Ensuring the sustainable development of the Arctic, so vulnerable to climate change, and making sure that this coveted strategic region remains a low-tension zone are two necessities close to the hearts of the members of the European Parliament’s environment committee and of their colleagues in the foreign affairs committee.
It is to achieve these necessities that they began to refine the EU’s integrated strategy for the Arctic, presented by the Commission and the European External Action Service in April of this year (see EUROPE 11541 and 11576) at a joint meeting of the two committees in Brussels on Monday 7 November, the day on which the COP 22 climate conference opened in Marrakesh.
The Arctic, the most vivid example of the impact of climate change, is also a region where numerous strategic interests collide, interests that have to be reconciled with the imperatives of environmental protection and preservation of peace and security, MEPs underlined. They virtually all felt that the strategy proposed provided a sound working basis for the EU Arctic dimension and welcomed the emphasis placed on the financing of EU research programmes in the Arctic.
Under discussion was the draft report by Urmas Paet (ALDE, Estonia), joint rapporteur for the foreign affairs committee, and Sirpa Pietikäinen (EPP, Finland), joint rapporteur for the environment committee on the strategy.
The ideas of Pietikaïnen (in Finland for family reasons) were delivered by Peter Liese (EPP, Germany). According to the draft report, which places great emphasis on the environment and climate, the EU’s interest in the Artic must be strengthened while bearing in mind that the security issues in the region have an impact on the EU.
The environmental challenges must remain at the heart of EU policy in this region which has witnessed far more rapid changes than elsewhere, such as the melting of the ice cap, the rise in sea level, and new weather events. The response to these challenges cannot come just from the countries of the Arctic area; other key players have an important role to play since pollution comers from Asia, North America and Europe.
Because it is particularly vulnerable, the environment of the Arctic demands greater attention. The region’s sustainable development is the only path to be followed and the universal sustainable development goals provide an appropriate framework to prevent the Arctic environment from suffering too much from climate change.
In-depth environmental impact studies could bring about a more responsible attitude to exploiting the Arctic’s resources, argues Pietikaïnen – an idea that does not find great favour with the S&D, which is keener on codes of good practice to avoid “paternalism” towards third countries, or the European Commission, which feels that this would be unnecessary in light of what already exists.
The joint rapporteur advocates banning the use of heavy fuels, as is already the case in the Antarctic, to protect local people from discharges and black carbon. The Greens/EFA want to go further, arguing for a moratorium on all hydrocarbon resource activities in the Arctic areas.
The draft report also calls for the current level of financing of research projects to be maintained and for an Arctic research centre to be set up, allowing greater coordination.
Given the Arctic’s increasing geopolitical importance, the effects of climate change and competition among the various players for access to the resources, Paet highlighted how important it was to avoid militarisation of the region. The draft report merely raises the issues of security as they are addressed in the overall EU strategy too. The joint rapporteur also underlined the need for a more coherent policy, at both the internal and external levels, since all European countries have their own strategies for the Arctic. The EU can prevent problems in terms of security, he stated, underlining that civil mechanisms should be developed to address crises and rescue capabilities strengthened. The ENF is the only group to have questioned the usefulness of an EU strategy for the Arctic, fearing that the goal was to stoke tension with Russia.
A deadline of Thursday 10 November was set for putting down amendments, for examination on 12 January. The joint vote of the foreign affairs and environment committees is scheduled for 31 January 2017. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)