Responsible mining and profits to finland

The committee of the Lapland district of the Communist Party of Finland and the local Party organization in Sodankylä had a common meeting in Sodankylä on the 14th of November in 2014. We discussed among other topics the effects of mining on the basis of the experiences of the Talvivaara mine and the Pahtavaara and Kevitsa mines in Sodankylä.

In the discussions we noted that the mines can provide employment, which is important in Lapland with a high rate of unemployment. In addition the Finnish state could acquire significant income from the mining companies.

At present the foreign mining companies get the Finnish ores almost free of charge. They also avoid the paying of taxes with different arrangements. In addition the big problems in Talvivaara and smaller problems in the Lapland mines give evidence to the fact that the mining companies try to avoid expenses for the protection of the environment and that the authorities can not or dare not require from the mining companies that they do not pollute the environment.

We demand that:

1. a strong mining company owned by the government must be established in Finland
2. the authorities must control the activities of the mining companies so closely that there will be no harm to the environment
3. the mining companies must pay taxes according to the profits and in addition on the basis of the amount of the extracted mass of rock and soil
4. the mining companies shall be responsible for the environment and employment also after the closing of the mine. The environment must be restored to as near the original state as possible and other employment opportunities must be available for the workers after the closing of the mine.

The Lapland district of the Communist Party