Brussels, 20/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - Launching the debate and a broad consultation exercise to prepare for a true EU arctic policy is the aim of a communication on “The European Union and the Arctic Union” adopted by the European Commission on Thursday 20 November 2008, following an initiative by EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg. The EU has three Arctic member states - Denmark (Greenland), Finland and Sweden - and therefore has a clear interest in taking a deeper interest in this “unique and vulnerable region” that is being seriously affected by global warming (the ambient temperature is rising twice as fast as in the rest of the world). The melting of the icecaps and the direct impact of this on the environment, maritime transport (opening new shipping routes) and access to fisheries and energy resources (25% of the world's oil and gas supplies are believed to be located in the Arctic region) will have “significant repercussions on the lives of Europeans for generations to come,” explained Ferrero-Waldner at a press conference. The alarming changes in the Arctic's climate are a massive problem but also offer opportunities that the EU has to seize, she explained. The EU has to take account of the real situation, in other words shipping, fisheries and drilling for oil and gas in the region, all of which have snowballed recently. Rather than calling for an embargo or a ban on any new industrial activity in the Arctic, the EU should try to ensure the inevitable new industries are subject to strict environmental criteria to ensure they are sustainable, argues the Commission. Unlike the European Parliament, the Commission is not calling for a new international treaty on the Arctic. Instead, it says the existing international rules (like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) can be adjusted to match the new situation in the Arctic. The Commission is also counting on the Arctic Council (which it would like to join as an observer) and “peaceful dialogue” among countries in the Arctic to solve problems arising from new developments in the region.
The communication sets out three main objectives for the EU's future Arctic policy:
1) Protecting and preserving the Arctic in agreement with its population. The Commission suggests action at three levels: a) protecting the environment and tackling climate change. The EU should promote high ecological standards and action to stave off maritime accidents. It should also pursue its leading role in tackling climate change and work to ensure ambitious commitments are made at the Copenhagen conference in 2009; b) aid for indigenous peoples. A third of the Arctic's 4 million inhabitants are indigenous peoples, who have to be consulted through regular dialogue to protect their lifestyles as far as possible, including whale and seal hunting under certain conditions; and c) scientific research. The Arctic must remain an EU research priority particularly into the impact of climate change.
2) Promoting sustainable use of resources. Three areas are mentioned in the communication: a) fossil fuels. The EU should enter long-term cooperation with Arctic states like Norway and Russia to facilitate drilling, exploring and the transport of oil and gas from the Arctic in a “sustainable and environmentally-friendly manner”. Binding ecological criteria should be introduced in the form of Arctic Council guidelines and other international conventions; b) fishing. The melting of the icecaps is opening up more regions for fishing and some of these new regions are not yet covered by any international fisheries management and conservation systems. The aim should be to introduce international legislation for these areas to ensure sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources and respect for coastal communities. The priority should be extending the mandate of the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) rather than setting up new bodies. The Commission says fishing should be banned until a new system is in place in areas not yet covered by international frameworks; c) shipping. It is in the EU's interest to explore new merchant shipping routes in the Arctic as long as they meet high environmental and safety standards. The EU should therefore defend the principle of freedom of navigation on new routes in the Arctic in the future; and d) Arctic tourism. The EU should continue to promote tourism in the region that respects the environment and the interests of the local population.
3) Contributing to better multi-lateral Arctic governance. The priority should be implementing the commitments already made by countries in the existing international framework (like the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) rather than setting up new modes of governance. The EU should promote dialogue and negotiated solutions and refuse to back deals that would exclude any EU member state, explains the Commission.
The communication can be found on the European Commission's website: http: //ec.europa.eu/external_relations/arctic_region/index_en.htm. (H.B./trans.fl)