Seeking a greater role in the Arctic, the EU is ready to link climate with foreign policy

Europe’s trillion-euro plan to reduce emissions will form the cornerstone of an Arctic policy that will see Brussels increasingly playing the role of a great power in the region.

Increased competition for natural resources and great-power rivalry in the Arctic has pushed the European Union to pledge to play a more assertive role in the region’s international affairs. The EU’s more assertive role will see Brussels put the full weight of its political and economic clout behind efforts to steer development in the region in a direction that is in line with its priorities.