The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European Commission have adopted a policy proposal for an Arctic strategy that will guide the actions of the European Union (EU) in the Arctic region.
The EU is to increase its engagement within the Arctic with 39 actions focusing on climate change, environmental protection, sustainable development and international cooperation. The new policy aims to increase the EU’s action and decision-making role in relation to the Arctic that covers the Central Arctic Ocean, its regional seas such as the Barents, Kara and Chukchi seas, as well as the territories of Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States.
This new EU strategy comes following a 2014 submission from the Council and European Parliament to the Commission and the High Representative to develop a coherent framework for the EU’s action and funding programmes in the Arctic region. This is in order to create a sustainable Arctic environment for the 4 million people that live there and for the rest of the world.
The Joint Communication takes into account existing EU legislation, including the commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), as well as ongoing and forthcoming EU activities and projects. It also builds on and complements the Arctic policies of the EU Member States. The proposed actions will now be discussed with the EU Member States in the Council and the European Parliament.
Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner for Environment, Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, commented: “We impact on the Arctic and the Arctic impacts on us. Global weather patterns, our oceans, ecosystems and local biodiversity – the Arctic influences them all. While increasing human development is inevitable, it is in our hands to do it in a sustainable way. We have to do this in full respect of the livelihoods of those who live in the region and by protecting its most valuable resource: the environment.”
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