loss and fragmentation on these environments. This plot-survey cannot be used alone, geodata is also required. Consequently, additional field data is required to produce high-accuracy maps, even for lichen-rich areas.
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Response to Sustainable corporate governance

23 May 2022

Please see the attached file for full feedback from the Saami Council. Re. explanatory memorandum Saami Council welcomes the EU Commission's proposal for a directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence as it combines human rights, including rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the environment. This approach is in alignment with the holistic worldview of the Sámi people. Further, it also addresses the need for improved corporate governance practices by the business community. However, the Saami Council is concerned that the directive will not achieve the objectives it has set to ensure the respect of human rights and the environment and that business conduct and sustainable supply chains become the norm. We note with concern that neither the explanatory memorandum nor the provisions in the directive mention Indigenous Peoples explicitly. Indigenous peoples are among the first to face the direct consequences of climate change due to their dependence upon and close relationship with the environment and its resources. Climate change exacerbates the difficulties already faced by indigenous communities, including political and economic marginalization, loss of land and resources, human rights violations, discrimination and unemployment. Recommendation 1: Saami Council recommends that the explanatory memorandum throughout the document use the terminology of "human rights, including Indigenous Peoples rights and environmental impacts" Article 2 - Scope The scope of the due diligence obligation must be expanded to cover more companies. Draft Article 2 excludes most SMEs and only covers medium-sized enterprises in three high-risk sectors. Companies of all sizes in all economic or industrial sectors have a duty to respect human rights and the environment. On traditional Sámi land, the directive will not apply to, for instance, mining companies operating in the early phase of the exploration cycle as they often are too small to be covered by the directive. That is a weakness of the directive as mineral exploitation, including prospecting, mapping, and geochemical sampling can negatively impact human rights, including Indigenous Peoples and the environment. Recommendation 2: Saami Council recommends that the scope be amended to include smaller companies to protect human rights, including Indigenous Peoples' rights and the environment. Article 6 and Article 7 When it comes to identifying actual and potential adverse impacts, the affected group's rights to meaningful participation and consultation must be guaranteed and supported. There must be access to financial, administrative and legal assistance to ensure rightsholders' meaningful and effective participation in consultation processes, including developing prevention action plans. Furthermore, it should not be left to the discretion of companies to decide 'where relevant' to consult affected people. Recommendation 3: Saami Council recommends that companies must guarantee the participation of potentially affected groups by providing financial assistance in consultation processes. Article 21 - European Network of Supervisory Authorities Awareness and knowledge of Indigenous Peoples, including the Sámi people, is limited. Hence there is a need to ensure appropriate expertise on Indigenous Peoples' rights in the European Network of Supervisory Authorities. To avoid duplication and secure the expertise needed, Saami Council recommends that the European Network of Supervisory Authorities include the National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) established by the United Nations. NHRIs play a crucial role in promoting and monitoring the effective implementation of international human rights standards at the national level. Recommendation 4: Saami Council recommends that one of the Nordic National Human Rights Institutions gets appointed as a member of the European Network of Supervisory Authorities to secure expertise on Sámi peoples' rights.
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Meeting with Alice Kuhnke (Member of the European Parliament)

9 Nov 2021 · Speaker: Sami perspective on climate justice - the consequences, the costs, the change

Response to EU Forest Strategy

4 Dec 2020

The Sámi people are the nomadic indigenous people of Europe. Sápmi has been our home since time immemorial and spans the northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland, and the Russian Kola Peninsula. The Sámi people have traditionally relied on hunting, fishing, gathering, and trapping, or a combination of all. Reindeer husbandry is one of the cornerstones in Sámi culture. Among the greatest challenges for Sámi culture is land grabbing by ie. renewable energy projects, extractive industries, modern forestry, tourism. These encroachments are often in conflict with traditional Sámi land use. These challenges are related to, among other things, the lack of Sámi self-determination in land management in the Sápmi. The Saami Council welcomes a new EU Forestry Strategy. The outlined priorities in the roadmap are in line with the Sámi holistic approach to forestry. Forests are a vital resource for the reindeer and they are a prerequisite for reindeer husbandry to be carried out. The forests constitute year-round land and calving land for the forest Sami villages. The reindeer graze in the forests during the summer and autumn season and consists of important food resources for the reindeer to recover in and build muscle and fat deposits for the coming winter. The forests are also the Sami villages' winter grazing areas, where the herders monitor and protects their reindeer from dangers such as predators, traffic and tourism. During the winter, the reindeers depend on different soil lichens. Climate change has however resulted in rain and mild weather during the winter season creating a layer of ice over the land preventing the reindeers from accessing the lichen they depend upon. Due to, among other things, the modern forestry alternative food resources such as valuable lichen in the old-growth forest is a scares resource. As a result, the Sámi people forced to feed our animals with fodder, which is expensive and not economically viable in the long term. Thus, there is a need to protect these old-growth forest as a mitigation measure to climate change in the Arctic. Research shows that soil lichens in the reindeer husbandry area have decreased by 71% since 1953 and until today (2019) due to modern forestry. Forestry needs to adapt its production goals and management strategies to the conditions and needs of reindeer husbandry. There is a need to combine science and Indigenous knowledge in management models of forestry, and also include the Sámi people in the stewardship of forestry. The new EU Forestry Strategy should explore ways and means on how to secure an inclusive stewardship of forestry in the Arctic. Introduction of alien spices such as Pinus Contorta in a fragile Arctic forestry results both in loss of biodiversity and loss of pastures for reindeers. By losing pastures much of the needed flexibility in land use by the Sámi people is lost. This also results in alternative responses to a changing climate, and ultimately results in an unsustainable reindeer husbandry. A new EU forestry Strategy must examine these unintended consequences of modern forestry and analyze the impacts on the Sámi People. The Saami Council supports a broad consultation process, but underline the need and the obligation under international law to also include the indigenous people, the Sámi people in this process. We are currently not represented in any of the expert groups or other relevant subgroups. There is a need to find a mechanism where also the Sámi people is included in the ongoing consultation process.
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Response to Farm to Fork Strategy

20 Mar 2020

The Saami Council is in support of this approach on food security, but underlines the importance of including the Sámi people in it. The Sámi people is the only indigenous people in Europe. The Sámi people depends on traditional subsistence living, such as reindeer herding, fishing, gathering berries and herbs, not only for food production, but also as the basis for our cultural and social identity. Some of the concerns facing us include the change in species and availability of traditional food resources due to climate change. Change in weather i.e. rain and mild weather during the winter seasons, often prevent reindeers from accessing lichen, which is a vital food source. Hence, a European food strategy must address how climate change impacts existing sustainable food production and what actions that is needed to mitigate these unintended results. Traditional subsistance living, such as reindeer husbandry out on the tundra or fishing in the Arctic Oceans, are the cornerstones of Sámi culture and language. Sámi traditional knowledge (TK) is stored in the language and cultural practices which is directly linked to food production. A European Commission JRC report from 2018 (attached) examines how TK can be used in the regards to adaptation strategies to climate change in the Arctic region, given the commitment to the Paris Agreement and the UN SDGs. Hence, linking protection of Sámi culture and sustainable food production results in more resilient indigenous communities. Research indicates that indingenous peoples that lose their conntection to land and traditional food suffers from greater health risks compared to majority society. Thus, food prodution and well-being must be evaluated when designing a new Farm to fork strategy. A European food strategy must reflect that food production in the Arctic has different conditions compared to the rest of Europe. Sámi food production is done by harvesting scares renewable resources direct form nature and not by traditional western farming techniques. In practice this means that Sámi people produce food under harsh condition depending much on weather conditions. Sámi people´s food production systems are therefore vulnerable to changing regulatory regimes that is not tailored for the Arctic environment. This applies for instance to what is defined as waste products which in a traditional indigenous food system is considered as high quality food. Regulations that prohibits traditional food practices must be restricted and evaluated based on Sámi people needs and what is viable in the Arctic. This includes ensuring a sustainable primary production, inter alia infrastructure investments, regulations that secures animal welfare for animals herded out on the tundra and other forms of regulations that is customized to Arctic conditions. Access to marked for Sámi products must be discussed in detail. A fair price for high quality products will benefit Sámi culture and language but also European food security. This will allow the European marked to get access to healthy food. The 2019 OECD report Linking Indigenous Sami People with Regional Development in Sweden has several actions in order to secure better access to marked for Sámi businesses. The strategy must address these issues. In order to make sure that the EU Commission has access to the relevant expertise on this field in relation to the Sámi people, we invite the EU Commission to bilateral consultations with us. Further, the Saami Council should also be represented in the suggested targeted stakeholders´ consultations. The Saami Council is a non-governmental Sámi umbrella organization established in 1956 for the Sámi people in Finland, Sweden, Russia and Norway. You can find more information at www.saamicouncil.net
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Response to Fast-track interservice consultation on the 'SEIP including a JTM and the JTF"

12 Mar 2020

A Just Transition Fund (JTF) must include the indigenous peoples. In an European context, the Sámi people is the only indigenous people. We are among the first to face the direct consequences of climate change due to our dependency upon and the close relationship with the environment and its resources. Traditional subsistance living is not only for food support but also the basis for our cultural and social identity. As JTF is one of several measures ro demonstrate ambitious climate-related activities, it lacks the evaluation and inclusion of how climate transitions affect the Sami people, including the renewable energy production which is advocated for as a climate solution. The proposal does not describe how measures are in line with indigenous peoples rights, inclusion of indigenous peoples knowledge is not mentioned or how we should be included in the decision-making process. The proposal does not neither discuss how the activities are in line with obligations under the Paris Agreement or UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which the EU has supported. In light of this, the proposal is consider not addressing the social and economic consequences of a transition for the Sami people. In conclusion, the proposal must be consulted with the Saami Council before proceeding. This includes all stages of the process, such as the programming phase, scope of the JTF, the set-up a Just transition platform etc. Please consult the attached document for more details.
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Response to EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy

20 Jan 2020

The Saami Council welcomes a strong EU commitment on safeguarding nature and biodiversity as a clean and healthy environment is a prerequisite for Sámi culture. The Arctic is one of the first areas to face climate change and its consequences. Indigenous peoples are seldom the cause of climate change yet we are the first to be impacted by climate change. Without a system that can support the Sámi people in tackling these challenges the culture is under serious threat. It is therefore of vital important that a renewed EU 2030 biodiversity reflects Sámi people rights to nature and culture. This will be line with the EU support of the adoption of UN Declaration of the Indigenous Peoples Rights (UNDRIP) and the EU Arctic strategy adopted in June 2016. Further, a EU 2030 biodiversity strategy must also ensure recognition of Indigenous Knowledge and promote its use throughout the implementation the post-2020 biodiversity framework. By empowering indigenous knowledge holders as equal partners in securing biodiversity, local solutions are to easier identify. In order to enable the implementation of the strategy adequate financial resources must be secured for indigenous peoples, including the Sámi people of the EU.
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