The Law Library of Congress (Washington, DC, USA) presents Digging In: Regulation of Mineral Excavation and Local Self-Determination in the Nordics, a session in its Foreign and Comparative Law Webinar Series. The series is designed to shed light on some of the foreign and comparative law issues currently being researched by the foreign law and international law experts at the Law Library of Congress.

Theme and speaker

The Nordic countries hold significant deposits of rare earth minerals. In this session, foreign law specialist Elin Hofverberg will discuss how mineral excavation is regulated in the Nordics and how it relates to local self-determination.

A comparison of legislation and regulatory approaches across the Nordic region.
Relevant court decisions, including on the right of the local population and indigenous people to be consulted on, or to veto, the establishment and expansion of mines.

Date, time and mode

Thursday, 29 October 2026, 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM US Eastern Time (11:30 PM IST on 29 October to 12:30 AM IST on 30 October). The webinar is held online on Zoom for Government.

Who can attend

The registration form is open to the public and accepts registrants from any country, so law students, researchers and practitioners in India can register. It is of particular interest to those working on comparative law, natural resources and mining law, environmental law and indigenous rights.

Fee and certificate

Registration is free. The Law Library issues a certificate of completion only to those who attend all the sessions in its 2026 Comparative and Foreign Law Webinars course; a single session does not carry a certificate.

How to register

Register on the official Zoom for Government form with your first name, last name and email address. The form also offers optional email alerts about Law Library news and publications. Registration remains open until the webinar begins on 29 October 2026.