NATO countries are priming their citizens to be ready for the next global conflict between the great powers. Once unthinkable, the idea of a third world war seems closer than ever, writes Maurizio Geri.
The war in Ukraine has brought back awareness that NATO's Achilles heel in Europe is Poland's Suwałki corridor, which cuts across the only link between Russia's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus. However, from a security point of view, there is another strategic gap to fill.
The 24 February was a turning point in European history. But while we are currently focused on the immediate consequences of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, it is also pivotal to pay attention to other regional theatres of exchange between Russia and the West, write Andreas Raspotnik and Andreas Østhagen.
Putin's Russia is a consistent source of tension among EU countries, but a certain degree of engagement with this country could deliver tangible benefits for the EU on increasingly urgent issues such as climate change, the Arctic, and cybersecurity, writes Nick Lokker.
The circumpolar North is back on the EU’s agenda as the Commission and the External Action Service are currently preparing an update to the EU’s Arctic policy, writes Andreas Raspotnik. Andreas Raspotnik is a Senior Research Fellow, Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Lysaker …
The Arctic is once again at the centre of geopolitical and strategic discussions, mainly for one reason - climate change - and it is imperative to act now, write Virginijus Sinkevičius and Boris Herrmann.
The Arctic is a unique region and is becoming more important in international politics. The region is under high attention as the Arctic itself is changing, mostly due to climate change. However, with the attention, also must come the responsibility, …
Amidst Brexit rubble, Scotland is sporting a newfangled cosmopolitan coat up north, writes Antonio Alcazar. Antonio Alcazar is a researcher at the Central European University’s School of Public Policy. In 2016, Scottish voters decided overwhelmingly to remain in the EU. As if …
The Von der Leyen Commission begins its mandate at a time when Arctic geopolitics are at their most important since the Cold War. The EU needs to deepen its engagement in its own Arctic backyard, argue André Gattolin and Damien …
US President Donald Trump’s interest in purchasing Greenland was primarily treated as a joke. In fact, the US is right to see the strategic importance of Greenland and the Arctic. The EU should be no less serious about this vital geostrategic space, write André Gattolin and Damien Degeorges.
A Saami reindeer herder in Sweden's Arctic Circle and a livestock farmer in the Romanian Carpathians are both living proof that climate change is impacting Europe's water resources and endangering our fundamental rights, write a cross-party group of MEPs.
Without a deeper political agenda, the EU might rapidly lose ground in Greenland to the benefit of China, write André Gattolin and Damien Degeorges.
The EU advocates for Blue Economy, the new framework for the sustainable growth in the marine sector. Does Arctic sealing, a traditional activity widely condemned by the EU and others, actually qualify as a component of the blue economy?
After failing again to become a permanent observer to the Arctic Council, the European Union needs to rethink itself when it comes to the Arctic, write André Gattolin and Damien Degeorges.
Nations both close and distant to the Arctic Circle are increasingly becoming engaged in the North, as the European Union’s new policy for the Arctic shows. The plan is a step forward, but it speaks volumes by what it leaves out, writes Antonia Sohns.
Japan has resumed its ‘scientific’ whaling activities in Antarctica. The EU should use its trade deal negotiations to gain commitments from the Far-East country to enforce the multilateral environmental agreements to which it is a signatory, write Chris Butler-Stroud and Joanna Swabe.
The use of heavy fuel oil by shipping in the Arctic could have disastrous consequences. Banning this fuel would protect the region’s rich wildlife, improve human health and benefit the climate, writes Sue Libenson.
After the signing of a new joint declaration further deepening ties between the EU and the self-governed Arctic territory, the inclusion of Greenland in the internal market should be the goal to achieve, write André Gattolin and Damien Degeorges.
After having invested in the East and the South, the European Union should turn its attention towards the North. Greenland, says MP André Gattolin and Dr. Damien Degeorges, should be a priority through a stronger financial investment of the European Union in its Partnership Agreement with this strategic Arctic territory.
The EU confirmed its engagement in Arctic development by securing an ambitious, new EU-Greenland Partnership Agreement for 2014-2020. The European Parliament also passed a new resolution on the Arctic. However, the challenge for the EU is to be perceived as a ‘growth facilitator’ rather than as a ‘rule maker’ in the region, writes Damien Degeorges.
As the financing of major projects in Greenland will probably come from Asia and given Greenland’s characteristics, the self-ruled territory needs to strengthen its political ties with its direct neighbourhood and historical partners: the Nordic region, the European Union and the United States, writes Damien Degeorges.
Set up initially as an intergovernmental forum to promote cooperation among Arctic states, the Council is failing to adequately accommodate rising interest from outside the region and needs reform, argues, Roderick Kefferpütz.
There are clear signs of competition between the European Union and China to gain access to the strategic assets of Greenland, and they will continue to show during Hu Jintao's state visit in Denmark these days, argues Damien Degeorges.
When holding the EU Presidency, a country is expected to conduct itself in a transparent manner, coordinating and seeking common ground. But in 2012, Denmark has once again opposed a pro-conservation EU position on whaling, and without appropriately consulting other EU members it has applied for a renewed increase in whaling quotas for Greenland, says Chris Butler-Stroud.
