Abstract
One of the consequences of climate change has been the growing interest in the Arctic region. The unprecedented rate at which the Arctic ice coverage is melting and its implications for security, maritime transport and the energy sector have resulted in a steady growth in the region’s geopolitical and strategic importance. The purpose of the presented contribution is to highlight the potential for the external action of the European Union with regard to the High North in the light of recent developments and actions taken by the Arctic nations and other global players. The paper explores the Arctic’s present governance system and the positions taken by major actors in the region, followed by an analysis of the EU Arctic policy up to the present day. It concludes with potential fields for development to overcome the EU’s external and internal constraints in its action towards the region of the High North in order to make its mark within the changing environment of world politics and to secure its place among the global powers.
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Notes
- 1.
As Richard C. Powell points out “[w]hether the signifier ‘the Arctic’ is taken to be the Arctic Circle, the Arctic Ocean, delineations based on temperature or tree-line isographs, or the total geographical area north of 66°N, depends as much on political as geophysical factors […] allow[ing] for many narratives to be constructed about the northern latitudes” (Powell 2011, p. 105). As will be discussed further, these narratives also find their expression in debates concerning the Arctic governance framework, where attempts have been made to override the Arctic Council and marginalize it by a closer cooperation amongst the five Arctic Ocean littoral states (Canada, Denmark, Norway, the Russian Federation and the United States).
- 2.
The Arctic Council is a high level intergovernmental forum providing a mechanism to address the common concerns and challenges faced by Arctic people and governments. It is comprised of the eight above mentioned Arctic nations, indigenous organizations and permanent observers, among them Permanent Observer States (France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom).
- 3.
Two vessels, the Beluga Fraternity and the Beluga Foresight, successfully transited the Northern Sea Route along the Russian northern coast, giving the company savings of up to $300,000 per ship due to the reduced time and fuel costs of the journey (Smith 2009).
- 4.
Whereas the Russian Northern Fleet possesses the largest number of icebreakers and conventional and nuclear capabilities in the region, Norway has the most modern naval fleet with Arctic operational potential and a coast guard trained in effective protection operations in the northern waters (Järvenpää and Ries 2011, p. 136).
- 5.
“It is estimated that 31 billion barrels of oil and gas in areas west of Greenland and east of Canada could be discovered” (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark 2011, p. 24).
- 6.
More on the Northern Dimension in Sect. “The Arctic in EU Official Documents”.
- 7.
More in Sect. “The Arctic in EU Official Documents”.
- 8.
As of May, 2012.
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Śmieszek, M. (2013). The European Union in the Northern Latitudes. In: Boening, A., Kremer, JF., van Loon, A. (eds) Global Power Europe - Vol. 2. Global Power Shift. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-32416-1_10
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