BRUSSELS, Belgium — The EU unveiled its new Arctic Strategy on Oct. 20, a strategic pivot to confront the threat Russia poses to Europe's northern flank and Moscow's use of the region to avoid sanctions.
"When we see Russia rebuilding its Arctic military footprint, pursuing hybrid strategies against its neighbors, and reshaping the security of the Arctic, it impacts the EU as a whole," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
"The merger of Russia's Baltic Sea and Arctic fleets shows Moscow considers the two regions to be interconnected. We need to do so too," a senior EU official told journalists ahead of the announcement by von der Leyen.
The strategy foresees bolstering Europe's icebreaker fleet — a longtime demand of Finland — increasing protection of critical infrastructure in the region, and monitoring for potential acts of sabotage and the movement of Russia's shadow fleet through the region.
Moscow's shadow fleet, composed mostly of old, dilapidated ships, is helping Russia circumvent sanctions and has been increasingly intercepted by European navies and coast guards.
The Arctic Strategy would expand the scope of tracking beyond the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas to also cover the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, with the establishment of a Maritime Security Hub.
However, the Maritime Security Hub does not come to life immediately following a proposal by the European Commission.
The senior EU official explained that the idea first needs to be discussed with EU member states to see who is willing to contribute what to the initiative.
The idea also mentions working closely with NATO and its member countries, but it is not yet confirmed which non-EU countries will participate.
And the precise geographical scope of the new measures also remains unclear.
Alongside the Maritime Security Hub, the press release announcing the new Arctic Strategy also mentions an Arctic Cable Club for protecting subsea infrastructure.
But senior European Commission officials repeatedly said they "have not drawn lines on the map for where will be covered."
Ireland recognized in its new National Maritime Security Strategy that it is particularly vulnerable to undersea sabotage by vessels of the Russian shadow fleet, but EU officials would not comment on whether the seas around Ireland fall within the scope of the new strategy.
And Irish diplomats could not give an opinion on the EU's new Arctic Strategy, given that it has yet to be presented to them.
However, Ireland already participates in a range of EU security and defense initiatives, and there is no reason to expect it would not wish to benefit from the proposed Maritime Security Hub.