TemaNord 2014:565 TemaNord 2014:565 TemaNord Ved Stranden 18 DK-1061 Copenhagen K www.norden.org The European Union and the Arctic Developments and perspectives 2010–2014 The European Union and the Arctic The report updates to September 2014 reports published in 2008 and 2010 on the same subject. It analyses the policy statements on Arctic issues released from 2010 by the EU institutions, and the EU’s role-building in the Arctic political framework, notably the Arctic Council. It describes how the EU’s role in the Arctic is seen in strategies and policy papers of Member States, and reports on the EU’s relations with other Arctic actors, particularly indigenous peoples. It gives an overall view of the status of the main EU policies with relevance for the Arctic, and identifies the main challenges the EU has to face for progressing towards an integrated and coherent Arctic policy. TemaNord 2014:565 ISBN 978-92-893-3871-4 (PRINT) ISBN 978-92-893-3873-8 (PDF) ISBN 978-92-893-3872-1 (EPUB) ISSN 0908-6692 TN2014565 omslag.indd 1 02-12-2014 11:47:12 The European Union and the Arctic Developments and perspectives 2010–2014 Adele Airoldi TemaNord 2014:565 The European Union and the Arctic Developments and perspectives 2010–2014 Adele Airoldi ISBN 978-92-893-3871-4 (PRINT) ISBN 978-92-893-3873-8 (PDF) ISBN 978-92-893-3872-1 (EPUB) http://dx.doi.org/10.6027/TN2014-565 TemaNord 2014:565 ISSN 0908-6692 © Nordic Council of Ministers 2014 Layout: Hanne Lebech Cover photo: Signelements Print: Rosendahls-Schultz Grafisk Copies: 500 Printed in Denmark This publication has been published with financial support by the Nordic Council of Ministers. However, the contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views, policies or recom- mendations of the Nordic Council of Ministers. www.norden.org/en/publications Nordic co-operation Nordic co-operation is one of the world’s most extensive forms of regional collaboration, involving Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland. Nordic co-operation has firm traditions in politics, the economy, and culture. It plays an important role in European and international collaboration, and aims at creating a strong Nordic community in a strong Europe. Nordic co-operation seeks to safeguard Nordic and regional interests and principles in the global community. Common Nordic values help the region solidify its position as one of the world’s most innovative and competitive. Nordic Council of Ministers Ved Stranden 18 DK-1061 Copenhagen K Phone (+45) 3396 0200 www.norden.org Content Preface ................................................................................................................................................ 7 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 9 1. Part I The EU as a political actor in the Arctic .......................................................... 11 1.1 Carefully stepping on ice: The second wave of texts.................................. 11 1.2 The saga: The EU and the Arctic Council ........................................................ 18 1.3 Different shades of grey: the EU’s place in Member States’ strategies for the Arctic ........................................................................................ 22 1.4 The significant others: EU bilateral relations in the Arctic ...................... 25 1.5 The EU as a recognized player: regional cooperation in the European North and beyond .............................................................................. 34 1.6 It takes two to tango: The EU and indigenous peoples ............................. 37 1.7 “Whom do I call if I want to call Europe?” Information and communication on EU Arctic issues .................................................................... 43 2. Part II. Building the inukshuk: The development of the Arctic dimension in EU policies ................................................................................................... 45 2.1 Climate change ......................................................................................................... 46 2.2 Research ..................................................................................................................... 49 2.3 Environment ............................................................................................................. 51 2.4 Marine policies......................................................................................................... 53 2.5 Exploitation of Arctic hydrocarbons and mineral resources .................. 55 2.6 Regional policies ..................................................................................................... 57 3. Part III What next? Final considerations ..................................................................... 59 3.1 The need for good housekeeping ...................................................................... 59 3.2 Walk-on, actor, or co-protagonist? ................................................................... 62 4. Sammenfatning ..................................................................................................................... 65 Preface Over recent years, and especially since 2008 when the European Commis- sion published its first Communication on the Arctic, the Nordic Council of Ministers has been closely following the EU’s steps to identify its priorities vis-á-vis the Arctic. In September 2008, during the Swedish chairmanship of the Nordic Council of Ministers, an important conference on questions related to the Arctic was held in Ilulissat, Greenland. The conference “Common Concern for the Arctic” focused on highlighting existing knowledge and governance structures in a region that had suddenly gained public and global interest in the wake of the planting of the Russian flag on the sea bed on the North Pole in 2007. The overarching message was to showcase existing and common concerns over the development of the Arctic and to show that the develop- ment was in good hands within the Nordic countries and Arctic states. Awareness of Arctic issues increased in the following years and during the Danish chairmanship of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2010, and its chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2009–2011, another large con- ference: “Arctic – changing realities” was held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The conference focused on providing solutions on preserving and protect- ing the Arctic in the light of the challenges envisaged. In 2011, a seminar with the title “An Arctic Agenda” was held in Brus- sels co-hosted by the European Commission, which sought to underline the EU’s legitimate involvement in the Arctic agenda in general and to establish areas of concrete cooperation between the Nordic Council of Ministers and the EU. Throughout these years’ intensive and deliberate actions and initia- tives by the Nordic Council of Ministers, a range of publications have been issued regarding the Arctic and the EU. It is with pleasure that the Nordic Council of Ministers can now publish its third comprehensive publication on the developments of EU policies vis-á-vis the Arctic: “The European Union and the Arctic – developments and perspectives 2010–2014”. I hope that this publication will provide you with knowledge and facts as food for thought and for further dialogue and discussion to the benefit of the development of the Arctic. Dagfinn Høybråten Secretary General Nordic Council of Ministers 8 The European Union and the Arctic Introduction The report “The European Union and the Arctic – Policies and actions”1 issued in 2008 by the Nordic Council of Ministers provided an overview of Arctic-relevant EU activities at a time when the EU started to recognize the Arctic as a region of potential interest and concern. A first update to the report2 covered the main developments in the pe- riod July 2008–July 2010: a period during which the increasing awareness of Arctic issues led to the first formulation by EU institutions of more co- herent and comprehensive positions to be translated into action. This update has a cutting date: October 2014 which is significant for a number of reasons: A new European Parliament was elected in May 2014. Its composition is quite different from the previous one, and the position on Arctic issues is difficult to predict, all the more so that often in the past the interest of individual members had a determinant role in pushing forward Arctic matters. A new Commission led by Jean-Claude Juncker and a new High Representative, Federica Mogherini, have taken office in November 2014. While a degree of continuity will doubtlessly be ensured by the services, the political priorities of the new body, and the interaction of the new Commissioners and High Representative, are bound to influence the way an issue such as the Arctic – an area that touches many sectors and not yet has an established policy status – will be developed. ────────────────────────── 1 http://dx.doi.org/10.6027/ANP2008-729 hereafter NCM 2008 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.6027/ANP2010-763 hereafter NCM 2010 A new multiannual financial framework has been agreed for the years 2014–2020, which will be influencing EU-Arctic relevant action in the next years. The present report aims at giving a multi-faceted picture of the situation in 2014 as it results from the developments of the last four years and as a background for further steps towards the elaboration of an EU-Arctic