Externe Publikationen

Under negotiation: examining the development of Sámi-EU Arctic relations through the lens of norms and political legitimacy

Laframboise, Luke / Jacqueline Wingens / Anja Márjá N. Keskitalo
Externe Publikationen (2026)

in: International Journal on Minorty and Group Rights, first published 03.06.2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/15718115-bja10289
Open access

Since 1993, the Sámi have been the only recognized Indigenous people within the European Union. However, their official engagement with European politics has been limited. This has recently begun to change, as the EU’s ongoing Arctic pivot has drawn Sámi political actors to Brussels. Using the English School approach, this case study traces the evolution of Sámi–EU relations from the early 1990s to the present to explore and analysis the mechanisms of engagement the Sámi have used to gain access to high-level European decision-making and what the EU itself should hope to gain through stronger ties with this Indigenous people. The analysis of these events reveals a growing political relationship between the Sámi and the EU. However, shifting political conditions and the absence of a formal European-level framework for Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, constrain the potential for more equitable relations both within the European sphere and Arctic.