Remarks by High Representative Kallas and Commissioner Síkela on Europe's Northern Neighbourhood: A New Strategy for the Arctic

Good afternoon everyone,

Today the College adopted a Joint Communication entitled the European Northern Neighbourhood: A New Strategy for the Arctic. Of course, we will go into detail with Commissioner Síkela in a few moments.

But we also adopted a Communication entitled Vision 2040 for Fisheries and Aquaculture, which Executive Vice President Fitto and Commissioner Kadis will present to you shortly after this press conference.

That is the readout of the College meeting. We can go to the main topic of today – the EU's updated Arctic Strategy.

The Arctic plays an important role in trade, communication, and defence. Since our previous Arctic Strategy in 2021, we face a much harsher security environment.

The Arctic is no longer insulated from the world's geopolitical tensions. Our updated Arctic Strategy reflects this new reality by putting security firmly at its core.

The list of challenges is long, but a few stand out: Russia is expanding its military footprint in the High North. Moscow has reopened Soviet-era bases and is testing new weapons in the region. Drone incursions, GPS jamming and the sabotage of undersea cables undermine Arctic security. The increased traffic of Russia's shadow fleet puts shipping and the environment at risk.

China's strategic ambitions in the High North are also growing. Beijing's investments in ports, minerals and critical infrastructure need careful scrutiny.

The bottom line is that the Arctic has become the frontline of global power competition.

All this comes because the Arctic is warming three to four times faster than the global average. Retreating ice is opening access to resources and shipping routes - and heating up competition over who controls them.

The Arctic is Europe's Northern Neighbourhood. It is close, connected and critical to our future.

Three EU Member States – Denmark, Finland and Sweden – are Arctic nations. More than half a million EU citizens live there.

All this makes Arctic security European security. To defend our interests, we plan to step up investments in surveillance, infrastructure, military mobility, and capabilities. We will work closely with Member States and partners, while fully respecting their sovereignty.

Let me give some concrete examples:

The EU will strengthen surveillance and satellite monitoring by extending the EU's satellite systems - Copernicus and Galileo - to better detect Arctic threats.

An Arctic Cable Hub can allow us to better monitor, protect and repair critical undersea infrastructure. This could be a first step towards a broader Maritime Security Hub to track suspicious vessels, illegal fishing, and pollution.

We will explore joint procurement and pooling to expand Europe's icebreaker capacity. Because in the Arctic, icebreakers are the measure of power.

We also intend to improve military mobility through Arctic ports, airports and transport corridors, so forces and equipment can get where they are needed, faster.

Through the European Defence Fund, we are investing €260 million in new technologies, including aircraft that can withstand severe environments, textiles for extreme weather and over-the-horizon sensors.

The Arctic is under NATO's watch, and all of these efforts are complementary to the Alliance's role in collective defence.

Our second priority is building even closer regional ties in our Northern Neighbourhood. Europe is strongest when it works with its partner for a peaceful, secure and prosperous Arctic.

Closer cooperation with Norway, Iceland, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and other like-minded partners – in full respect of their sovereignty – is essential to achieving it.

We had a good European Arctic Summit in Rovaniemi in September. It could serve as a model for regular high-level joint summits with our Member States and partners to discuss shared challenges and how to address them together.

In Greenland, we are investing 200 million in renewable energy, raw materials, as well as connectivity, housing, and infrastructure. We are also planning a secure submarine cable linking Greenland to Europe.

Third, economic security and sustainable development. The Arctic's critical raw materials, clean energy and emerging trade routes matter for European competitiveness.

We will strengthen our supply chains with trusted partners, invest in renewable energy, and improve transport and digital connectivity.

This includes speeding up the implementation of the Rail Nordica project and advancing the long-term ambition to build a Pan-Arctic data cable. Commissioner Síkela can speak more about the economic aspects in a moment.

Fourth, protecting the Arctic's environment and its people.

Economic opportunity must not come at the expense of the environment and of the people who live there. Our investments must be sustainable, respect Indigenous Peoples' rights and deliver real benefits for Arctic communities.

Europe has interests to defend, partners to work with and responsibilities to meet. Europe will not be a bystander in the Arctic.

Thank you, Kaja. Good afternoon.

The Arctic is part of our neighbourhood, and what happens there affects directly the whole of Europe.

But the region is changing extremely fast. Climate change, geopolitical tensions, and strategic competition are reshaping the Arctic dramatically.

Europe must keep pace. That is why I am very glad that today we have adopted Europe's new Arctic Strategy for this new Arctic reality.

Over the past months, I have travelled extensively across the Arctic and met political leaders, businesses, representatives of Indigenous communities, and young people.

I wanted to listen to their concerns, understand their ambitions, and learn what matters most to them.

Their message was to work together and ensure that the future of the Arctic is shaped by the people who live there.

That is why our response goes beyond security. We focus on stronger economic ties with the Arctic and placing the people who call it home at the centre of our approach.

After all, they are the ones most directly affected by the changes under way.

I would like to start with what we are going to do to help build a prosperous Arctic.

With the changes we are seeing, we must invest in an Arctic that is better connected, more resilient and more prosperous.

This means stronger cooperation across all key sectors: transport, digital and space connectivity, renewable energy, critical raw materials, sustainable fisheries, tourism, research and innovation.

A key principle of our approach is to invest in dual-use and multipurpose assets. This will strengthen the resilience of local communities and create new opportunities but also reinforce Europe's security and preparedness.

Let me give you three concrete examples of how we will deliver on these ambitions.

First, transport connectivity.

We want to bring the European Arctic closer together by strengthening connections between Finland, Sweden and Norway. Through initiatives such as Rail Nordica or the Trans-European Transport Network, we will improve transport links and make it easier for people and goods to move across the region. This will also enhance military mobility.

Second, digital connectivity.

When distances are vast, reliable digital connections are essential. For communities, for businesses, for education, and for access to public services.

With Greenland, we are already investing in subsea cable infrastructure through the Pan-Arctic Cable Vision. But we want to go further and explore the potential to extend the link towards Asia.

Third, research and innovation.

As the Arctic changes, we need a better understanding of what this means for its environment, its economy and its people.

This is why we will establish the EU Polar Research Hub. It will bring scientific research, observation and policymaking closer together and turn scientific knowledge into more effective action.

The Arctic is home to communities, cultures and traditions and to people with their own ambitions for the future.

And for our investments to deliver, we must place the local communities at the centre of our action.

Having travelled across the Arctic, I could not help but admire the resilience with which local communities are meeting these challenges and building their future in demanding conditions.

What sets the EU's partnership apart is our commitment to work with these communities, listen to their priorities and respect their choices.

This has guided our approach throughout the preparation of the Strategy. We have engaged extensively with Arctic partners.

What we heard has helped shape this new Strategy. Let me give you again three examples of how we will put this into practice.

First, we will invest in education and opportunities for young people through educational exchanges and stronger cooperation between institutions. Part of this will be to expand Erasmus+ opportunities for people from across the Arctic.

Second, to strengthen democratic resilience, we will further support cooperation among local governments across the Arctic. We will also work with Arctic partners to counter disinformation and foreign interference.

And third, to give young people a stronger voice in our partnership, we will establish a Youth Sounding Board attached to the EU Office in Nuuk. This will create a dedicated platform for young people to share their ideas, raise their concerns and contribute to shaping our partnership.

It builds on the dialogue we have already established through the Indigenous Peoples Dialogue, the Arctic Youth Dialogue at the EU-Arctic Forum, and our wider exchanges with young people across the Arctic.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The Arctic is warming nearly - as already mentioned - four times faster than the global average.

This is the defining force behind the changes we are seeing and the challenges that come with them.

We must do more. And every action we take in the Arctic must be taken with the climate in mind.

The best way to face the challenges in the Arctic is to face them together. That is why Europe's new Arctic Strategy is, above all, about partnership.

A partnership that will help us build a secure Arctic, a sustainable Arctic, and a prosperous Arctic. And an Arctic that works for its people.

So let me now thank all the partners with whom we have worked on this Strategy: President von der Leyen, High Representative/Vice-President Kallas, Commissioner Kadis, our Arctic Member States, and our friends from Greenland, Canada, Norway and Iceland.

Let me also thank my team and our Special Adviser, Jyrki Katainen.

But adopting the Strategy is only the beginning. My responsibility now is to ensure that these commitments are fully implemented.

Thank you for your attention.