Norrbotten – more than a few days can show
The European Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) undertook a four-day trip through Norrbotten in September. Our county is currently playing a central role in Europe's green and digital transition. The members travelled from Luleå and Boden, via Jokkmokk to Gällivare and Kiruna, and saw how innovation, natural resources and culture are intertwined in the Arctic heart of Europe.
– The EU plays a crucial role in ensuring that we in Norrbotten can develop and contribute to the green transition. Our special conditions require strategic investments, and therefore it is valuable to meet the committee and highlight both our challenges and opportunities, says Anders Öberg (S), chairman of the regional board in Region Norrbotten, about the visit.
Engine for Europe's industrial future
The trip began in Luleå where participants visited HYBRIT, Europe’s first pilot plant for fossil-free steel, and Talga, which develops sustainable graphite for batteries. Both projects show how northern Sweden can become a driver for Europe’s industrial future. In Boden, the program continued with Stegra, a facility where large-scale hydrogen production and fossil-free steel are tested under Arctic conditions.
ITRE members gained insight into how fossil-free steel production will work, here at the Stegra factory construction site. Photo: Mimmi Rönnqvist
The bus then took the group through Jokkmokk, where the importance of rivers for industry became apparent. For more than a hundred years, hydropower has provided railways, mines and industries with fossil-free electricity. Even today, rivers are the foundation of Europe's industrial development, but the pressure on the energy system is increasing in line with the major investments that are now being made.
The impact of the transition on society as a whole
In Gällivare, the committee met with the municipal leadership, who described how the transition affects the entire society. When industries grow rapidly, there are also demands for more housing, new schools, access to healthcare and culture. Here, as in several other places in the region, the issue of land use also becomes clear. The growing industry, the need for housing and the expansion of infrastructure often take place on land that is also used for reindeer herding. This creates tensions but also a need for dialogue and solutions that can unite different interests.
Jon Åström Gröndahl, Municipal Director, and Alexander Kult, Special Coordinator at Gällivare Municipality, spoke about the municipality's challenges in the wake of social transformation. Photo: Mimmi Rönnqvist
“Pioneering technology”
The visit ended in Kiruna, a place where Europe's future is taking shape. At Esrange, the reusable rocket Themis was presented, which is an important step towards independent European space capabilities. It impressed MEP Christophe Grudler, France.
"THEMIS is a concrete example of what only the EU can achieve: a groundbreaking technology, funded by the EU, tested in several Member States and designed to guarantee our space autonomy. But to be able to complete the project, we need a European budget that is fit for the task. I am determined to defend an ambitious space budget in the European Parliament in the coming months. Europe's space sovereignty will depend on projects like THEMIS," Grudler (Renew Group) wrote on social media after the visit.
Christophe Grudler, France (center), was very interested in the reusable rocket Themis. Photo: Swedish Space Corporation.
In LKAB's mine in Kiruna, the committee followed the production of iron ore, which has been a cornerstone of Swedish and European industry for generations. But the municipalities and local people in the Ore Fields are under severe pressure in the wake of the mines' expansion. Other municipalities in Norrbotten are struggling to balance different interests and try to make the resources sufficient.
“Carry a heavy responsibility”
Member of Parliament Sofie Eriksson (S) participated in the trip and then emphasized the need for the EU to provide funds to support social transformation in Norrbotten.
"It is important that my colleagues, from different countries and party groups, see this in person. Not just read about it in paper. In Norrbotten, hope is sprouting, but the frustration is just as palpable. Here, one bears a heavy responsibility without always feeling the support that should come from the national and European level. It is time to realize that the transition cannot rest on the shoulders of the local population alone; the risks and opportunities must be shared. When nature, reindeer husbandry, energy, welfare and skills supply all demand their place, then it becomes clear: industrial policy and regional policy cannot go their separate ways, they must stick together," she wrote on social media.
During the visit to LKAB's mine in Kiruna, the members gained insight into the company's expansion plans and opportunities, but also its impact on the city. Sofie Eriksson is fourth from the left. Photo: Mimmi Rönnqvist.
For Region Norrbotten, the EU is a crucial partner. European support has enabled technological development, education and community planning in step with the major investments. At the same time, the future is uncertain. The proposal for a new long-term budget, which entails a greatly reduced regional influence, risks hitting hard on areas that are already carrying a large part of the European transition on their shoulders. In order for Europe's most remote regions to continue to contribute, more cooperation and joint investments are required – not less.
The visit provided valuable insight, but only a glimpse of everything that makes Norrbotten a strategically important and vibrant part of Europe. The culture, tourism, nature and people hold stories that extend far beyond industry and major investments.
Text: Mimmi Ronnqvist