New developments in the regulations of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation: continuity and change

Abstract

ABSTRACT Since the beginning of the 21st century, Russia has repeatedly attempted to regulate the socio-economic development of the Russian Arctic zone. The 2020s are marked by the adoption of a series of new policy documents and laws related to the development of this territory. The previous legal and conceptual basis of Russia’s AZRF strategy became obsolete and inadequate to the changing realities and needed to be updated and refocused. This article critically reviews the recent conceptual and legal documents on the AZRF and identifies the distinctive features of the current regulations on the AZRF socioeconomic activities. The overall aim of this article is to examine whether the new acts reflect the adoption of a new approach to the regulation of the Russian Arctic zone. The study identifies distinctive features, some pros and cons of the 2020 Federal law ‘On the State Support of Entrepreneurial Activity in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation’. The author concludes that Russia has refused the idea of adopting a comprehensive law establishing the integrated regulation of the Russian Arctic zone. Instead, Russia relies on laws aimed at regulating specific issues of the socio-economic development of the Russian Arctic. In the final part, the article evaluates the possible effect of the 2020 Federal law ‘On Tax Incentives for Hydrocarbons Production in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation’. The possibility of creating a new state corporation Roshelf is analysed.