The Arctic is rapidly transforming from a peripheral region into one of the main arenas of global competition. European leaders, therefore, called for a significantly more active role for the European Union in the far north at a summit held in Rovaniemi, Finland. According to them, security, strategic raw materials, new maritime routes, and infrastructure must become priorities of European policy.
The summit was hosted by Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, who said that there is strong demand among participants for concrete steps from the EU. The Reuters agency reported that twelve member states, including Germany, France, Poland, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, signed a joint statement calling for a more strategic and active European approach to the Arctic. According to them, the Union should allocate appropriate resources to the region and adapt its policy to changing geopolitical conditions.
A significantly greater emphasis should be placed on security. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to Associated Press, pointed out the strengthening of Russian military capabilities in the Arctic and Moscow's hybrid activities. At the same time, he emphasized that increased engagement by the European Union should not replace NATO, but complement its role. According to Finnish Prime Minister Orpo, the Arctic is becoming one of the main arenas of competition between world powers.
However, security is not the only reason for the growing interest. The retreat of sea ice is gradually opening up new shipping routes and at the same time increasing interest in the mineral wealth of the north. Therefore, the interests of Russia, China, the United States, and European countries are increasingly being reflected in the region. AP points out that the importance of northern routes may further increase during times of problems on traditional trade routes.
One of the specific topics of the summit was European icebreakers. According to Helsinki Times, Finland's proposal to expand joint capacities received support from Germany. Finland, which has a long tradition in the construction of icebreakers, would be interested in their construction for European needs. There were also discussions about investments in transport links, military mobility, satellite infrastructure, and other strategic facilities in the north.
The European Commission is now preparing an update to the EU's Arctic strategy. The current policy dates back to 2021, while the new document should more strongly respond to security, economic, and geopolitical changes in recent years. The summit in Rovaniemi showed that the Arctic is no longer a distant area on the map for the European Union, but a region where European security and economic interests will increasingly be decided.
gnews.cz - Jaroslav Holý