The EU wants to simplify the process of opening new mines, as part of the green transition. MP was the only party to vote no to the proposal.
Bah Kuhnke explains the decision by saying that the proposal did not take sufficient account of the Sami, other indigenous peoples and local residents, who are affected in the hunt for important metals and minerals.
– We wanted the Sami and local people to be listened to in these application processes, but when that fell through in the negotiations, we voted no.
The changeover requires mines
However, the green transition will require mines, according to Bah Kuhnke. But the transition cannot be considered green if it violates the rights of the Sami or any other indigenous people, she points out.
– The problem now is that you enter the process incorrectly.
An important part of the transition policy is, according to Bah Kuhnke, that the people who do not have alternatives to petrol and diesel cars should not be hit the hardest when fossil alternatives are to be phased out.
– This is what we usually call climate justice, those who emit and those who destroy – those who have to pay. The others should get the chance to be part of the changeover.
Marmorstein: Clear about costs
SVT’s domestic policy commentator Elisabeth Marmorstein states that Bah Kuhnke was clear during the hearing that the changeover will have to cost.
– At least for motorists in the big cities, who have other options than the car, while the people in the countryside who are dependent on the car should receive support, she says in Aktuellt.
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Several green parties appear to be backing down in the upcoming EU elections. Photo: SVT