Workshop 3:

Contents

    Ulla Lehtinen: "Indigenous peoples and oil" events in Finland 1999 
    Olli Tammilehto: A civilised world or a bloodsucker of the earth? 
    Background information on oil 
    Russia's oil production 
    Florian Stammler: Where does our oil come from? 
    Yeremei Aipin: Russia's oil industry and the development of rights of indigenous people 
    Agrafena Sopochina: "We Live on what the earth carries on itself" 
    Yuri Vella: Kogalym-Lor - the lake where a man died 
    Bruce Forbes: Industrial development in the Yamal-Nenets Area 
    Lidia Okotetto: I no longer understand the tundra that has loved me 
    Grigorii Anagurichi: A clash of civilisations at the ends of the world 
    Charity Nenebari Ebeh: The Ogoni experience 
    Magda Lanuza: Oil production in Central America 
    Ecuador and oil 
    Arturo Yumbai Iligama: The war against the poor 
    Colombia, the U'wa and oil 
    Roberto Afanador Cobaria: Oil is blood of the earth 
    Workshop 1: The strategies of oil industry and the responses of indigenous peoples' movements
    Workshop 2: Networking of indigenous peoples threatened by oil and gas exploration 
    Workshop 3: Northern Dimension
    Communique of the participants in the seminar "Indigenous Peoples and Oil" 
    Internet links

Northern Dimension 

The workshop on the Northern Dimension of the European Union began with a brief presentation of this latest foreign policy initiative of the EU. The introduction was followed by a discussion on what implications this increased interest of the EU in the northern region is likely to have on the environment as well as on the indigenous peoples living in the area. 

Finland launched the concept of the Northern Dimension of the EU, and its idea was to help formulate a coherent policy towards the north-western territories of Russia and the Baltic region. It is not a new programme per se, that means it is neither a set of concrete action plans nor does it promise any additional funding. According to the official guidelines, the aim of this Northern Dimension is to:

• increase peace and stability, 

• increase trade and commerce,

• improve the transport and communications infrastructure,

• combat crime,

• help to establish civil societies,

• and combat environmental problems, especially relating to the nuclear industry of the region.

However, the major economic motive behind the development of the Northern Dimension lies in the hydrocarbon reserves of the Kara and Barents Seas as well as those of the Komi Republic and Yamal-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi areas of Russia. These hydrocarbon reserves lie in ecologically very sensitive areas which are also the traditional lands of indigenous peoples, such as the Nenets, Khanty and Mansi, and are envisioned by the EU as forming the future energy sources of the Union.

This highlights the basic contradiction inherent in the concept. On the one hand, it aims at helping to establish a civil society, to improve human rights, the position of the indigenous peoples in the area and to protect the environment of the region. But on the other hand, the main thrust is economic benefit that can be derived from the region. The increased use of the natural resources in the area, especially of oil and gas, but also of timber, fish and minerals, will inevitably worsen the situation of those indigenous peoples struggling to maintain their traditional culture. It will also lead to a further deterioration of the environment. Judging by past experiences with multinational corporations and the large Russian companies involved in the petroleum, mining and timber industries, it will probably not lead to a significant improvement in the human rights and social situation.

It was this contradiction which formed the nucleus of the discussion in the working group. Finnish contributors emphasised their concern that the EU has traditionally stressed economic issues at the expense of environmental and social issues, and the Northern Dimension does not offer a significant shift away from this policy. A lack of openness was also lamented, for instance on the fact that there has been practically no public debate whatsoever on the Northern Dimension in Finland, even though it is Finland's highest profile foreign policy undertaking in years. The wish was expressed that Finland would use its presidency of the EU to increase openness and democracy within the Union's decision-making process. 

The speakers from Siberia expressed their concern that ideas often devised elsewhere were good in theory, but tend to have negative consequences at the local level when they are implemented. As one of the speakers put it, the effect was often that of a well-meaning elephant bungling in a porcelain shop, or with another metaphor, that free cheese was only available in the mouse-trap, i.e. that investors coming to their area always had their own economic benefits in mind. The idea of creating a true civil society was lauded, but this could not be established from one day to the next by a presidential or an EU decree. One way of working towards this goal is to provide practical grass-roots support to the local cultures. Another proposal that was brought up was the idea of organising a meeting on local democracy and on organic farming.