“The main message of today's discussions is that there is a high demand for concrete EU actions in the Arctic”, Finnish Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, summed up, on Monday 14 September, after the European Arctic Summit, held in Rovaniemi in the presence of several EU heads of state or government.
The summit marks a doctrinal shift. The region, which includes three EU Member States - Denmark, Finland and Sweden - is no longer seen as a peripheral area. In a joint statement, the leaders state that “European Arctic areas are an integral part of the European Union”. “What happens here is not a regional matter, but a European one”, stressed European Council President, António Costa.
This shift is explained above all by the deterioration of the security context in this region, home to 500,000 EU citizens and now an area of confrontation. Russia is among the main threats identified. Its ambitions “to increase its influence in the Arctic, combined with its hostility towards Europe, including the increase in hybrid activities highlight the need to strengthen the EU’s Arctic policy”, the signatories stress.
Strategically, the European leaders are calling for increased investment in military mobility, “cross-border connectivity and the necessary infrastructure” in the Union’s northernmost regions.
To strengthen European capabilities, “the development of dual use infrastructure and the protection of critical infrastructures at land and at sea should be important cross-cutting priorities in the Arctic regions”, the signatories argue. They also want to strengthen cooperation with NATO defence arrangements. The possibility of jointly acquiring European icebreaker capabilities was also mentioned.
Beyond the security dimension, the Arctic “has much to offer in terms of sustainable growth”, Petteri Orpo stressed. The EU and its Member States therefore intend to “promote and pursue the economic opportunities”. The sectors mentioned include critical raw materials, Arctic and intercontinental maritime transport, connectivity and space technologies.
Attention is now turning to the overhaul of the European Commission’s Arctic policy (see EUROPE 13928/13), expected in the coming weeks.
See the declaration : https://aeur.eu/f/nfh (Original version in French by Louis Dubar)