Sami Consultation Law

On January 26, 2022, Sweden's parliament passed the "Sami Consultation Law" (Lag om konsultation i frågor som rör det samiska folket), requiring consultations with the Sami Parliament or other Sami representatives on issues significant to the Sami people. This law mandates that consultations be carried out in good faith, although it doesn't give Sami representatives veto power. Consultations are not needed in certain circumstances, including urgent cases, if Sami representatives forgo consultation, and in areas like national defence and individual state funding cases. Notably, the consultation duty doesn't apply to compensation issues governed by the Expropriation Act (SFS 1972:719) or the Property Development Act (SFS 1970:988).
Amendment SFS 2022:69, effective from March 1, 2024, will further modify the law. It exempts tort claims against regions and municipalities and specifies that the duty to consult under the Planning and Buildings Act (SFS 2010:900) applies only to specific planning and zoning issues.

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