The European Union as an Actor in Arctic Governance

Abstract

This article analyses the actorness of the European Union (EU) in Arctic governance. As a result of melting ice caps, this region is of increasing geopolitical and commercial importance. All Arctic coastal states have therefore recently developed policies. The EU is doing so as well as it has a direct interest in many issue areas. Maritime policy in the Arctic region affects European transport companies; environmental issues relate to the EU's policy on climate change; and border delimitations are relevant, as they determine access to new energy sources. In these different issue areas, the degree of EU actorness, however, varies. With the exception of the negotiations over the legal status of the Northwest Passage, the EU mainly plays a role regarding non-regulatory and non-binding issues. It has thus far been kept out of talks of a regulatory and binding nature. This variation across issue areas shows the limited role of the EU as an international actor in Arctic governance, despite the region's acknowledged increasing importance.