The EU on Tuesday presented a new Arctic Strategy that outlines the bloc's priorities in the key region amid challenges such as security threats, climate change and mining.
Russia is building up its military power in the Arctic, and US President Donald Trump has threatened Greenland, saying the Danish territory is needed for American security interests but later signed a deal with Denmark over US military access to the territory. China is also investing in the region and has shipping ambitions there.
The northern parts of Finland and Sweden, along with Greenland are located within the Arctic, meaning part of the region is in the European neighborhood. Iceland and Norway, two other Arctic states, are also involved in the European single market.
'Tectonic plates of geopolitics' colliding in Arctic
"The Arctic is one place where the tectonic plates of geopolitics are colliding," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
"When we see that sovereignty, territorial integrity and the rules that have underpinned security in the region can no longer be taken for granted, we have to act and change our strategic posture," she added.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said Russia "has reopened Soviet-era bases and is testing new weapons" in the Arctic.
"Drone incursions, GPS jamming and the sabotage of undersea cables undermine Arctic security," Kallas continued. Russia's shadow fleet, which is an attempt to circumvent Western sanctions, is active in the Arctic.
On Arctic security, the EU plans to develop a maritime security hub in the region "to facilitate information sharing form seabed to space." The bloc also intends to expand European icebreaker capacity and extend its satellite surveillance program in the region.
Russia's Arctic buildup is Iceland's security headache
However, the EU does not intend to compete with NATO in the region, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela told DW. Twenty-three EU countries are members of NATO.
"NATO will remain basically the center of defense and the center of deterrence, but NATO doesn't have a budget, the member state has," Sikela said. "This is first about the proper focus and the proper use of resources of the NATO member states and about better coordination."
EU Arctic strategy highlights security and raw materials
EU to boost climate research as Arctic faces ice melting crisis
In regard to the climate, the Arctic is warming about four times faster than the global average. The melting of ice and glaciers in the Arctic pose risks to Europe such as prolonged heatwaves, drought and flooding.
Sikela said, "Collaboration among the Arctic is very difficult," adding, "We're not getting information about the permafrost from the biggest part of the Arctic territory."
Sikela accused Russia of "unprecedented" actions in the Arctic and said the "catastrophic level of drilling and opening new mines" in the region is contributing to its rapid warming. The Arctic is rich in critical minerals and rare earth elements such as nickel.
As part of the EU Arctic Strategy, the bloc intends "to strengthen climate research, observation and monitoring" and launch flagship projects utilizing AI to "anticipate extreme weather and cascading disasters such as coastal flooding."
Although Russia and other non-EU countries such as Norway drill in the Arctic, the EU does not want to expand new drilling in the region. European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jorgensen said the EU's view "on drilling in the Arctic remains the same and it's very clear: oil, coal and gas must stay in the ground."
Greenland submarine cable route project bypasses US
Regarding economic interests in the Arctic, the bloc may take further steps to bypass the US. The strategy calls for "resilient submarine cable connectivity linking Greenland directly to Europe, with potential future extensions towards Canada and Japan."
The EU also outlined new plans regarding the residents of the Arctic region. The bloc wants to strengthen dialogue with Indigenous people along with expanding Erasmus+ opportunities for Arctic youth.
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Edited by: Sean Sinico
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