The European Union and the Arctic

The developments in the Arctic are increasingly a subject for political dialogue and policy discussion in global and regional fora and within individual states. There's a need to facilitate coordination of international action to meet the many challenges facing the Arctic region. Cooperation with and within the EU is of great importance for the Arctic, since a range of the existing policies and activities pursued by the EU impact on the Arctic region. The NCM has therefore commissioned this review of the EU's policies and its administrative processes that are related to or affect the development in the Arctic. The aim of the report is to create an overview of existing policies of the EU of importance to the Arctic and to identify possible areas of co-operation. It also constitutes an input to the Nordic Council Ministers' Arctic Conference "Common Concern for the Arctic" that will take place on the 9-10 September in Ilulissat, Greenland.