Will landowners and the municipality gain influence over exploration permits?
New Official Report on the Mineral Act with amendments for exploration permits and operational plans.
On November 9, 2012, a new official report (SOU 2012-73) covering a number of issues contained in the Mineral Act was submitted to the Minister for Enterprise, Energy, Communication and Regional Affairs, Annie Lööf. The report aims to promote a sustainable development of Sweden’s mineral industry. It focuses on the importance of improving communication between exploration companies, landowners/right holders and other interested parties, such as municipalities, in connection with exploration permits. This may lead to the applications for exploration permits being obliged to inform affected members of the public on all proposed work, during the application process, and property owners / right-holders and municipalities may also obtain the right to comment on all applications for exploration permits. If the proposal is accepted, the municipalities will, for example, be able to prevent prospectors from performing exploration work in areas where the work will be in conflict with existing plans or the public interest.
The report also reviews how the rules for plans of operation have functioned since their introduction in 2005, and how the rules’ objectives can be improved. Furthermore, the report states that the rules regulating what should be included in the application for exploration permits will be modified in order to include any information that is relevant to the application process.
The Minister for Enterprise, Energy Communication and Regional Affairs, Annie Lööf, will now examine the report and submit it to the relevant bodies for consideration, before it is handed over to the Ministry of Industry for further examination. The work continues in respect of the improvement of the Mineral Act’s provisions for exploration permits and working plans.
Want to know more about the Mineral Act? Please contact our mining group at Foyen.
