Press release – Radio Nordcap

Vest-Finmark The Council, represented by our seven member mayors Alta, Hammerfest, Hasvik, Loba, Moussaoui, Nordkapp and Porsanger, has adopted in Case 6/22 a unanimous statement regarding our potential for self-governance over the municipal areas in connection with present and future community and business development. The statement is attached to this email as a pdf and word file. You are also free to link to an article on our site: https://vfrr.no/det-ma-vaere-rom-for-alle-i-finnmark/

We are under ever-increasing pressure on the areas in our municipalities, both on land and at sea. The protection, restriction and consideration of existing industries, nature, climate, cultures and the rights of indigenous peoples must be accompanied by plans to increase commercial activity and develop critical infrastructure. This is to ensure further development, increased value creation, increased stability, and stricter preparedness requirements for Western Finnmark residents. Our municipalities bear their share of the responsibility to ensure the achievement of national goals in various fields. And all this must and must take place in light of the “green transition”.

Current development challenges municipal land management in these areas, but somewhat differently;

1. When it comes to protecting and limiting municipal areas, municipalities have a constructive dialogue with the relevant sectors, directorates and ministries. Here, our municipalities are also experiencing to be heard, recently in the case of the scope of the area for the marine protection of the Flea Sea.
   
2. When it comes to putting in place procedures and infrastructure that require areas in our member municipalities, where municipalities have the responsibility to make decisions, we face the challenges somewhat differently. Most often, it is the challenges associated with the practice of reindeer husbandry and other activities associated with this industry that hinder the need to establish new industries and infrastructure. Municipalities are experiencing good dialogue with most reindeer herding areas at the local level, but unfortunately, it has recently emerged that there is no room for dialogue about possible solutions with Sami bodies and organizations at the regional and national levels.

With clear statements from ia the Sami Parliament and the NRL (the National Sami Norwegian Reindeer Breeding Association) said that “no area can be set aside as a result of the overall burden on the reindeer husbandry industry”, and when the NRL is in its written input to the state in connection with negotiations on a breeding agreement Reindeer 2022-2023 writes that “The NRL wants to emphasize that reindeer husbandry should not only have access to areas, but the right to use and decide on traditional grazing areas.”There is no longer room for dialogue and discussions to contribute to finding good solutions together.

Vest-Finmark, the Council addressed our statement to Minister for Local Government and County Bjorn Björn Arild Gram, Minister for Trade and Industry Jan Christian Vestre, Minister for Agriculture and Food Sandra Borsch, and Minister for Climate and Environment Espen Barth Eide, as we requested further dialogue with various ministries, directorates and sectoral authorities.