Stefan L?fven (S) gave a clear message during his visit to Arvidsjaur. He and his party want to open more mines in Sweden.

Stefan L?fven (S) gave a clear message during his visit to Arvidsjaur.?He and his party want to open more mines in Sweden.

SOURCE: https://nsd.se/artikel/lofven-klargor-s-linjen--fler-gruvor-ska-oppnas/jv9v4d7l

L?fven clarifies the S-line ? More mines will be opened

Stefan L?fven was very clear during his visit to Arvidsjaur.

SWEDEN??24 SEPTEMBER 2021 11:59

On Friday, Prime Minister?Stefan L?fven?(S) will participate when the Army's hunting battalion in Arvidsjaur is re-established as Norrland's dragon regiment - a major event for a small northern inland municipality.?200 defense employees and 140 conscripts mean a lot to the labor market and the local business community in a municipality with only 6,100 inhabitants.

In connection with the visit, I also had a chat with L?fven about mining and business policy.?The S-leader was benevolently clear.?

"Sweden needs more mines to cope with climate change," says L?fven.?"Employment and business policy need to be intertwined with the climate issue."

He points out that there is a rapidly growing need for, among other things, cobalt (a metal found in the batteries that power mobile phones, computers and electric cars).?Volvo Cars and other vehicle manufacturers will need cobalt when building electric cars.

"Today, that market is completely dominated by China and the Congo. But Sweden also has large assets," states L?fven.?

Today, however, there is no extraction at all in Sweden, despite the fact that?cobalt has been found in several places in the country?- including in the Kleva mine, Venaf?ltet (Bergslagen), Kiskamavaara (Kiruna) and around Lainjaur (Skelleftef?ltet).

Therefore, Sweden has all the prerequisites to reduce its dependence on imported cobalt, which would be good for many reasons.?

Reasonably, it is to the benefit of both jobs, the trade balance, the climate and human rights in the world if Sweden uses its own assets instead of importing from a country like?Congo, where there is child labor?.

It is important to note that L?fven's message also has the full support of all members of the Social Democrats' party board.?

"It is the party board's joint proposal for the congress 3-7 November," says L?fven.?

The Social Democratic mining policy will thus not be affected by the forthcoming change of party leader.?Although?Magdalena Andersson?,?Mikael Damberg?,?Ardalan Shekarabi?,?Lena Hallengren?and other S-heavyweights stand behind the decision.

The?employment policy guidelines?clearly state that the party board wants new mines to be opened "to ensure access to necessary and innovation-critical metals and minerals" and that permit processes "be made more efficient for both existing and new activities".

Guess what, that sounds like sweet music to the trade association Svemin, LKAB, Boliden, Kaunis Iron and other parts of the mining and minerals industry.?But the environmental movement should also give a thumbs up.

In addition to electric vehicles, there are a lot of other climate-friendly things (investments in wind turbines, railway construction, solar parks and more) that need metals and minerals - and consequently mines.

Sweden also has all the prerequisites to take the lead.?For a long time, the country has been a leading mining nation.?For example, the state mining giant LKAB mines 80 percent of the iron ore in the EU, which makes the company Europe's largest iron ore producer.?

This means that there is know-how and traditions when it comes to mining in Sweden - plus a growing insight among the mining companies that the importance of the business is conducted in climate-friendly forms.?In fact,?the first fossil-free iron ore pellets?have already been produced in Malmberget and?more are underway?.?Swedish mining companies have a completely different environmental thinking than the competitors in the world.

In short: There is every reason to develop Sweden as a mining nation.?L?fven and the Social Democratic party board are on the right track.

A government inquiry is currently working to?obtain a permit for faster and more efficient environmental assessments?.?Hopefully, the message from the S management means that this work can now be accelerated and that everyone involved avoids the time- and resource-consuming hassle that has characterized the permit processes for too long.?