EU’s new Arctic strategy signals shift in its geopolitical mindset

The EU recently presented its latest Arctic strategy. It is the bloc’s fifth such strategy since 2008 and the first to be published since 2021, a few months before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This conflict has disrupted Arctic governance. The work of the Arctic Council, which includes Russia as one of its eight member states, was paused shortly after the invasion. The council is the primary forum for cooperation in the region.

Since 2022, the Russian security threat in the Arctic has also grown. Russia has engaged in hybrid activities in the region, ranging from disinformation operations and GPS jamming to the targeting of pipelines and undersea cables.

The EU’s new strategy has four priorities: strengthening peace, security and resilience in the Arctic, addressing climate change, delivering economic development and ensuring regional and social development for Arctic communities.

These priorities are broadly in line with the previous 2021 strategy, in which geopolitical issues were already more present than in earlier years. But there are several major changes. ---More...