European union and its scramble for the north pole: the quest for an integrated Arctic policy

ABSTRACT

This article ‘The European Union and the Scramble for the North Pole: The Quest for an Integrated Arctic Policy’ scrutinises the current relationship of EU and the Arctic states by drawing comparisons in their policies and strategies and examining the complex relations between the bloc and these stakeholders with regards to their treatment of indigenous Arctic population. It examines how the European Union exerts its normative power in the region through its member states while at the same time remaining an observer-in-principle in important organisations such as the Arctic Council. Through its past attempts at understanding the region, the EU has recently formulated its new vision for the Arctic which attempts to combine the concerns of the most important players of the region with its own. Thus, the essay analyses whether an integrated, cross-cutting and overarching policy can satisfy both the desires of the Union, which sees itself as a key player, and those of the Arctic member states, whose influence and stake in the region have always made it a most complex region to navigate.

KEYWORDS:

• European union Arctic policy
• Arctic council
• climate change
• indigenous Arctic population
• EU Seal Regime

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

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2. European Commission, Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council: An integrated European Union policy for the Arctic (2016).

3. Steffen Weber and Iulia Romanyshyn, “Breaking the ice: the European Union and the Arctic”, International Journal (2011): 849–860.

4. Kristine Offerdal, “The EU in the Arctic: in pursuit of legitimacy and influence” International Journal (2011), 861–877.

5. Ibid.

6. Adam Stępień and Timo Koivurova, “Formulating a Cross-cutting Policy: Challenges and Opportunities for Effective EU Arctic Policy-making”, in The European Union and the Arctic, eds. Nengye Liu, Elizabeth A. Kirk, and Tore Henriksen (Boston: Brill, 2017), 11–39.

7. Finland’s Prime Minister’s Office, Finland’s Strategy for the Arctic Region (2013).

8. Denmark Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Denmark Strategy for the Arctic 2011–2020 (2011).

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11. University of the Arctic, About UArctic. Accessed 1 March 2020. https://www.uarctic.org/about-uarctic/members-list/.

12. Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden’s strategy for the Arctic region (2011).

13. European Commission, Joint Communication to the European Parliament, (2016).

14. Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden’s strategy for the Arctic region (2011).

15. Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 September 2009 on trade in seal products.

16. Resolution 61/295. United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 13 September 2007.

17. Martin Hennig and Richard Caddell, “On Thin Ice? Arctic Indigenous Communities, the European Union and the Sustainable Use of Marine Mammals”, in The European Union and the Arctic, eds. Nengye Liu, Elizabeth A. Kirk, and Tore Henriksen (Boston: Brill, 2017), 296–341.

18. Regulation (EU) 2015/1850, 2015. Commission implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1850 of 13 October 2015 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on trade in seal products.

19. Denmark Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Denmark Strategy for the Arctic 2011–2020 (2011).

20. European Commission, Joint Communication to the European Parliament, (2016).

21. Resolution 61/295. United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 13 September 2007.

22. European Commission, First European Union Stakeholder Conference: Knowing, Developing and Connecting the Arctic (2018).

23. Bailes, Alyson JK, and Kristmundur Þ. Ólafsson, “The EU Crossing Arctic Frontiers: The Barents Euro-Arctic Council, Northern Dimension, and EU-West Nordic Relations” in The European Union and the Arctic eds. Nengye Liu, Elizabeth A. Kirk, and Tore Henriksen (Boston: Brill, 2017), 40–62.

24. Ibid.

25. Barents Euro-Arctic Cooperation, Working Group on Indigenous Peoples. Accessed 1 March 2020. https://www.barentscooperation.org/en/Working-Groups/Working-Group-of-Indigenous-Peoples.

26. Bailes, Alyson, and Ólafsson, “The EU Crossing Arctic Frontiers”, 40–62).

27. Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden’s strategy for the Arctic region, (2011).

28. European Commission, Joint Communication to the European Parliament, (2016).

29. Kristine Offerdal, “The EU in the Arctic: in pursuit of legitimacy and influence”, International Journal (2011): 861–877.

30. European Commission, Joint Communication to the European Parliament, (2016).

31. Adam Stępień and Timo Koivurova, “Formulating a Cross-cutting Policy: Challenges and Opportunities for Effective EU Arctic Policy-making”, in The European Union and the Arctic eds. Nengye Liu, Elizabeth A. Kirk, and Tore Henriksen (Boston: Brill, 2017).

32. Ian Manners, “Normative power Europe: a contradiction in terms?” JCMS: Journal of common market studies (2002): 241.

33. Ian Manners, “Normative power Europe: a contradiction in terms?” JCMS: Journal of common market studies (2002): 241.

34. Bailes, Alyson, and Ólafsson, “The EU Crossing Arctic Frontiers”, 40–62.