The European Parliament has published a study requested by the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and coordinated by the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA).

“Focus on the High North: Upgrading the EU’s Arctic policy and protecting the EU’s interests in a rapidly evolving region” is authored by Andreas RASPOTNIK, Director, High North Center for Business and Governance, Nord University and Senior Researcher, Fridtjof Nansen Institute; Adam STĘPIEŃ, Researcher, Nord University and Researcher, Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland; and Andreas ØSTHAGEN, Research Director Arctic and Ocean Politics, Fridtjof Nansen Institute and Senior Advisor, High North Center for Business and Governance, Nord University.

Coordination was managed by TEPSA Project Manager, Mathilde CHIGNESSE.

Abstract

The Arctic is undergoing its most profound transformation in recorded history, driven by rapid climate change and intensifying geopolitical competition. The European Union (EU) — connected to the region through three Member States, two European Economic Area partners, along with a significant environmental and economic footprint — faces defining questions: what kind of Arctic actor does it want to be and what can it realistically do? This paper not only evaluates the EU’s 2021 Arctic policy against its three core priorities but also examines how existing elements can be strengthened and better connected to broader EU frameworks, identifying new and emerging priority areas for EU engagement in a geopolitically transformed Arctic. It argues that the EU’s Arctic policy has consistently functioned as a composite umbrella rather than a directed strategy and that the 2026 update represents not just another opportunity to add a further layer, but a critical moment to define what the EU genuinely wants in the Arctic and act upon it.