The government has decided on changes to the regulation on national minorities and minority languages. The changes mean that the levels of the state subsidy are lowered and Sami administrative municipalities are among those affected.
– In Arvidsjaur municipality and in many other municipalities, it will mean fewer Sami businesses, says Mariann Lörstrand Blind, Sami coordinator, Arvidsjaur municipality.
The basic amount for the state grant to municipalities that are part of an administrative area has been reduced from SEK 660,000 to SEK 565,000. The state grant to a region is reduced from SEK 250,000 to SEK 215,000 and the special grant that goes to a municipality that is part of two or three administrative areas is reduced from SEK 500,000 to SEK 450,000.
“Worried about the future”
Umeå municipality is an administrative municipality for Sami, Finnish and Meänkieli people. In the Sami administration, the money has been used, among other things, in care for the elderly, preschool activities and various educations.
– You get worried that this is a development that will now continue, that it will only decrease and decrease. Then we are in a pinch, then there are no activities for our national minorities, says Klara Lundgren, minority coordinator at Umeå Municipality.
“More investment is needed”
The reduction is due to redistribution of funds within the framework of the policy for the national minorities. The funds will instead be distributed to the language center at the Sami Parliament and to the language center for Finnish, Yiddish, Meänkieli and Romani Chib at the Institute for Language and Folklore in order to continue the activities that have been built up.
– One would have wished that they had invested and prioritized us. To give increased contributions to both the Sami Parliament and the language center but also to see that it is connected. That the activities outside the municipalities are needed and also to invest more in the Sami Parliament and the language centre.
The state grant to organizations representing national minorities is also being reduced. Funds will be halved from SEK 13.3 million to SEK 6.676 million.