Influence of the Arctic Council upon the formation of a single legal space in the Arctic Region

Abstract

The Arctic Council was established in accordance with the 1996 Ottawa Declaration as a “high level intergovernmental forum” for ensuring cooperation in the Arctic. It concentrates on the promotion of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic. The scientific research conducted in the early 2000s under the auspices of the Arctic Council provided a more holistic representation of the problems of the Arctic and methods for their solution. Currently, the Arctic Council is the so-called coordinating center for the development of the Arctic legal order, being a place for negotiations, outlining the positions of the countries on specific issues, and establishing possible solutions to the problems. With the assistance of the Arctic Council, the Arctic sates have concluded certain treaties. Besides the eight Arctic states, which have authority for decision-making in the Council along with the right to discuss its policy and manage the six executive committees, the observing countries out of the non-Arctic states have been included to the Councils, although with restrictions in their powers thereof. The Arctic Council is recognized by the international community as the leading and responsible organizer of legal order in the Arctic Ocean that represents the interests of both Arctic and non-Arctic states. The involvement of non-Arctic states in the Arctic Council may improve the effectiveness of its activity in the sphere of sustainable development and environmental protection, as well as ensure their commitment to the results achieved within the Council and assert position of the Council as the most logical and appropriate place for the formation of international coordination in the Arctic.