EU Arctic Strategy Puts Emphasis on Maritime Security and Subsea Cables
The EU has revised its strategy document for the Arctic, with major changes to its posture on foreign presence and a new emphasis on geopolitics and sovereignty. Left unchanged is its commitment to avoid carbon-based energy extraction in Arctic environments.
EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen told AFP that Arctic carbon remains off-limits - despite heavy lobbying from Norway, which envisions a future for its energy industry in the offshore resources of the Barents Sea. "[The EU position] on drilling in the Arctic remains the same and it's very clear: oil, coal and gas must stay in the ground," Jorgensen said.
The document also includes support for IMO-led binding regulation of black carbon emissions from shipping in the Arctic, including adjacent areas as far south as 60 degrees north. Black carbon is a major risk factor for accelerated ice melting in a region where ice thickness, average age and coverage extent have been falling.
"With a proposal for mandatory regulation for ‘polar fuels’ - currently on the table at the IMO - the EU ambition to cut black carbon from Arctic shipping comes at the perfect moment," said Dr Sian Prior, Lead Advisor to the Clean Arctic Alliance. "The polar fuels proposal led by Denmark . . . would ensure that ships will be restricted to using cleaner fuels while sailing in Arctic waters."
But the main thrust of the strategy centers on geopolitical influence and defending Europe's interests in the Arctic. This includes an expanded European icebreaker fleet; a new "Maritime Security Hub" for information-sharing on shipping activity and shadow fleet movements in Arctic regions; and an "Arctic Cable Hub" to detect cable threats and coordinate submarine cable repairs, a direct response to Russian subsea espionage capabilities.
Economic sovereignty measures will include better integration of the EU's ports and rail connections with Arctic traffic; expanding European Transport Corridor designations for Arctic routes; support for a Pan-Arctic Cable to link Greenland to the European mainland, augmenting the connection that runs through Iceland; a commitment to Arctic satellite connectivity; and development of critical mineral resources.
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"With Russia and China increasing their footprint and ambition, the Arctic has become a front line of global power competition. Our revamped Strategy reflects this new reality and puts security firmly at its core," said Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, noting that Russia has been reopening old Soviet bases in the high north. "To defend our interests, we are stepping up efforts in surveillance, infrastructure, military mobility, and defense technologies that can withstand the harsh climate. Access to Arctic sea lanes and natural resources is of strategic interest to the EU."
