Publications
Breaking the Ice: the European Union and the Arctic by Steffen Weber and Iulian Romanyshyn, International Journal, Vol. LXVI, n°4, Autumn 2011
“An accelerated path of climate change has tremendously increased the Arctic’s profile over the last decade. Formerly remote and of little relevance, the region now attracts significant political and economic interest as melting ice opens possibilities for the exploitation of Arctic natural resources and access to new trade routes. Rising temperatures and sea level as a result of retreating snow and ice coverage also provoke global security concerns. Consequently, interested states increasingly link the Arctic more closely to their security and foreign policy strategies. In addition, existing territorial disputes combined with unsettled patterns of governance and actor constellations trigger regional developments with important implications for international legal and political systems….”
read the full paper here. Read more…
The Arctic Region – European Interests and European Policy in the High North by Steffen Weber and Iulian Romanyshyn, International Reports, Berlin, May 16, 2012, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V.
The Arctic region is attracting more and more attention, due to the effects of climate change, the main trigger of developments. Its effects are of a larger scale than in other parts of the world. At the same time, those changes are affecting other regions, through rising sea levels on the one hand and consequences for adjacent regional climates on the other.
Global warming was a tipping point that triggered ever- increasing international concerns about Arctic developments far beyond existing regional cooperation.
Read the full paper here.
Managing the Arctic – Norway’s views
Commentary by Erik Lahnstein, the Norwegian State Secretary.
Changes are taking place in the Arctic. We have a responsibility to make sure that the Arctic remains a peaceful region and to conduct our activities in a safe and environmentally sound way to ensure sustainable development in the region. The Arctic Council is the nucleus of the region’s cooperative framework. In Norway’s view, the EU should play a more active role in the Arctic Council. However, a particular responsibility rests with the coastal states bordering the Arctic Ocean. Read more…
The EU’s “place in the midnight sun,” by Dave Keating, European Voice, May 24, 2012
The European Union is funding an increasing number of research projects in the Arctic, but MEPs want greater co-ordination and focus. Read more…
“The Vanish North,” The Economist, June 16, 2012
A special Issues of the Economist well researched and written by James Astill.
online free available at: http://www.economist.com/node/21556921 http://www.economist.com/printedition/2012-06-16
