The training session and webinar in Sodankylä explored critical minerals in the sustainability transition – watch the recording!

Akordi’s three-day training course Strategic stakeholder engagement in mining projects – critical minerals was held this week at Kommatin maja in Sodankylä on November 5–7, 2025.

The training was attended by a diverse group of professionals from the municipality of Sodankylä, the Regional Council of Lapland, Lapland Arctic Environmental Protection, and environmental and sustainability experts from several mining companies. This was the eighth and final course in Akordi’s Strategic Stakeholder Engagement in Clean Transition Projects training program.

The thematic expert lectures were opened to all interested parties in an open webinar Critical minerals in transition: What does the EU’s new raw materials policy mean for Finland and mining communities? The event consisted of two lectures and a discussion based on them:

Seita Vesa: Critical raw materials in the sustainability transition & a multi-level regulatory framework

Seita Vesa is a professor of environmental law at the University of Eastern Finland’s Faculty of Law and at the Center for Climate, Energy and Environmental Law (CCEEL). Seita Vesa is also a research professor (climate solutions) at the Finnish Environment Institute.

In her lecture, Seita Vesa examined the importance of critical raw materials in the sustainability transition and the multi-level regulatory framework for their management at the global, EU, national, and regional levels. The presentation focused in particular on the EU Regulation on critical minerals, which is directly applicable legislation in the Member States.

Juha Kotilainen: Collaborative approaches to mining management – Principles and examples from around the world

Juha M. Kotilainen is a specialist at Akordi and a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Environmental Mining Studies (CEMMS) at the University of Eastern Finland.

The lecture examined new and emerging approaches to collaborative mining management. These approaches are both timely and interesting, as they recognize the interdependence of actors and the growing need for joint problem-solving and implementation. Collaborative tools are particularly needed in situations where mistrust and uncertainty challenge cooperation. See Juha’s slideshow here (in Finnish).

Watch the webinar recording (in Finnish):

 

 

Thank you to everyone who participated in the training and webinar!