World

EU Prioritises Security in New Arctic Strategy Amid Rising Russian and US Activity

By Al Jazeera Staff

The European Commission has released a new Arctic strategy that places security and resilience at the top of its four priorities, followed by climate change, economic prosperity and opportunities for Arctic communities. The plan calls for a new maritime security hub to enable member states and partners to share information and monitor Arctic maritime activity. The hub will later expand to track shadow fleet vessels, detect illegal fishing and pollution, and improve search and rescue coordination. The Commission also announced plans to increase European icebreaker capacity. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the Arctic is a place where geopolitical tectonic plates collide and that sovereignty and territorial integrity can no longer be taken for granted. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas noted that Russia is expanding its military footprint in the high north, citing drone incursions, GPS jamming and cable sabotage. The strategy includes measures to reduce dependence on the United States, such as backing a strategic pan‑Arctic fibre‑optic telecommunications cable project linking Greenland directly to Europe, and providing secure satellite connectivity for government communications through the IRIS² constellation, which is intended to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink. The shift follows US President Donald Trump’s repeated demands to take control of Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory. Although his tone has softened this year, with a security deal signed with Greenland and Denmark, many in Europe remain wary. The strategy follows last month’s meeting of leaders from 12 countries, including Germany, France, Finland and Denmark, where member states urged the EU to take a more strategic and proactive role. Participants identified Russia as the largest threat while noting the ambitions of China and the US. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the era of “high north, low attention” was over, and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo called Russia the most significant long‑term threat and said the EU must treat the Arctic as a strategic frontier. The Commission reiterated that oil, coal and gas should stay in the ground, including in the Arctic. To address climate concerns, the Commission pledged to strengthen climate research, observation and monitoring to better understand changes and support effective responses, while working in tandem with the people who live and work in the Arctic.