The Arctic – how to ensure a peaceful, sustainable and prosperous future for a geostrategic region

Key points

The EESC:

• Seeks to shed light in this report on the importance of a comprehensive and consistent European strategy for the Arctic.
• Believes that it is in the EU's interest to ensure that the Arctic, as an important geostrategic region, does not change permanently from a low- to a high-tension area with all the inherent risks of unintentional clashes and escalation.
• Focuses in this report on the needs of the local populations, not least indigenous peoples, and their expectations of economic and social development given the transformation of the Arctic region and given the severe consequences of the war for local cross-border cooperation.
• Notes that while open to and to some extent calling for more foreign direct investment and outside engagement, local interest groups want investment projects to improve sustainable economic development in the Arctic regions and education and job opportunities for the local population, as well as attracting qualified foreign labour and preserving the environmental conditions for traditional ways of life.
• Highlights that in the European Arctic there are major deposits of critical raw materials that are needed for the EU's green and digital transition and that would potentially provide Europe with a higher degree of strategic autonomy.
• Considers that if developed sustainably, the Arctic will be instrumental in combating climate change due to its massive deposits of the critical raw materials needed for green technologies and its potential for renewables such as hydro, wind and solar power and green hydrogen.