EU revises Arctic strategy as pressure from Russia, US grows

The new strategy shifts the bloc’s focus from long-term climate concerns to urgent security measures.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gives a news conference at the end of a European Union summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels. [AFP]

The European Commission has unveiled a new Arctic strategy for the European Union that lists security and resilience first among four priorities, alongside climate change, economic prosperity and opportunities for Arctic communities.

The strategy calls for a new maritime security hub to help member states and partners share information and monitor maritime activity in the Arctic, the Commission said on Tuesday.

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The hub would later expand to track shadow fleet vessels, detect illegal fishing and pollution, and improve search and rescue coordination.

The Commission also said the EU will work to expand European icebreaker capacity. Icebreakers are specialised vessels designed to navigate ice-covered waters by breaking up sea ice and maintaining safe shipping routes.

“The Arctic is one place where the tectonic plates of geopolitics are colliding,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, adding that sovereignty and territorial integrity can no longer be taken for granted.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Russia is expanding its military footprint in the high north, citing drone incursions, GPS jamming and cable sabotage, the AFP news agency reported.

Cutting reliance on Washington

Several measures appear aimed at reducing dependence on the United States . The Commission said the EU will back a strategic pan-Arctic fibre-optic telecommunications cable project linking Greenland directly to Europe. It is part of a wider plan that would also connect Canada, Japan and South Korea.

The EU will also provide secure satellite connectivity for government communications through the IRIS² constellation, a constellation AFP said is meant to rival US tech mogul 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, AFP said.

Member states press for action

The strategy follows last month’s meeting of leaders from 12 countries, including Germany, France, Finland and Denmark. Member states urged the EU to take a more strategic and proactive role, according to a joint statement.

Participants identified Russia as the largest threat while noting the ambitions of China and the US.

At the meeting, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the era of “high north, low attention” was over. 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 the EU’s position remains that oil, coal and gas should stay in the ground, including in the Arctic.

To combat increasing climate concerns, the Commission pledged to “strengthen climate research, observation and monitoring to better understand these changes and support effective responses”, while working in tandem with the people who live and work in the Arctic.

新战略将欧盟的关注点从长期的气候问题转移到紧迫的安全措施上。

欧盟委员会主席乌尔苏拉·冯德莱恩在布鲁塞尔欧盟总部举行的欧盟峰会结束后举行新闻发布会。[法新社]

欧盟委员会公布了一项新的欧盟北极战略，将安全和韧性列为四大优先事项之首，其他优先事项还包括气候变化、经济繁荣和北极社区的机遇。

欧盟委员会周二表示，该战略要求建立一个新的海上安全中心，以帮助成员国和合作伙伴共享信息并监测北极地区的海上活动。

列表 1/3：格陵兰岛对美国为何如此重要？

特朗普称将在格陵兰岛开始石油、天然气和矿产勘探（共3条，此为第2条）

丹麦反击特朗普吹捧格陵兰石油和矿产交易（共3条，第3条）

该中心后来扩展了追踪影子船队船只、侦测非法捕鱼和污染、以及改善搜救协调等功能。

欧盟委员会还表示，欧盟将致力于提升欧洲的破冰船运力。破冰船是专门设计用于在冰封水域航行的船舶，其通过破冰来维护安全的航道。

“北极是地缘政治板块碰撞的地方之一，”欧盟委员会主席乌尔苏拉·冯德莱恩表示，并补充说，主权和领土完整不再是理所当然的。

据法新社报道，欧盟外交政策负责人卡娅·卡拉斯表示，俄罗斯正在扩大其在北极地区的军事存在，并列举了无人机入侵、GPS干扰和电缆破坏等行为。

减少对华盛顿的依赖

多项措施似乎旨在减少对美国的依赖。欧盟委员会表示，欧盟将支持一项连接格陵兰岛和欧洲的泛北极战略性光纤通信电缆项目。该项目是连接加拿大、日本和韩国的更广泛计划的一部分。

欧盟还将通过 IRIS² 星座为政府通信提供安全的卫星连接。法新社称，IRIS² 星座旨在与美国科技巨头埃隆·马斯克的星链 (Starlink) 竞争。

这一转变源于美国总统特朗普多次要求控制格陵兰岛——丹麦的自治领土。法新社报道称，尽管今年特朗普的语气有所缓和，并与格陵兰岛和丹麦签署了安全协议，但欧洲许多人仍然保持警惕。

成员国敦促采取行动

该战略是在上个月由包括德国、法国、芬兰和丹麦在内的12个国家领导人举行的会议之后制定的。根据一份联合声明，成员国敦促欧盟发挥更具战略性和积极主动的作用。

与会者认为俄罗斯是最大的威胁，同时也注意到了中国和美国的野心。

在会议上，德国总理弗里德里希·默茨表示，“高纬度低关注度”的时代已经结束。芬兰总理佩特里·奥尔波称俄罗斯是最大的长期威胁，并表示欧盟必须将北极视为战略前沿。

欧盟委员会重申，欧盟的立场仍然是，石油、煤炭和天然气应该留在地下，包括在北极地区。

为了应对日益严重的气候问题，委员会承诺“加强气候研究、观测和监测，以更好地了解这些变化并支持有效的应对措施”，同时与生活和工作在北极的人们携手合作。