Twelve European countries have called on the European Union to take a more strategic and proactive role in the Arctic, citing growing geopolitical, economic and security interests in the rapidly changing region.
The call was made yesterday in a joint statement issued after the European Arctic Summit in Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland. The meeting brought together leaders and senior officials from countries including Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Sweden and Romania.
“We call for the European Union to take on a more strategic and proactive role in the European Arctic,” the leaders said.
The summit came as interest in the Arctic grows amid Russia’s expanding activities in the region, climate change and increased competition over emerging maritime routes and natural resources.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc needed greater capacity to operate in Arctic conditions, including icebreakers.
“Given the situation that we are in, and considering climate change and the opening of maritime routes, we need icebreakers or ships that are able to navigate in these very difficult” conditions, Kallas told reporters.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggested that some of the EU’s increased defence spending could be directed towards developing a European icebreaker capability, alongside other equipment considered important for Arctic security.
The Arctic has assumed greater strategic importance since the EU adopted its latest policy for the region in 2021.
Russia’s activities and the United States’ renewed interest in Greenland have also heightened attention on the region. Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, has been at the centre of a diplomatic dispute following repeated statements by U.S. President Donald Trump about the strategic importance of bringing the island under American control.
Although Trump’s rhetoric has become less confrontational since the beginning of the year, European governments have continued to push for a stronger regional presence, particularly given Finland’s long border with Russia.
In their joint statement, the countries pointed to what they described as the “significant and long-term threat Russia poses”, saying Moscow’s efforts to expand its influence in the Arctic and its broader confrontation with Europe, including increased hybrid activities, demonstrated the need for a stronger EU Arctic policy.
European Council President Antonio Costa said developments in the region had implications beyond the Arctic itself.
“What happens here is not a regional story. It is a European one,” Costa said.
No formal decisions were reached at the summit. However, the European Commission is expected to present a new Arctic strategy within weeks, which will guide the bloc’s approach to the region in the coming years.
Tuomas Tikkanen, senior adviser on European affairs to Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, who initiated the summit, said the meeting was timely because countries and EU leaders could still influence the strategy before its finalisation.
He said the objective was to strengthen the EU’s common strategic approach at a time when the Arctic’s geopolitical and economic importance was increasing.
“The security environment has changed a great deal, and there has been a lot of interest in the region recently,” Tikkanen said.
Discussions at the summit covered both economic and security issues.
The Arctic is also experiencing rapid environmental change. Scientists say the region is warming at nearly four times the global average, with significant consequences for ecosystems and the livelihoods of Arctic communities.
The retreat of sea ice is creating longer navigable periods along emerging maritime routes, while increasing interest from Russia, China and the United States in the region’s resources and strategic position.
In August, Chinese and South Korean container ships attempted to transit the Northern Sea Route through Russian waters, testing the viability of the passage as longer ice-free periods make navigation increasingly possible.
Trump has previously argued that U.S. control of Greenland is important to American national security, although he later ruled out taking the territory by force.
NATO subsequently launched a new mission aimed at strengthening security in the Arctic.
During a September 7 visit to Greenland, von der Leyen announced a €200 million ($232 million) package for the territory and pledged that the EU would increase its presence and engagement in Greenland and the wider Arctic region.
