The EU will unveil plans on Tuesday, October 20, to strengthen its position in the Arctic, as it grapples with pressure from Russia and the United States in this key strategic region. AFP reports, writes UNN.
Details
From critical raw materials to icebreakers and undersea cables, the bloc wants to strengthen its presence on the geopolitical battlefield, according to a draft of its new "strategy for the Arctic" seen by AFP.
"The new reality in the Arctic requires Europe to be a strong and reliable partner. That is what we aim to achieve with our new strategy," said EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela.
"It addresses the region's most pressing challenges, from accelerating climate change to growing security and geopolitical tensions, and sets out how Europe should respond," he noted.
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Competition in the Arctic is intensifying as global warming causes sea ice to melt. Countries such as Russia, China and the United States are stepping up their activities, competing to gain access to natural resources and new sea routes. With three Arctic countries among its 27 members — Denmark, Finland and Sweden — the European Union has a stake in the region. And repeated threats by US President Donald Trump to take control of Greenland — Denmark's vast autonomous territory — have shaken Europe, the publication writes.
Given that events in the far north also have consequences in the south, the strategy to be presented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen aims to establish a common EU approach to the region.
The draft seen by AFP stresses the need to cooperate with "like-minded" non-EU countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom and Norway, and envisages a regular summit of "Northern Neighbourhood" partners.
Until recently, the United States, which was a key ally in the region, is included on the list of those that could take part, but otherwise the country is more notable for its absence from the rest of the document, the publication points out.
Although Trump's tone has cooled since the beginning of the year, eventually leading to the signing of a security agreement with Greenland and Denmark, many in Europe remain wary.
The United States is mentioned only a few times in the 20-page document, compared with nearly two dozen references to Canada.
Some of the initiatives listed in the strategy are clearly aimed at reducing dependence on Washington, the publication notes.
According to the draft, Brussels plans a "sovereign and secure" undersea cable to connect Greenland with the EU mainland, as part of a broader "pan-Arctic" cable project that will also connect Canada, Japan and South Korea.
The bloc is also working to ensure satellite communications in the Arctic through the IRIS² satellite constellation project, which aims to compete with Elon Musk's Starlink.
Also high on the agenda is the question of how to counter an aggressive Russia, as the document points to hybrid threats such as "drone incursions" and undersea cable sabotage.
The strategy envisages better data sharing to monitor Moscow's so-called "shadow fleet" of oil tankers that violate sanctions.
It also emphasizes the importance of expanding Europe's icebreaker fleet, stating that Brussels will develop options for the joint procurement, pooling and shared use of polar vessels with allies.
Among a number of other plans, it also provides for investment in renewable energy and critical raw materials projects.