För lite, för sent – konsultationslagens bidrag till samiskt inflytande, 2022–2024

The report finds that while the 2022 consultation law has enabled some marginal influence, it often fails to provide meaningful impact on central issues. Major deficiencies include late involvement of Sámi representatives, inadequate timeframes, and a tendency for authorities to delegate responsibility to third-party applicants. The study highlights a significant 'educational burden' placed on Sámi parties to explain the law to officials and notes that many critical land-use matters remain exempt from the law's scope.

• Authorities frequently involve Sámi representatives too late in decision-making or legislative processes, which limits their ability to exert meaningful influence. In some cases, government assignments are formulated without any Sámi input, leading to situations where representatives are asked to respond to "finished proposals" rather than collaborating on the initial design.
• There is widespread confusion among authorities regarding the distinction between 'consultation' and 'samråd' (general consultation/collaboration). Some agencies treat the two as synonyms or use the same processes for both, failing to recognize that the consultation law imposes deeper obligations to promote Sámi influence.
• In cases involving a third-party applicant (such as a company seeking a permit), authorities often take a passive role and delegate the process to the applicant. This creates a power imbalance and frustration, as the state is supposed to be the responsible party for ensuring the consultation is conducted in good faith.
• The implementation of the law has placed a disproportionate 'educational burden' on Sámi representatives, who often find themselves explaining the legal requirements and terminology of the Act to the government officials they are consulting with.
• Consultations often result in 'consultation fatigue' for Sámi parties, particularly for 'samebyar' (Sámi villages). The increased workload and time pressure—often exacerbated by the green transition—are rarely offset by a corresponding increase in actual influence over outcomes.
• Sámi influence is generally limited to marginal adjustments, such as changes in terminology, background descriptions in reports, or minor damage-mitigation conditions in land-use permits, rather than influencing the core decision of whether a project should proceed.
• Documentation of consultation outcomes is frequently deficient or non-existent. In 22% of the analyzed individual cases, documentation of the outcome was completely missing, which hinders transparency, accountability, and institutional learning.
• The Government Offices (Regeringskansliet) are specifically criticized for poor consultation practices, including a lack of routines, late invitations, and inadequate documentation of outcomes.
• The law's effectiveness is undermined by significant exemptions; many critical issues regarding land, water, and resource management—such as those handled by land and environment courts—fall outside the consultation obligation.

APA

Westeson, J., Larsen, R. K., & Holm, D. A. (2026). För lite, för sent – konsultationslagens bidrag till samiskt inflytande, 2022–2024. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/westeson-konsultations-bidrag-samiskt-inflytande-sei2026-017.pdf

Chicago

Westeson, Johanna, Rasmus Kløcker Larsen, and Daniel Arancibia Holm. För lite, för sent – konsultationslagens bidrag till samiskt inflytande, 2022–2024. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2026. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/westeson-konsultations-bidrag-samiskt-inflytande-sei2026-017.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Westeson |first1=Johanna |last2=Larsen |first2=Rasmus Kløcker |last3=Holm |first3=Daniel Arancibia |title=För lite, för sent – konsultationslagens bidrag till samiskt inflytande, 2022–2024 |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=June 2026 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/westeson-konsultations-bidrag-samiskt-inflytande-sei2026-017.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{westeson2026lite, author = {Westeson, Johanna and Larsen, Rasmus Kløcker and Holm, Daniel Arancibia}, title = {{För lite, för sent – konsultationslagens bidrag till samiskt inflytande, 2022–2024}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2026}, month = jun, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/westeson-konsultations-bidrag-samiskt-inflytande-sei2026-017.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }