Europe wants Sweden’s minerals. That’s more bad news for the Sami
Weak legal protections are pushing reindeer-herders to the brink
A CENTURY ago Swedes labelled Kiruna, a town in the north, “the land of the future”. Rich in iron ore, it became the backbone of Swedish industry. Its mine grew so vast that the ground beneath it collapsed, forcing much of the town to relocate. History is now repeating itself. A newly discovered deposit of rare-earth metals—the largest in Europe—has placed the town at the heart of Europe’s green transition. The mine will be a key part of the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act, which aims to source 10% of the bloc’s essential minerals domestically.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Reindeer v rare earths”
Europe’s reluctant reset with Turkey
President Erdogan’s top challenger is behind bars. Europe has bigger fish to fry
Why Italy’s defence spending lags far behind
Despite Giorgia Meloni’s vocal criticism of Putin’s war
France is a far healthier country than America
Yet even its medical care is under strain
America is selling a Ukraine peace plan. No one is buying, yet
If they can’t seal the deal, Donald Trump’s team may walk away
The Kremlin’s grey-zone war in the Black Sea shows its real intent
Ceasefires are predictably elusive
The threat to free speech in Germany
One of the freest countries in the world takes a hammer to its own reputation