JOINT STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT The inventory of activities in the framework of developing a European Union Arctic Policy Accompanying the document JOINT COMMUNICATION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Developing a European Union Policy towards the Arctic Region: progress since 2008 and next steps
Date: 2012-06-26
Institutions: European Commission, High Representative of the Union
Subjects: Arctic, European Region, climate change, economic development, hydrocarbon, management of resources, maritime transport, protection of minorities, regional cooperation, tourism, transport safety

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION FOR 
FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND 
SECURITY POLICY

Brussels, 26.6.2012  
SWD(2012) 182 final 

JOINT STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

The inventory of activities in the framework of developing a European Union Arctic 
Policy 

Accompanying the document 

JOINT COMMUNICATION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE 
COUNCIL 

Developing a European Union Policy towards the Arctic Region: progress since 2008 
and next steps 

{JOIN(2012) 19 final} 
{SWD(2012) 183 final} 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
Disclaimer: This document is a European Commission and EEAS staff working document for 
information purposes. It does not represent an official position of the Commission and of the 
EEAS on this issue, nor does it anticipate such a position. 

2 

 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................... 4 

THE INVENTORY OF ACTIVITIES IN THE FRAMEWORK OF DEVELOPING A EU 
ARCTIC POLICY...................................................................................................................... 4 

1. 

1.1 

1.2 

1.3 

2. 

2.1 

2.2 

2.3 

2.4 

3. 

Protecting and preserving the Arctic in unison with its population ............................. 4 

Climate change and environment................................................................................. 4 

Support to indigenous peoples and local population.................................................... 8 

Research, monitoring and assessments ...................................................................... 11 

Promoting sustainable management and use of resources ......................................... 18 

Hydrocarbons and minerals........................................................................................ 18 

Fisheries ..................................................................................................................... 22 

Transport .................................................................................................................... 23 

Tourism ...................................................................................................................... 26 

Contributing to enhanced Arctic cooperation ............................................................ 27 

GLOSSARY............................................................................................................................. 33 

Annex I .................................................................................................................................... 39 

Annex II.................................................................................................................................... 44 

Annex III .................................................................................................................................. 45 

3 

 
INTRODUCTION 

This  staff  working  document  accompanies  the  Joint  Communication  to  the  European 
Parliament  and  the  Council  on  Developing  a  European  Union  Policy  towards  the  Arctic 
Region:  progress  since  2008  and  next  steps.  The  purpose  of  the  staff  document  is  to  give 
detailed  information  about  the  progress  outlined  since  the  Communication  of  20  November 
2008 on ‘The European Union and the Arctic Region’1. It covers activities undertaken by the 
Commission  services,  the  relevant  European  agencies  and  the  European  External  Action 
Service (EEAS) on the proposals set out in the 2008 Communication as addressed under the 
guidance of the 2009 Council Conclusions2 and the 2011 European Parliament Resolution3, in 
consultation with the EU Member States and in dialogue with the other Arctic states and other 
Arctic stakeholders.  

THE INVENTORY OF ACTIVITIES IN THE FRAMEWORK 
OF DEVELOPING AN EU ARCTIC POLICY 

1. 

PROTECTING AND PRESERVING THE ARCTIC IN UNISON WITH ITS POPULATION 

As  part  of  its  engagement  for  sustainable  development  in  the  Arctic,  the  EU  takes 
into  account  the  potential  impact  of  its  policies  and  initiatives  on  the  environment 
and  the  population  of  the  region,  as  it  strives  to  minimize  negative  effects  and 
maximize its positive involvement and actions. 

1.1 

Climate change and environment 

The  2008  Communication  suggested  promoting  high  environmental  standards  and 
strengthening  efforts  to  mitigate  climate  change;  working  on  disaster  prevention, 
preparedness and response; and  promoting an eco-system approach to  marine and 
environmental management. 

The  impact  of  climate  change  on  the  Arctic  environment  is  of  major  concern  as  it 
affects  not  only  society  and  key  economic  sectors  of  the  European  Union  but  the 
climate system of the planet as a whole.  

Global  action  addressing  these  climate  change  impacts  on  the  Arctic  urgently 
requires reduction of greenhouse gas  (GHG) emissions at global scale by all major 
emitters. Forging a legally-binding global regime to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 
is  at  therefore  the  core  of  the  EUs  international  strategy.  The  Cancun  agreement  - 
(16th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention 
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2010) achieved the global agreement that global 
warming  must  be  kept  less  than  two  degrees  Celsius  above  the  pre-industrial 
temperature.  In  December  2011  the  EU  helped  to  forge  at  UNFCCC  COP  17  the 

1 
2 

3 

COM(2008)763 of 20.11.2008. 
Council Conclusions on Arctic Issues, 2985th Foreign Affairs Council Meeting, Brussels, 8 December 
2009. 
P7_TA(2011)0024. 

4 

 
                                                 
Durban  Platform  for  Enhanced  Action:  a  negotiating  roadmap  for  a  new 
comprehensive legal instrument to be agreed by 2015, which will be implemented as 
of  2020.  Domestically  the  EU  is  taking  already  ambitious  action  and  planning  its 
next  steps  to  fight  climate  change.  It  is  on  track  to  meet  its  Kyoto  target,  has 
incorporated its 20% GHG reduction commitment into law and is committed to the 
long-term  target  of  80-95%  reduction  of  its  emissions  by  2050.  The  Commission 
finalised "A Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050"4 to 
that end.  

Consequently Arctic research was among the key priorities of the Sixth and Seventh 
Framework  Programme  (FP6,  FP7)  of  the  EU.  EU  research  is  implemented  via  a 
number  of  projects  that  analyse  the  Arctic  environment  and  the  impact  of  climate 
change.  All  of  these  projects  analyse  the  state  and  processes  of  the  natural 
environment,  whilst  some  go  beyond  and  assess  the  socio-economic  impacts  of 
changes  in  the  Arctic  natural  environment  on  Arctic  populations  and  Europe.  The 
research  projects  with  an  Arctic  dimension  financially  supported  by  the  EU  are 
described  more  fully  in  section  1.3  and  listed  in  Annex  1.  The  EU  contribution  to 
these projects has amounted to about €20 million per year. 

Recent  work  undertaken  by  the  European  Commission's  Joint  Research  Centre  in 
cooperation  with  UN  Environment  Programme 
the  World 
Meteorological Organisation (WMO), has led to identification of emission reduction 
measures  of  short-lived  pollutant  species  (particularly  black  carbon)  that  could 
mitigate  near-term  climate  change  and  reduce  snow  and  ice  melting  in  the  Arctic.5 
The European Commission joined in April 2012 the Climate and Clean Air Coalition 
to  Reduce  Short-Lived  Climate  Pollutants.  This  initiative  should  complement  the 
necessary UN efforts to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. 

(UNEP)  and 

The  European  Environment  Agency  (EEA)  published  its  report  “European 
environment – state and outlook 2010”6 in November 2010. The report addresses a 
number  of  Arctic  issues,  including  climate  change  in  the  Arctic  under  the  theme 
“understanding climate change”.  

The  Commission  systematically  assesses  and  takes  account  of  environmental  and 
other  impacts  in  developing  and  implementing  its  policies,  projects,  plans  and 
programmes.  It  has  deepened  its  understanding  of  the  EU's  footprint  on  the  Arctic 
region through dialogues with Arctic stakeholders, participation in the Arctic Council 
working  groups,  and  research  to  identify  and  measure  those  impacts.  The  first 
attempt to identify the EU's environmental footprint on the Arctic region, to analyse 
how  this  might  develop  up  to  2030,  and  to  identify  policy  options  was  completed 
through the “Arctic Footprint and Policy Assessment” project funded by the EU. The 
report published in January 2011 gives an overview of the EU impact up to 2030 in 
nine  areas  relevant  to  the  Arctic,  including  biodiversity,  transport,  energy, 

4 
5 

6 

COM(2011) 112 final, 8 March 2011. 
UNEP  and  WMO  (2011):  Integrated  Assessment  of  Black  Carbon  and  Tropospheric  Ozone; 
http://www.unep.org/dewa/Portals/67/pdf/BlackCarbon_report.pdf. Furthermore a research article based 
on this same work was recently published in the Science Journal: Shindell et al. (2012): Simultaneously 
mitigating  near-term  climate  change  and  improving  human  health  and  food  security.  Science,  335 
(6065) pp. 183-189. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/335/6065/183.abstract 
http://www.eea.europa.eu/soer 

5 

 
                                                 
exploitation  of  resources  and  climate  change7.  The  impact  takes  into  account  the 
source of pollutants reaching the Arctic and the destination of resources such as fish 
or  minerals  that  are  taken  from  the  Arctic.  It  then  identifies  policy  options.  The 
findings of the study are being taken into account by the Commission in reviewing 
relevant policies. A three-year EU project to provide initial funding (€ 300,000) for 
the establishment of an NGO dialogue on Arctic environmental issues was launched 
in July 2011. An NGO forum convened for the first time in January 2012, with the 
aim  of  meeting  twice  a  year.The  Commission  has  intensified  dialogue  with  Arctic 
stakeholders on environmental policy in the framework of the UN regular process on 
global  reporting  and  assessment  of  the  state  of  the  marine  environment,  which 
recently became operational. The EU has continued its efforts at international level to 
promote  the  use  of  impact  assessments,  in  particular  through  compliance  with  the 
Espoo  Convention  on  environmental  impact  assessment  in  a  transboundary  context 
and  its  protocol  on  strategic  environmental  assessment.  More  specifically,  it  has 
collaborated closely on these issues with the Russian Federation which in July 2011 
launched internal procedures to ratify the Espoo Convention.  

The  EU  has  continued  to  play  a  prominent  part  in  international  efforts  to  reduce 
pollution from Persistent Organic Pollutants through the Stockholm Convention and 
the Protocol of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on 
Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (UNECE LRTAP). The EU is committed to 
establishing  a  comprehensive  global  legally  binding  instrument  to  cover  the  whole 
life-cycle  of  mercury  use  through  the  current  negotiations  under  the  auspices  of 
UNEP.  The  EU  is  launching  a  €7  million  project  on  improving  capacities  to 
eliminate  obsolete  pesticides  as  a  model  for  tackling  stockpiles  of  hazardous 
chemicals in the former Soviet Union (2012-15). In addition the EEA has hosted and 
contributed to two international initiatives on climate change and short lived climate 
forcers, namely the UNECE LRTAP8 expert group and the Arctic Council task-force 
on short lived climate forcers. It has also contributed to the understanding of tipping 
points in the Arctic environment.  

The  Commission,  EEA  and  European  Maritime  Safety  Agency  (EMSA)  have 
contributed  to  the  ongoing  work  in  the  Arctic  Council  working  groups  and  to  the 
specific  initiative  of  conducting  an  Arctic  Ocean  Review  as  well  as  the  scoping 
workshop  on  the  Swedish  Arctic  Council  Chairmanship  initiative  on  an  Arctic 
resilience report.  

The Commission continues efforts to ensure effective protection of whales especially 
within the framework of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), including in 
the  Arctic  context.  Since  2008  the  progress  in  IWC  as  regards  decision  towards 
improved  conservation  and  management  of  whales  has  been  rather  limited.  The 
OSPAR Convention is working on a comprehensive overview of underwater acoustic 
impact  from  relevant  activities.  In  October  2008,  the  IMO  Marine  Environmental 
Protection  Committee  established  a  high  priority  programme  on  minimising  the 
introduction of incidental noise from commercial shipping operations in the marine 
the  Commission,  on  "Adverse 
environment.  A  Resolution,  proposed  by 

7 
8 

http://arctic-footprint.eu/ 
United  Nations  Economic  Commission  for  Europe,  Convention  on  Long-Range  Transboundary  Air 
Pollution 

6 

 
                                                 
anthropogenic  ocean/marine  noise  impacts  on  cetaceans  and  other  biota"  was 
adopted  under  the  Convention  on  Migratory  Species  (Bonn  Convention)  on  9 
December 2008. This calls for comprehensive action (including mitigation measures, 
exchange  of  data  and  stakeholder  consultation)  to  control  the  impact  of  man-made 
pollution  in  the  habitats  where  vulnerable  species  and  marine  mammals  may  be 
concentrated. 

Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership (NDEP) 

The NDEP supports several projects in the Arctic with grants from its Support Fund, 
for  both  its  environmental  and  nuclear  windows.  The  EU  is  the  largest  single 
contributor to the NDEP Support Fund. In November 2010, the Commission signed 
an agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), 
the NDEP Fund manager, to replenish the Fund's environmental window with € 14 
million.  

In the environmental window, work continued on the Archangelsk Municipal Water 
and Wastewater Services project (€8.2 m illion grant). The estimated completion year 
is  2012.  The  project  will  reduce  direct  discharges  of  wastewater  in  the  region  and 
improve  energy  efficiency  and  ensure  compliance  with  Russia's  and  the  EU's 
environmental standards. A grant (€6 milli on) was also approved in December 2010 
by  the  Assembly  of  Contributors,  chaired  by  the  Commission,  for  the  Murmansk 
water  and  wastewater  infrastructure  rehabilitation  project,  which  will  substantially 
decrease  water  pollution  into  the  Kola  Bay  and  in  the  Russian  part  of  the  Barents 
Sea. 

In the nuclear window, implementation of the eight grants signed between 2005 and 
2008  continued.  Four  further  grant  allocations  were  approved by  the  Assembly  of 
Contributors in December 2010, and are now being implemented. All of the projects 
in  this  window deal  with  issues arising  in  the  Barents  and  Arctic  region  due  to  the 
nuclear  legacy  of  the  Soviet  Northern  Fleet.  Two  of  the  allocations  relate  to 
the decommissioning of the "Lepse" ship currently moored in Atomflot, Murmansk, 
extending  a  previous  grant  agreement  for  €10  million  to  carry  out  additional  tasks 
and  allocating  a  new  grant  of  €1.5  million  for  technical  support  to  the  Russian 
authorities.  The third  project  concerns a  system  for  handling  and  transporting  spent 
nuclear  fuel  at  Andreeva  Bay,  Kola  Peninsula  (extending  a  previous  grant  by €35 
million). The  fourth  project  supports the  construction  of  a cask  storage  facility  for 
highly enriched spent fuels from Alfa-class submarines enabling the removal of these 
fuels from their location in Gremikha on the Kola Peninsula (€11.8 million).  

Civil protection 

The PRETEAR project9 (Preparation for Threats to Environments in Arctic Regions, 
2009-11)  aimed  to  identify  the  probability  of  accidents  to  the  fragile  coastal 
ecosystem  in  the  northern  regions  due  to  activities  on  exploration,  production  and 
transportation  of  oil  and  gas  and  the  subsequent  increased  maritime  transport.  The 
study  identified  gaps  in  training  needs  on  prevention,  preparedness  and  disaster 

9 

Outcomes of PRETEAR project: 
http://www.pretear.no/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10&Itemid=24&lang=en  

7 

 
                                                 
response.  It  focused  on  cross-border  issues  and  improving  the  effectiveness  of 
emergency  response.  The  €610  000  project  is   co-financed  under  the  EU  Financial 
instrument for civil protection under the prevention and preparedness with €460 000.   

The  agreement  on  emergency  prevention  and  response  in  the  Barents  region, 
negotiated in the framework of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC), was signed 
by the relevant states in 2009 and subsequently ratified. It entered into force on 17 
May 2012. 

1.2 

Support to indigenous peoples and local population 

The  2008  Communication  proposed  engaging  the  Arctic  indigenous  peoples  in 
regular  dialogue,  providing  opportunities  to  protect  their  lifestyles  while  taking 
account of EU concerns over whale and seal hunting. 

Indigenous  issues  are  an  integral  part  of  the  EU’s  human  rights  policy.  The  EU 
engagement  towards  indigenous  peoples  takes  place  in  the  context  of  the  United 
Nations  Declaration  on  the  Rights  of  Indigenous  Peoples  of  2007,  the  adoption  of 
which was supported by the EU10. The EU seeks to integrate human rights, including 
indigenous  issues,  into  all  aspects  of  its  external  policies,  including  its  political 
dialogues with third countries and regional organisations, and multilateral fora such 
as  the  United  Nations,  and  by  providing  financial  support.  Indigenous  issues  are 
consistently mainstreamed in EU development cooperation strategies. In addition, the 
Commission  gives  direct  support  to  civil  society  organisations  working  on 
indigenous issues, in particular through the European Instrument for Democracy and 
Human  Rights  (EIDHR);  the  latest  contribution  concerning  Arctic/sub-Arctic 
indigenous peoples is EIDHR/2009/227865 - Capacity building, to pursue traditional 
livelihoods in the Russian Federation with €120 000.  

The  EU  provides  a  significant  amount  of  funding  through  various  initiatives  to 
indigenous groups and local populations:  

•  The  2007-2013  European  Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF)  under  the 
European  Territorial  Cooperation  objective  (ETC)  sets  aside  €4.3  million  to 
“Sápmi  - borderless development”,  a subprogramme  to  the  cross-border Interreg 
IVA  North  programme.  It  supports  the  Sami  population  in  Sweden,  Finland, 
Norway and to some extent in Russia in developing its cultural life and industry in 
a sustainable manner.  

•  The  North  programme11  as  a  whole,  (with  EU  funding  €34  million  out  of  €57 

million) has the objective of strengthening the attractiveness and competitiveness 
of the northernmost regions of Finland, Sweden and Norway for the benefit of the 
local  people.  Similar  objectives  govern  the  programmes  Botnia-Atlantica12  in 
Finland, Sweden and Norway (EU funding € 34.4 million out  of € 60.9 million) 

10 
11 
12 

The EU has welcomed the Canadian endorsement in November 2007 of this UN Declaration.  
http://www.interregnord.com/en/projects.aspx 
http://www.botnia-atlantica.eu 

8 

 
                                                 
and  Interreg  IVA  Sweden-Norway13  (EU  funding  of  €37  million  out  of  €68 
million).  

•  In  the  2007-2013  period  ERDF  invests  €  243  million  in  the  North  Sweden 
programme  and  €  177  million  in  the  Mid- North  Sweden  programme  to  increase 
the competitiveness of the regions.14 Sami issues are integrated into the different 
priority areas; 

•  The Northern Finland ERDF Programme15 is operating with an overall budget of 
€1.1 billion, of which €311.3 million comes fr
om the EU budget. The priorities of 
the  programme  include  measures  specifically  designed  for  the  Sami,  supporting 
entrepreneurship and business based on the Sami culture; 

•  The Northern Periphery Programme16involving Ireland, Finland, Sweden and the 
United  Kingdom  as  well  as  the  Faroe  Islands,  Greenland,  Iceland  and  Norway, 
with possible participation of the Russian Federation and Canada, has a budget of 
€59 million, of which EU funding amount s to €35 million. The Programme aims 
to  help  remote  communities  in  northern  Europe  develop  their  economic,  social 
and environmental potential. 

•  The  Kolarctic  programme17  is  one  of  13  cross-border  cooperation  programmes 
currently  co-funded  under 
the  European  Neighbourhood  and  Partnership 
Instrument (ENPI) and ERDF. The 2007-2013 budget of the programme amounts 
to  €70.48  million,  of  which  €28.24  million  is
  EU  funding.  Northern  regions  of 
Finland,  Sweden,  Norway  and  the  Russian  Federation  participate  in  the 
programme.  

•  In  the  sub-Arctic  part  of  the  Barents  region,  another  cross-border  cooperation 
programme  –  the  Karelia  programme18  -  is  operating  with  an  overall  budget  of 
€46.5 million, of which €23.2 comes from th e EU budget and the remaining part 
consists of contributions from Member States and the Russian Federation; 

•  The  Baltic  Sea  Region  Programme19  (joint  ETC/ENPI  EU  funding  €217  out  of 

€278  million)  finances  the  Bothnian  Green  Logistic  Corridor,  which  aims  at  
integration of northern Scandinavia and Barents, with the industrial chain and end 
markets in the Baltic Sea Region and central Europe. 

The  Commission  has  entered  into  a  regular  dialogue  with  the  indigenous 
communities  of  the  Arctic  Region.  On  9  March  2010  the  Commission  hosted  the 
'Arctic  Dialogue'  workshop20 
indigenous 
that  gathered 
stakeholders  from  the  Arctic.  The  goal  of  the  workshop  was  to  establish  a 

representatives  of 

13 
14 

15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 

http://www.interreg-sverige-norge.com/ 
http://www.tillvaxtverket.se/huvudmeny/euprogram/programomraden/ovrenorrland and 
http://www.tillvaxtverket.se/huvudmeny/euprogram/programomraden/mellerstanorrland 
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/atlas2007/finland/fi1a_en.htm?4 
http://www.northernperiphery.eu/en/projects/main/ 
http://www.kolarcticenpi.info/ourprojects 
http://www.kareliaenpi.eu/en 
http://eu.baltic.net/Project_Database.5308.html?&&contentid=70&contentaction=single 
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/content/1831 

9 

 
                                                 
constructive  dialogue  on  areas  and  means  of  cooperation  with  Arctic  indigenous 
peoples from the entire circumpolar area, while guaranteeing full transparency vis-à-
vis the Arctic governments. The initiative was well received by the participants. The 
speakers underlined the importance of involving indigenous peoples' representatives 
effectively  in  all  decision-making  processes  that  affect  them.  Several  associations 
present  expressed  their  disappointment  with  the  approach  taken  by  the  EU  on  the 
in  seal  products21.  The  Commission  met  again  with 
regulation  on 
representatives of the Arctic indigenous peoples in Tromsø, Norway, in January 2011 
to follow up the dialogue and exchange information on funding opportunities, views 
and concerns. 

trade 

The  Commission  also  took  part  in  various  events  organised  by  the  indigenous 
peoples'  organisations.  In  April  2010  the  Commission  participated  in  the  Arctic 
Leaders'  Summit  in  Moscow  which  brought  together  high-level  indigenous 
representatives. In the Moscow Declaration, the Arctic indigenous leaders state that 
they "acknowledge and will continue to participate in the ongoing dialogue between 
Arctic Indigenous Peoples and the EU". Further meetings with the representatives of 
the  Arctic  Council  Indigenous  Peoples  Secretariat  and  some  Arctic  indigenous 
peoples took place in Brussels in November 2011 and in Tromsø in January 2012. 

traditional  knowledge 

identify  possible  areas  of  using 

In 2009 the EEA held informal discussions with Arctic indigenous peoples’ groups 
to 
in  future  EEA 
environmental  reports  and  products.  As  a  concrete  follow-up,  the  EEA  initiated  a 
study  into  how  decision-makers  use  or  could  use  local  and  traditional  knowledge 
when assessing the state of the environment and implementing decisions, which will 
be part of a larger study into using lay, local and traditional knowledge in general. In 
June 2011 the EEA hosted the first of a series of seminars, including participation of 
Arctic  indigenous  peoples,  with  the  aim  to  explore  further  the  use  of  traditional 
knowledge in the Arctic.  

On  the  issue  of  sealing,  there  was  widespread  public  consultation22,  including  with 
indigenous  peoples,  prior  to  the  adoption  of  EU  Regulation  1007/2009  on  trade  in 
seal  products.  The  legislation  grants  an  exemption  for  seal  products  from  hunts 
traditionally conducted by Inuit and other indigenous communities and contribute to 
their  subsistence.  Challenges  to  the  legislation  have  been  made  by  the  members  of 
Inuit  community.  One  application  was  rejected  in  September  2011  by  the  Court  of 
Justice  of  the  EU  on  the  grounds  of  inadmissibility23;  a  second  case  is  pending.  A 
World  Trade  Organisation  panel  has  also  been  constituted  to  review  the  ban  at  the 
request of Canada and Norway. As required by the legislation, the Commission will 
report  on  the  implementation  of  the  legislation  on  trade  in  seal  products  before  the 
end of 2012.  

Health  and  social  well-being  of  indigenous  people  are  a  part  of  the  Northern 
Dimension  Partnership  in  Public  Health  and  Social  Well-being  (NDPHS)  agenda. 
The Declaration concerning the establishment of the NDPHS (the Oslo Declaration24 
from  2003)  calls  upon  the  Partners  to  take  into  account  cross-cutting  themes, 

21 
22 
23 
24 

COM(2008) 469, 23.7.2008. 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/biodiversity/animal_welfare/seals/seal_hunting.htm 
Order of the General Court, 6 September 2011, Case T-18/10. 
http://www.ndphs.org/internalfiles/File/About_NDPHS/Oslo_Declaration.pdf 

10 

 
                                                 
including  indigenous  peoples.  Further,  Goal  11  in  the  NDPHS  Strategy25  calls  for 
improvement of public health and social well-being among indigenous peoples in the 
Northern  Dimension  area.  To  that  end,  a  work  plan  focused  on  improving  mental 
health,  preventing 
and 
family/community health among indigenous peoples has been established. Efforts to 
develop a joint project for the Task Group are ongoing, and the recent re-engagement 
of  partners  to  advance  this  work  is  encouraging.  The  NDPHS  Task  Group  on 
Indigenous Mental Health, Addiction and Parenting (IMHAP TG) was established in 
June 2010. Its work plan covers the following key activities: 

child  development 

addictions, 

promoting 

and 

– 

– 
– 
– 

Best  Practices  for  Indigenous  people  parenting  and  associated  counselling 
skills; 
Development of common indicators for Indigenous mental health services; 
Telemedicine: how it can benefit and enhance mental health services; 
Producing fact sheets and diagnostic of mental health status (Sámi, Inuit, First 
Nations, others) with a focus on these priority areas. 

The  Task  Group  will  invite  the  Arctic  Council  to  IMHAP  meetings  in  order  to 
coordinate activities and avoid duplication. 

The  Commission  is  also  supporting  knowledge  to  protect  the  Arctic  indigenous 
peoples'  lifestyle  through  a  number  of  research  projects  funded  under  the  Seventh 
Framework Programme described in section 1.3. 

1.3 

Research, monitoring and assessments 

The  2008  Communication  proposed  that  research  programmes  should  address  the 
state and evolution of the Arctic environment, enhance monitoring and surveillance 
capabilities and develop technologies that can be deployed under Arctic conditions.  

An  ensemble  of  research  projects  supported  by  the  Commission  through  FP6  and 
FP726, are listed under Annex I. They provide a good overview of EU priorities for 
Arctic research. The EU and its Member States have made a leading contribution to 
Arctic  research  over  the  last  10  years.  Around  €200  million  of  EU  funds  has  been 
allocated  to  Arctic  research.  The  EU  promotes  research  aimed  at  furthering  the 
understanding of natural processes affecting the Arctic, including climate change and 
its impact on local populations and economic activity. It also supports strengthening 
research networks and infrastructures, and has therefore contributed to international 
research efforts such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment 
Reports and the International Polar Year 2007-2009.  

Most research projects on Arctic issues launched by the Commission in the last two 
years are multi- and interdisciplinary in nature combining different disciplines within 
the  natural  and  environmental  sciences;  others  go  beyond  and  combine  elements 
from the natural and environmental sciences with health, socio-economics and public 
policy considerations.  

Climate change 

25 

26 

Strategy adopted by the Annual Conference, Oslo, 25 November 2009: 
http://www.ndphs.org///documents/1911/NDPHS_Strategy.pdf 
FP6 and F7 projects information: http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/index_en.cfm?pg=projects 

11 

 
                                                 
At  least  nine  running  FP7  research  projects  have  as  their  main  aim  to  further  our 
understanding  of  the  Arctic  environment  and  climate  change  by  studying  its 
atmosphere,  cryosphere,  hydrosphere  and/or  ecosystems,  and  analysing  their 
interplay  with  climate  change.  They  build  on  previous  successful  projects  i.a. 
DAMOCLES, SEARCH for DAMOCLES and HERMES. 

For instance, the RECONCILE project (€3.5 million) studies the atmosphere in the 
Arctic in order to better quantify the effects of climate change on stratospheric ozone 
depletion.  Specifically,  this  project  contributed  to  the  recent  discovery  of  the 
depletion  of  the  ozone  layer  over  the  Arctic.  Another  project,  PAGE21  (€  6.9 
million) is studying Arctic permafrost and its interplay with climate change, and will 
shed light on the feedbacks between permafrost melting, atmospheric processes and 
climate  change.  The  ice2sea  project  (€  10  million)  meanwhile  is  addressing  the 
single most important source of uncertainty in projections of future sea-level rise by 
advancing  the  understanding  of  melting  continental  ice-sheets  and  glaciers  in  the 
polar  regions.  A  different  project,  THOR  (€  9.3million),  is  exploring  the  effects  of 
the  melting  of  the  Greenland  ice  sheet  on  the  global  ocean  circulation  patterns.  By 
the end of the project a reliable system to forecast changes in the circulation patterns 
due to melting ice-sheets will be in place, and estimates of the probability of extreme 
climate events in the European and North Atlantic region will be produced. Finally, 
the HYPOX project (€ 3.5 million) is enhanc ing monitoring of oxygen depletion due 
to  global  warming  and  eutrophication  in  various  water  bodies,  including  the  Arctic 
Ocean.  

HERMIONE  (€8  million),  ATP  (€5  million)  and  EUROBASIN  (€7  million)  study 
how climate and global change will affect marine ecosystems in the Arctic Since its 
launch,  HERMIONE  has  established  itself  as  a  main  provider  of  deep-sea  marine 
ecosystem  knowledge  in  Europe.  ATP  and  EUROBASIN  go  one  step  beyond  the 
understanding of ecosystems, and investigate the implications of changes in marine 
ecosystems  for  socio-economic  activities.  More  specifically,  ATP  will  identify 
potential tipping points due to climate change which may have severe consequences 
for  fishing  in  the  region;  and  EUROBASIN  takes  account  of  the  effects  of  human 
activities as well as natural change on marine ecosystems.  

Both  ATP  and  HERMIONE  were  launched  in  early  2009  and  the  results  of  these 
projects and their impact are already available. ATP for instance was at the centre of 
the 
in  January  2011.  In  contrast, 
EUROBASIN only started in 2011 and is thus in its early stages.  

influential  Arctic  Frontiers  Conference 

The ACCESS project (€11 million) under the “Ocean  of tomorrow” part of the FP7 
looks  at  climate  change  as  an  opportunity  to  develop  economic  activities  such  as 
transport,  fisheries,  oil  and  gas  extraction  in  the  Arctic  region.  It  will  take  into 
account  the  effects  of  these  activities  on  climate  change  and  propose  mitigation 
measures as well as options for more involvement of local populations in decision-
making processes.  

Contaminants and health 

EU  research  projects  on  screening  and  monitoring  of  chemicals  in  the  Arctic, 
launched in November 2008, include tasks that investigate climate induced changes 
in  contaminant  mobility,  distribution  and  transfer  in  the  Arctic,  as  well  as  and  the 

12 

 
consequences  of  these  changes  for  local  populations  and  economic  activities  in  the 
region.  

ArcRisk  (€3.5  million)  and  CLEAR  (€2.4  million)  investigate  the  links  between 
climate  change,  environmental  contaminants  and  the  health  of  Arctic  populations: 
ArcRisk focuses on the impacts of climatic changes on human health via long-range 
transport of contaminants and the food chain; CLEAR meanwhile addresses the links 
between  climate  change,  environmental  contaminants,  and  reproductive  health. 
CLEAR  bridges  a  critical  gap  in  knowledge  by  monitoring  early-life  exposure  to 
chemical pollutants and investigating its long-term effects on reproductive health 

Infrastructure 

The Commission has developed research infrastructures to help close  gaps in long-
term  monitoring,  coordination  and  data  availability  on  natural  and  anthropogenic 
processes  in  the  Arctic  region.  It  has  devoted  substantial  resources  to  create  or 
develop  appropriate  observatory  networks,  and  to  facilitate  access  to  research 
facilities in the Arctic to scientists from Europe and beyond. The European Strategy 
Forum  for  Research  Infrastructures  (ESFRI)  has  identified  in  its  roadmap  several 
new pan-European research infrastructures that are relevant to Arctic research: SIOS, 
EMSO  and  ICOS.  The  preparatory  phase  of  these  new  infrastructures  supported 
under  FP7,  aim  at  political,  financial  and  strategic  convergence  among  interested 
countries  and  setting  up  the  legal  and  financial  framework  for  subsequent 
implementation.  SIOS  (€4  million)  will  seek  to  esta blish  the  legal  and  managerial 
framework to build the necessary infrastructure to integrate all research facilities on 
the  Norwegian  Svalbard  archipelago  with  a  view  to  establishing  a  key  knowledge 
hub  on  these  islands.  Meanwhile,  EMSO's  preparatory  phase  (€3.9  million)  is 
furthering  the  development  of  the  ESONET  network  (see  below)  towards  a  pan-
European  infrastructure.  ICOS  (€4.3  million)   is  a  new  research  infrastructure  to 
decipher  the  greenhouse  gas  balance  of  Europe  and  adjacent  regions,  including  a 
number of stations in the Arctic.  

Through  the  Framework  Programmes,  the  Commission  has  contributed  to  Arctic 
research  infrastructures  by  funding  projects  such  as  the  following:  ARCFAC  (€1.8 
million), which in the four years to 2010, has supported multidisciplinary research in 
the  environmental  sciences,  terrestrial  and  marine  biology,  and  geosciences  by 
providing access to nearly 400 researchers from 19 different EU countries to use the 
research facilities of the European Centre for Arctic Environmental Research on Ny-
Ålesund.  INTERACT  (€7  million),  launched  in  January  2011,  will  build  a  circum-
arctic network of terrestrial field bases to create more efficient networks to monitor 
changing  environmental  conditions  in  the  region  and  simplify  data  storage  and 
accessibility. In its short life it has already secured support from SAON, established a 
station  managers’  forum  and  elicited  considerable  interest  from  potential  users. 
Further,  ESONET  (€7  million),  a  network  of  ex cellence  launched  in  2007,  is 
implementing,  operating  and  maintaining  a  network  of  ocean  observatories  in  deep 
waters  around  Europe,  including  the  Arctic.  In  addition,  the  EUROSITES  project 
(€7 million) is helping to maintain and e nhance two deep sea moorings, off Southern 
Greenland  and  off  the  Norwegian  coast,  where  measurements  of  physical  and 
geobiochemical  properties  of  ocean  waters  are  being  taken.  Ample  data  on  the 
exchanges between the Arctic ocean on the one hand, and the North Atlantic Ocean 
and the Norwegian Sea on the other, has been gathered to date at these two sites. The 

13 

 
ERICON-AB  preparatory  phase  project  (€4.5  milli on)  is  addressing  the  strategic, 
legal,  financial  and  organisational  frameworks  ahead  of  the  construction  and 
operation  of  the  European  Polar  Research  Icebreaker  Aurora  Borealis.  Enhancing 
data storage and sharing systems is another EU objective in the Arctic served by FP7 
funded  projects.  For  instance,  THOR  will  contribute  to  the  European  Earth 
Observation  Programme  GMES  and  other  global  observation  systems,  such  as 
Global  Earth  Observing  System  of  Systems  (GEOSS.  Similarly,  ACOBAR  (€3 
million),  HYPOX  and  HERMIONE  will  support  the  development  of  GEOSS 
databases.  INTERACT  will  offer  free  access  to  Arctic  field  data;  and  SIOS  and 
RECONCILE will contribute to open access to information from Arctic monitoring 
and  research  in  accordance  with  the  principle  of  the  Shared  Environmental 
Information System (SEIS).  

Environmental technologies 

Through  FP7,  the  Commission  is  also  funding  the  development  of  technologies  to 
support  research  in  the  Arctic's  unique  environmental  conditions.  For  instance,  the 
ACOBAR  project  (€3  million)  launched  in   November  2008  is  developing  a 
technology  specifically  to  overcome  the  limitations  set  by  sea  ice  cover  on 
underwater  measurements.  This 
take 
measurements of ocean properties in ice-covered seas. The technology developed by 
this  project  will  supply  underwater  real-time  data  of  the  Arctic  via  satellite. 
ACOBAR builds on  other  FP  funded projects such  as DAMOCLES and ESONET, 
and is currently carrying out key experiments in the high Arctic.  

technology  will  make 

it  possible 

to 

International research cooperation and capacity building 

The  EU  has  strong  cooperation  links  on  research  with  all  non-EU  Arctic  states. 
Iceland and Norway are associated countries of the EU's FP6 and FP7 programmes 
for research and development. They have contributed financially to these programme 
and  their  rights  as  beneficiaries  are  analogous  to  those  of  EU  Member  States.  In 
addition, the EU has long standing bilateral agreements for cooperation in research – 
Science and Technology agreements – with Canada, Russia and the United States of 
America.  These  agreements  constitute  the  framework  and  a  privileged  forum  to 
identify  common  interests  and  priorities,  and  to  establish  a  policy  dialogue  on  the 
necessary tools for collaboration in research.  

At the project level, the EuRuCAS project, to be launched in 2012, specifically aims 
at enhancing EU-Russia collaboration on Arctic research. It will extend, consolidate 
and  strengthen  scientific  cooperation  between  researchers  from  the  EU  Member 
States and Associated Countries with those from Russia. It will do so by providing 
access  to  the  Nansen  International  Environmental  and  Remote  Sensing  Centre 
(NIERSC)  established  in  St.  Petersburg,  Russia,  for  joint  studies  of  climate  and 
environmental  changes  in  the  Arctic  and  Sub-Arctic  in  the  21st  century  and  their 
socio-economic impact 

Furthermore,  participation  in  FP7  research  projects  and  fellowships  is  open  to  all 
countries.  Many  research  organisations  from  non-EU  countries,  including  Canada, 
Greenland,  Iceland,  Norway,  Russia  and  USA,  participate  in  FP7  projects  and 
actions.  

14 

 
In  addition,  most  projects  on  Arctic  research  launched  by  the  EU  since  November 
2008  specifically  comprise  components  fostering  either  research  cooperation,  or 
dissemination and outreach activities, or both. For instance, ACOBAR will develop 
new  technologies,  and  both  this  and  the  ice2sea  projects  will  contribute  towards 
fostering technology and know-how transfer by making results accessible to a wide 
audience.  INTERACT  meanwhile  is  not  only  building  circum-arctic  research 
facilities  but  also  inviting  new  research  teams  to  use  them.  The  ARCFAC  action 
supports  teams  with  little  previous  experience  of  research  on  Svalbard  to  carry  out 
research at the Ny-Aleslund Research and Monitoring Facility. Since 2007, over 30 
international collaborations from Europe and beyond have received free access to the 
Ny-Ålesund facilities for a total of nearly 2000 man-days of research. EUROBASIN 
will set up an International Office which will include members from US and Canada 
and  other  non-EU  countries  with  the  purpose  to  facilitate  collaborations  and  foster 
integration with parallel non-EU initiatives. 

The  SEARCH  for  DAMOCLES  initiative  (2006-2011)  was  a  joint  initiative 
attracting  €0.6  million  in  EU  contributi on  and  designed  to  bridge  two  major 
independent  Arctic  research  programmes  in  North  America  and  Europe:  SEARCH 
(Study  of  Environmental  Arctic  Change,  USA)  and  DAMOCLES  (Developing 
Arctic Modelling and Observing Capabilities for Long-term Environmental Studies, 
EU).  

A symposium entitled The Arctic climate system, its present status, future evolution 
and potential impacts took place in late 2009 as part of the DAMOCLES project (EU 
contribution  to  the  project  overall:  €16.5  million).  Participation  was  open  to  all 
experts on Arctic issues, and  46  partners  from  across  Europe and Russia  took part. 
The  symposium  produced  a  joint  declaration  concerning  the  future  of  climate 
research in the Arctic region.  

Reporting, Monitoring and Mapping 

FP7 is contributing financially to the Global Earth Observation (GEO) initiative and 
to  the  development  of  the  Global  Earth  Observation  System  of  Systems  (GEOSS). 
Some  of  the  projects  supported  by  FP7,  e.  g.  ACOBAR,  HYPOX,  EUROSITES, 
directly  contribute  to  understanding  the  impact  of  climate  change  on  the  Arctic 
environment and to GEOSS. Through its participation in GEO and GEOSS, the EU 
is  also  engaged  with  their  future  plans  for  the  Arctic,  including  on  Arctic  policy, 
sustaining  arctic  observing  networks,  and  the  development  of  sustained  and 
coordinated pan-Arctic observing and data sharing systems.  

European Environmental Agency (EEA) 

The  Shared  Environmental  Information  System  (SEIS),  will  modernise  the  current 
reporting  systems  towards  a  network  of  decentralised  systems  providing  online 
access  to  data  that  are  managed  as  close  to  the  source  as  possible  and  improving 
quality  and  timeliness  of  information.  This  includes  environmental  monitoring  data 
from  the  Arctic  region.  The  EEA  and  the  European  Environment  Information  and 
Observation  Network  (Eionet)  will  work  together  with  the  Commission  and  other 
international stakeholders to implement the system, including countries and partners 
in the wider pan-European area and members of the UNECE that signed up to SEIS 
at the Astana ministerial conference in September 2011. The EEA will achieve this 

15 

 
by building further on the systems and tools developed for reporting (Reportnet); the 
emerging  initiatives  related  to  e-Government;  the  Infrastructure  for  Spatial 
Information in Europe (INSPIRE); and GMES and GEOSS. In this regard, the EEA 
is  now  represented  in  the  Advisory  Board  to  the  Arctic  Spatial  Data  Infrastructure 
Initiative on sharing spatial data in the Arctic region and in addition the Eye-on-Earth 
platform  being  developed  by  EEA  might  play  a  key  role  in  the  future  work.  The 
EEA in  May  2009  held  a  high-level  meeting  on  'A  global  setting  for  European 
environmental  monitoring  -  measuring  what  we  must  manage'  with  the  aim  to 
explore concrete ideas for building a sustainable and focused observing capacity that 
would  best  satisfy  ongoing  European  needs,  and  provide  inputs  from  Global 
Monitoring  for  Environment  and  Security  initiative  and  other  programmes  to  the 
GEO and the GEOSS, including in the Arctic region.  

The EEA has been actively involved in the process of establishing a Sustained Arctic 
Observing Network (SAON), through interventions and presentations on Eionet at a 
number of SAON workshops and by hosting and participating in a SAON Steering 
Group meeting under the auspices of the Arctic Council. EEA/Eionet could become a 
central  building  block  of  SAON,  not  least  as  the  five  Nordic  countries  can  benefit 
from  reusing  this  network  when  establishing  SAON.  The  EEA’s  Eye-on-Earth 
platform  will  continue  to  be  developed  as  a  tool  for  data  sharing  and  two-way 
communication with the local users in the community, including in the Arctic, since 
Iceland  and  Norway  are  full  members  of  EEA,  in  addition  to  the  three  Arctic  EU 
Member States Denmark, Sweden and Finland. 

The  EEA  has  engaged  in  a  dialogue  with  the  Arctic  Council  working  group  on 
Conservation  of  Arctic  Flora  and  Fauna  (CAFF)  on  possible  corporation  on  the 
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) and the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring 
Programme (CBMP). 

As  a  priority  under  the  EU-Russia  Partnership  for  Modernisation,  cooperation  has 
been  intensified  on  environmental  monitoring,  including  in  the  Arctic  region.  The 
EEA,  has  held  the  first  of  a  series  of  workshops  together  with  Russian  partners  on 
joint environmental monitoring, particularly in the Arctic, including forest and land 
cover  monitoring,  the  creation  of  a  system  to  collect  and  share  environmental 
pollution monitoring data from water and air, long range transport of pollutants and 
improved management of waste and hazardous chemicals. The EEA has similarly in 
November  2010  signed  a  cooperation  agreement  with  Greenland  on  establishing 
closer  cooperation  with  regard  to  sharing  environmental  monitoring  data  in  the 
Arctic.  This  work  should  in  due  time  enable  EEA  to  produce  more  comprehensive 
assessments of the environmental state of the Arctic region and in return Greenland 
will  be  able  to  draw  on  capacity  and  lessons  learnt  in  Europe.  The  first  concrete 
example  of  this  cooperation  is  in  the  form  of  a  film  aimed  at  children  on  waste 
management  challenges  in  Greenland.  The  film  is  being  supported  by  education 
material which will be used in Greenlandic schools.  

In January 2012 the EEA and the Greenland Ministry of Health signed a co-operation 
agreement  covering  environmental  and  health  issues,  including  cooperation  on 
monitoring  and  assessment  of  health  issues  related  to  chemicals  and  hazardous 
substances,  human  consequences  of  waste  management,  and  health  impacts  due  to 
climate change.  

16 

 
Finally, the EEA has made an extensive Arctic-related multimedia library available 
on its web site.27   

Space 

The  remoteness,  low  population  density,  marked  seasonal  variability28  and  harsh 
meteorological  conditions  in  the  Arctic  mean  that  earth-orbiting  satellites  are 
essential tools communication, navigation and observation in the region. 

Mindful  of  this,  the  Space  and  the  Arctic  workshop  was  organised  on  20  to  21 
October 2009 in Stockholm, Sweden by the Swedish National Space Board and the 
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute together with the European Space 
Agency (ESA), EUMETSAT and the European Commission. The participants issued 
a set of recommendations and the Commission services have reported on progress in 
implementing these recommendations in a working paper produced at the same time 
as this present paper. 

The  document  describes  how  the  EU  Global  Monitoring  for  Environment  and 
Security  initiative,  GMES,  will  provide  a  permanent  observational  capacity  for  the 
planet. The planned Sentinel satellites will monitor sea-ice, glaciers, permafrost and 
other  essential  Arctic  parameters.  It  is  hard  to  assess  the  cost  of  this  because 
monitoring  the  Arctic  only  forms  part  of  the  satellite's  mission.  Nevertheless  the 
estimated cost of the Sentinel programme's Arctic component is approximately € 80 
million per year. This is partly paid from the EU budget. 

For  more  information  please  consult  the  staff  working  document  ‘Space  and  the 
Arctic’. 

Soil 

In  2010,  the  European  Commission's  Joint  Research  Centre,  together  with  partners 
from  northern  EU  countries,  as  well  as  Norway,  Iceland,  Greenland,  Canada,  the 
USA  and  Russia  provided  a  first  detailed  overview  of  circumpolar  soil  resources. 
The  aim  of  the  Soil  Atlas  of  the  Northern  Circumpolar  Region29  is  to  inform  the 
general  public,  policy  makers,  land  managers,  teachers  and  the  general  scientific 
community  of  the  unique  characteristics  of  northern  soil  and  raise  awareness  of  its 
environmental importance and global significance. The northern latitudes store up to 
half of the Earth’s soil carbon, which forms about twice the amount of carbon stored 
in  the  atmosphere.  The  Atlas  will  contribute  to  management  of  agriculture,  forests, 
water, land use, infrastructure, housing and energy transport networks.  

27  

28 
29 

For example:  
Films/interviews: http://www.eea.europa.eu/multimedia/all#c7=arctic  
Photos (Arctic): http://www.eea.europa.eu/signals/galleries/the-arctic/  
Photos (reindeer herding): http://www.eea.europa.eu/atlas/eea/rain-on-snow/photos/  
Photos (ice roads): http://www.eea.europa.eu/atlas/eea/baltic-ice-road/photos/ 
Two Feature films (One degree matters + Our Arctic Challenge)): http://www.eea.europa.eu/multimedia  
The sea-ice cover varies considerably between summer and winter 
http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/library/maps/Circumpolar/ 

17 

 
                                                 
Another project, PAGE21 (receiving €6.9 million of FP7  funding) is studying Arctic 
permafrost and its interplay with climate change, and will shed light on the feedbacks 
between permafrost melting, atmospheric processes and climate change.  

2. 

PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT AND USE OF RESOURCES 

2.1 

Hydrocarbons and minerals  

The  2008  Communication  proposed  strengthening  international  cooperation  on 
environmental  standards  for  extraction  and  transportation  of  Arctic  hydrocarbons, 
and  promoting  research  on  offshore  technologies  that  could  be  deployed  in  harsh 
climates and deep waters. 

EU energy policy aims at ensuring the uninterrupted physical availability of energy 
products and services on the market, at a price which is affordable for all consumers, 
while pursuing the EU's wider social and climate goals. The primary goals for energy 
policy (security of supply, competitiveness, and sustainability) are now embodied in 
the Lisbon Treaty30. 

The European Council adopted in 2007 ambitious energy and climate objectives for 
2020 – to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, rising to 30% if the conditions 
are  right31,  to  increase  the  share  of  renewable  energy  to  20%  and  to  make  a  20% 
improvement  in  energy  efficiency.  The  European  Parliament  has  continuously 
supported  these  goals.  The  European  Council  has  also  given  a  long-term 
commitment  to  the  decarbonisation  path  with  a  target  for  the  EU  and  other 
industrialised  countries  of  80-95%  cuts  in  emissions  by  2050.  The  Commission 
therefore  seeks  increased  dialogue  on  energy  sources  in  unison  with  the  need  and 
wishes of the local populations. 

EU energy goals have been incorporated into the  "Europe  2020  Strategy for smart, 
sustainable and inclusive growth", adopted by the European Council in June 201032. 

On 7 September 2011 the Commission adopted a Communication “The EU Energy 
Policy: Engaging with Partners beyond Our Borders"33, setting out for the first time a 
comprehensive strategy for the EU's external relations in energy through improving 
transparency  among  EU  Member  States  on  their  energy  agreements  with  third 
countries,  strengthening  coordination  and  developing  comprehensive  energy 
partnerships with key partner countries. 

Raw materials have become an essential element of the Europe 2020 Strategy and an 
integral  part  of  the  EU’s  industrial  policy.  On  2  February  2011,  the  Commission 
adopted a Communication on Commodities and Raw Materials. This Communication 
confirms  the  approach  of  the  Raw  Materials  Initiative,  launched  in  2008,  and  calls 

30 
31 

32 
33 

Article 194 of the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union (TFUE). 
The  European  Council  specified:  "provided  that  other  developed  countries  commit  themselves  to 
comparable emission reductions and economically more advanced developing countries to contributing 
adequately according to their responsibilities and respective capabilities" 
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/115346.pdf 
COM(2011) 539 of 7.09.2011 

18 

 
                                                 
for  a  reinforcement  of  its  3  pillars:  supply  of  raw  materials  from  global  markets, 
sustainable supply from sources in the EU and recycling and resource efficiency. 

In  this  context,  the  Commission  has  initiated  a  comprehensive  dialogue  with  the 
Government of Greenland during 2011, with the aim or exploring the possibilities of 
a future cooperation within the area of natural resources, including raw materials.  

Improving offshore safety in the EU  

The EU has a vital interest in ensuring maximum safety for workers in the offshore 
oil  and  gas  industry  and  protection  of  the  environment.  The  explosion  of  the 
Deepwater  Horizon  drilling  rig  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  on  20  April  2010  and  the 
subsequent  leak  from  the  oil  well  on  the  sea  bottom  led  the  Commission  to  assess 
current procedures in Europe in order to prevent the occurrence of a similar incident 
in its own waters. 

In  May  2010  the  Commission  launched  an  assessment  of  safety  in  the  exploration 
and  production  of  oil  and  gas  in  European  waters.  It  adopted  in  October  2010  the 
Communication  "Facing  the  challenge  of  the  safety  of  offshore  oil  and  gas 
activities"34,  which  included  the  finding  that  the  offshore  oil  and  gas  industry  is 
governed  by  heterogeneous  health,  safety  and  environmental  regimes  that  may  not 
provide adequate response to the risks posed, nor legal clarity about the obligations 
of  the  industry.  It  was  concluded  that  further  action  is  needed  to  ensure  that  best 
available practises are followed throughout the EU. 

Consequently, the Commission invited the Council and the European Parliament to 
express their views on the specific actions proposed. These actions focussed on five 
areas: 1) thorough licensing procedures, 2) improved controls by public authorities, 
3) closing gaps in applicable legislation, 4) reinforcing EU disaster response and 5) 
international  cooperation  to  promote  offshore  safety  and  response  capacities. 
Subsequently the Council and the European Parliament issued their findings on the 
document and recommendations for further work to address the challenges identified.  

Within  the  framework  outlined  by  its  Communication  and  positions  taken  by  the 
Council  and  the  Parliament,  the  Commission  completed  the  impact  assessment.  As 
part of this activity, the Commission opened a public consultation to gather the views 
of stakeholders and other interested parties inside and outside the EU on the safety, 
health and environmental aspects and transparency of offshore oil and gas operations 
in the EU. On 27 October 2011 the Commission has proposed a new law on safety of 
offshore  oil  and  gas  prospection,  exploration  and  production  activities35.  The 
Commission proposed among others to promote high safety standards for offshore oil 
and gas operations at international level at appropriate global and regional fora.. 

Dialogue with non-EU partners on the safety of offshore drilling  

In  the  framework  of  regular  contact  with  the  European  countries  most  relevant  for 
the  Arctic  activities,  such  as  Norway  (e.g.  activities  in  the  Lofoten  area)  and 

34 
35 

(2010) 560of 13.10.2010. 
COM(2011) 688 of 27.10.2011 

19 

 
                                                 
Denmark/Greenland36/Faroe  Islands, 
the  Commission  services  organised  and 
participated  in  a  number  of  meetings  focused  on  the  safety  of  offshore  oil  and  gas 
operations  in  the  most  challenging  environments.  Avoiding  negative  environmental 
effects in the sensitive Arctic is crucial. There has recently been a rapid development 
of new safety techniques and procedures related to global review of the regulation of 
offshore drilling, triggered by the accident in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010. 

The Commission maintains close contact with the industry to keep up with the rapid 
development of technology and expertise in the challenging area of offshore drilling. 
Individual  companies  and 
the  International 
Association of Oil and Gas Producers (OGP), are useful sources of information. The 
consultations  with  relevant  companies,  such  as  the  Norwegian  Statoil,  are  focused 
directly on the Arctic region. 

industrial  associations,  such  as 

An  uncompromising  "safety  first"  policy  in  the  industry  is  a  fundamental 
requirement,  but  there  is  no  substitute  for  rigorous  and  qualified  supervision  and 
regulation  by  national  authorities.  That  is  why  the  Commission  is  in  close  contacts 
with national regulators and follows regularly the activities of Member States in this 
field.  The  Commission  regularly  calls  meetings  with  national  regulators  to  discuss 
existing best practices and changes in procedures and technology that could help to 
minimise  the  risk  of  negative  environmental  impact  of  offshore  activities.  The 
Commission  also  regularly  attends,  as  an  observer,  the  meetings  of  UK's  Oil  Spill 
Prevention  and  Response  Advisory  Group  (OSPRAG)  which  works  proactively  to 
identify  and  address  cross  industry  issues  with  respect  to  well  control  and  oil  spill 
response  on  the  UK  continental  shelf.  Many  of  the  wells  operate  in  challenging 
environments so the output will therefore be a useful means for improving the safety 
of operations in the Arctic region. 

The recent G-20 activity on the safety of offshore oil and gas operations is focused 
on global identification and sharing of best practices. The initiative was launched by 
Russia,  which  has  strong  Arctic  ambition,  and  involves  major  offshore  producing 
countries  as  well  as  the  Commission.  The  recent  report  by  the  US  administration’s 
Oil  Spill  Commission  contains  strong  recommendation  for  the  Arctic  region  which 
suggest that also the US will take a more active role in related international activities. 
In  this  context,  while  the  G-20  initiative  does  not  target  one  particular  region,  the 
improvement of safety of operations will be of special interest in the most demanding 
regions. 

Promotion of sustainable energy 

The  EU  recognises  the  importance  of  international  cooperation  for  promotion  of 
sustainable  use  of  energy  sources.  Promotion  of  energy  efficiency,  energy  savings 
and  renewable  energy  sources  is  an  important  priority  for  EU  cooperation  with 

36 

The  dialogue  between  the  European  Commission  and  Denmark/Greenland  takes  place  within  the 
general framework of the existing partnership agreements between the European Union, the Kingdom 
of Denmark and the Government of Greenland (The Fisheries Partnership Agreement (2006/1006/EC) 
and the Partnership Agreement ('Council decision on relations between the European Community on the 
one  hand  and  Greenland  and  the  Kingdom  of  Denmark  on  the  other';  20  June  2006;  9802/06).  See 
below Chapter 4. 

20 

 
                                                 
partners  in  the  Arctic  in  the  framework  of  bilateral  dialogues,  as  well  as  in 
multilateral energy cooperation frameworks. 

Dialogue with European partners 

Norway has indicated its intention to implement the Renewable Energy Directive and 
agree to produce more renewables above the current share (60% of its total energy 
and 100% of its electricity needs from renewable energy sources). Norway has also a 
strong commitment to development of Carbon Capture and Storage technology. 

Dialogues with US and Canada  

At  the  EU-US  Summit  of  3  November  2009  it  was  decided  to  establish  an  Energy 
Council  at  ministerial  level.  The  inaugural  meeting  of  this  EU-US  Energy  Council 
took  place  in  Washington  on  4  November  2009.  A  second  meeting  was  held  in 
Lisbon on 19 November 2010 and a third one in Washington on 28 November 2011. 
This  framework  has  provided  an  opportunity  for  an  exchange  of  views  and 
coordination  of  actors,  including  the  establishment  of  working  groups,  on  global 
energy  issues  and  developments  as  well  as  on  energy  policy  initiatives  planned  or 
underway  in  the  EU  and  the  US.  The  Energy  Council  is  also  promoting  energy 
efficiency  bilaterally  and  globally  as  well  as  co-operation  on  energy  technologies, 
research and deployment.  

The EU also has had two High-Level Energy Dialogues with Canada since the EU-
Canada  Summit  in  2007.  The  dialogues  focused  on  energy  efficiency,  renewable 
energy, and the implementation of cleaner energy technologies, with Carbon Capture 
and  Storage  (CCS),  bio-energy,  and  distributed  generation  and  smart  electricity 
networks identified as priority areas for collaboration in research, development and 
demonstration.  The  dialogues  will  allow  Arctic  energy  issues  of  mutual  interest  or 
concern to be addressed in the future. 

Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) 

The Commission is a BEAC member and participates in the Joint Working group on 
Energy. Following a Norwegian initiative the work in this group will give priority to 
energy  efficiency  and  renewable  energy.  The  Group  serves  as  a  catalyst  for 
cooperative activities among the energy systems of the Region. The main focus is the 
promotion  of  measures  to  improve  energy  efficiency  and  renewable  energy  in  the 
Barents region. 

EU-Russia Energy Dialogue 

The  EU-Russia  Energy  Dialogue,  established  at  the  sixth  Summit  between  the  EU 
and Russia in Paris on 30 October 2000, is a key instrument to further develop EU–
Russia cooperation in the energy sector. The objective of the dialogue is to provide 
reliability,  security  and  predictability  of  energy  relations  of  the  free  market  in  the 
long term and to increase mutual confidence and transparency. In 2010, the Energy 
Dialogue marked its 10th anniversary with a high-level conference on 22 November 
in Brussels. 

The work of the Energy Dialogue is carried out in three Thematic Groups: 1. Energy 
Strategies,  Forecasts  and  Scenarios,  2.  Market  Developments,  and  3.  Energy 

21 

 
Efficiency, and in three Sub-groups: on Energy Economic Issues, on Investments and 
on  Infrastructure.  Thematic  groups  involve  experts  nominated  by  the  EU  Member 
States and Russia, from the European industry, international financial institutions and 
from the Commission. Organisational work in each Thematic Group is handled by a 
Secretariat, which consists of representatives of the Commission's DG Energy and of 
the Russian Ministry of Energy.  

See Annex II for a list of relevant EU-Russia projects.  

Multilateral cooperation with the Arctic countries 

The  EU  and  the  Arctic  countries  are  partners  in  many  multilateral  organisations, 
partnerships  of  international  energy  cooperation,  such  as  G8,  the  International 
Energy  Agency,  International  Partnership  for  Energy  Efficiency  Cooperation, 
Methane  to  Markets,  Carbon  Sequestration  Leadership  Forum,  The  International 
Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy etc. 

The EU recognises the importance of promoting and developing renewable sources 
of energy in the Arctic region. The Commission therefore seeks increased dialogue to 
promote these alternative sources of energy in unison with the needs and wishes of 
the local populations. 

The Commission and the EMSA also follow discussions in the Arctic Council (EPPR 
Working  Group)  related  to  the  development  of  a  new  Instrument  on  Arctic  Marine 
Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response. 

2.2 

Fisheries 

The 2008 Communication proposed putting in place a conservation and management 
regime for fisheries in the Arctic before new fishing opportunities arise. 

Changing climatic conditions in the Arctic are affecting fisheries dynamics. The EU 
supports  the  objective  of  ensuring  the  exploitation  of  Arctic  fisheries  resources  at 
sustainable  levels,  whilst  respecting  the  rights  of  local  coastal  communities.  The 
Commission advocates a precautionary approach whereby, prior to any new fishing 
opportunities arising, a regulatory framework for the conservation and management 
of  fish  stocks  should  be  established  for  those  parts  of  the  Arctic  high  seas  not  yet 
covered  by  an  international  conservation  and  management  system.  Arctic  fisheries 
management  was  discussed  for  the  first  time  in  the  Arctic  Council  at  the  Senior 
Arctic  Officials  (SAO)  meeting  in  Narvik  in  November  2007.  Following  the  US 
Senate resolution of August 2007 on the Arctic fisheries management organisation, 
the  US  administration  launched  a  discussion  on  the  need  for  an  agreement  for 
managing  migratory  and  trans-boundary  fish  stocks  in  the  Arctic  Ocean.  The 
resolution  argued  that,  in  light  of  declining  commercial  fish  stocks  worldwide  and 
the  likelihood  of  new  biological  opportunities  due  to  climate  change,  commercial 
fishing  should  be  restricted  until  such  an  agreement  is  set  up.  The  majority  of  the 
Arctic Ocean coastal states argued that the existing Regional Fisheries Management 
Organisations  (RFMOs),  North  East  Atlantic  Fisheries  Commission  (NEAFC)  and 
North  Atlantic  Salmon  Conservation  Organization  (NASCO),  are  well  functioning 
and,  if  commercial  fishing  in  the  Arctic  will  increase,  these  RFMOs  could  extend 
their geographical scope.  

22 

 
The  matter  was  also  raised  by  the  Commission  at  the  North  Atlantic  Fisheries 
Ministers  Conference  in  Kaliningrad,  Russian  Federation,  in  June  2009  and  was 
again  discussed  at  the  NEAFC  meeting  in  November  2009  in  London.  The 
Commission  continues  to  strive  to  include  this  issue  in  all  relevant  meetings  of 
international organisations, including the United Nations. In 2009, the EU presented 
a  proposal  for  a  paragraph  for  the  UNGA  Resolution  on  Sustainable  Fisheries 
concerning  the  need  for  increased  scientific  research  in  the  Arctic  to  examine  the 
effects of climate change on fisheries in the Arctic Ocean.  

The most significant fisheries in the Arctic presently take place in the Barents Sea off 
the coasts of Norway and Russia, as well as in the Norwegian Sea. However, there 
are also fisheries taking place off the coast of Greenland. The EU, through its various 
bilateral  arrangements,  particularly  with  Norway  and  Greenland,  is  able  to  access 
some  of  these  valuable  resources  and  has  benefited  through  cooperation  from  the 
significantly increased availability of certain species in recent years. 

2.3 

Transport 

The 2008 Communication proposed that International Maritime Organisation (IMO) 
rules  and  obligations  should  be  implemented  as  regards  environmental  and  safety 
standards. It also suggested exploring support for some Arctic navigation routes to 
be designated as particularly sensitive areas under IMO rules. The Communication 
also suggested that maritime surveillance capacities be improved and that east-west 
land and air transport infrastructures should be developed. 

Maritime transport in the Arctic has become a widely discussed issue. It is helpful to 
distinguish different types of shipping activities in the Arctic. Cruise ship tourism has 
steadily  increased  over  the  past  years  intra-Arctic  transport  has  been  ongoing  for 
many  decades:  trans-Arctic  maritime  transport  has  only  occurred  on  a  small  scale, 
but reduced sea ice cover is likely to change this in years to come.  

Maritime  Safety  and  Environment  Protection  in  Arctic,  work  in  IMO,  new  Polar 
Code 

IMO, the UN body responsible for global regulation of maritime transport, launched 
a process for the development of a mandatory international code for safety of ships 
operating in polar waters (the Polar Code) in February 2010. First discussions were 
held in the Ship Design and Equipment Sub-Committee meeting (DE 53), attended 
by  the  Commission  under  its  IMO  observer  status.  Progress  has  gradually  been 
achieved  in  subsequent  meetings  (DE  54,  DE  55)  and  correspondence  groups  in 
which the Commission, assisted by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) 
participated.  Other  IMO  committees  and  sub-committees,  with  the  Commission 
closely  associated,  have  also  addressed  Arctic  issues  for  improved  safety  and 
environmental  protection.  The  Commission,  with  the  assistance  of  EMSA,  has 
actively followed IMO work, seeking coordination and arranging meetings with EU 
Member States, prior to IMO sessions, in order to build EU common positions on EU 
relevant topics.  

Full  compliance  with  international  law  and  principles  as  defined  by  the  United 
Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 

23 

 
As  highlighted  in  the  2008  Communication  "The  EU  and  the  Arctic  Region",  an 
important  policy  objective  for  transport  and  shipping  is  full  compliance  with 
international law and principles as defined in UNCLOS. Freedom of navigation and 
the  right  of  innocent  passage  (transit  passage  also  being  stated  in  the  Council 
conclusions)  are  essential  principles  that  need  to  be  respected  as  new  Arctic  and 
trans-Arctic routes are gradually opening up for navigation.  

The  Commission  has  been  closely  following  the  latest  developments  in  Arctic  sea 
transport, in particular cargo and passenger ships taking the North-West Passage, as 
well  as  the  Northern  Sea  Route,  and  the  increasing  presence  of  cruise  ships  in  the 
Arctic.  This  monitoring  has  also  included  regulations  and  practices  in  place  or 
introduced by Arctic coastal states with possible effects on international navigation. 
This  exercise  has  partly  taken  place  through  regular  contacts  with  industry 
representatives (shipping companies, classification societies, global associations) and 
with  EU  Member  States,  for  instance  through  the  participation  in  relevant  Council 
meetings  on  the  Law  of  the  Sea  where  Member  States  have  also  expressed  their 
views.  A  study  on  "Legal  Aspects  of  Arctic  shipping"  was  completed  in  April 
201037. 

Canada exercised its right to  legislate  to the  limit of  its  Exclusive Economic  Zone, 
provided  by  article  234  of  UNCLOS  (on  ice-covered  waters),  when  it  launched  its 
NORDREG regulation which came into force on 1 July 2010. It requires mandatory 
reporting  and  clearance  from  merchant  ships  entering  the  zone.  The  matter  was 
submitted  by  Canada  to  the  IMO  in  October  2010  for  recognition.  The  IMO 
Maritime  and  Safety  Committee  88  considered  the  regulation,  but  objections  were 
raised  by  some  delegations,  and  Canada  was  encouraged  to  resubmit  its  paper  for 
reconsideration and possible adoption. At the last IMO Assembly in November 2011, 
concerns  were  again  raised  over  Canada's  NORDREG,  including  by  some  EU 
Member States.  

The  Northern  Sea  Route  (NSR)  saw  several  successful  trans-Arctic  ventures 
accomplished  by  EU/European  Economic  Area  and  Russian  maritime  companies 
during the summers of 2009 and 2010. The number of ships sailing through the NSR 
significantly increased in the summer of 2011 and according to plans for the summer 
of 2012 the number of ships sailing through the NSR from Europe to Asia or vice-
versa could easily triple as compared to 2011. This route shortens the oceanic route 
from Europe to Asia and has potential for  significant cost savings and reduction in 
shipping  days  needed.  These  developments  have  drawn  interest  from  the  shipping 
community and from exporting and importing countries as an opportunity to increase 
their global competitiveness. The Commission, EU Member States and industry have 
also  been  following  developments  affecting  shipping  and  navigation  along  the 
Northern  Sea  Route  as  well  as  for  the  North-West  Passage  especially  regarding 
adopted practices or requirements in place. 

Reinforced infrastructure and presence in the Arctic Search and Rescue (SAR) 

The Arctic Council's Task Force on SAR made good progress and the Arctic States 
adopted an important legally binding agreement on Cooperation in Aeronautical and 

37 

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/content/2396 

24 

 
                                                 
Maritime  Search  and  Rescue  in  the  Arctic  at  the  Nuuk  Arctic  Council  Ministerial 
meeting of 12 May 2011. Although the Task Force was only open to Arctic Council 
members, the Commission contributed to the discussions during the Arctic Council's 
Deputy Foreign Ministers' meeting in Copenhagen in May 2010. Some EU Member 
States, present as permanent observers in that meeting, suggested that discussions on 
Arctic SAR plans and needs should be extended to include non-Arctic countries that 
could  possibly  contribute  to  a  joint  effort.  The  EU  can  provide  technical  and 
surveillance  means  upon  request  by  a  third  country,  in  the  event  of  an  incident  or 
emergency  in  the  Arctic.  Means  such  as  SafeSeaNet,  Automated  Identification 
System  (AIS),  Long  Range  Identification  and  Tracking  of  ships  (LRIT)  and 
CleanSeaNet can help to track and trace ships and oil spills.  

Satellite  systems  to  reinforce  Arctic  maritime  surveillance,  traffic  monitoring, 
safety and search and rescue capabilities 

The EU's Galileo satellite  system for global navigation and positioning is currently 
being deployed and will provide early services as of 2014. Galileo will contribute to 
safety,  navigation  and  positioning  in  Arctic  waters,  both  of  ships  and  air  traffic 
through  its  various  services  and  possibilities  i.e.  open  free  service,  commercial, 
Safety of Life, Public Regulated, and Search and Rescue services.  

(Please  refer  to  the  staff  working  document  on  "Space  and  the  Arctic"  for  further 
details.) 

Participation in Arctic Council, bilateral contacts, third countries and stakeholders  

The  Commission  and  EMSA  have  taken  part  in  several  meetings,  mainly  in  the 
PAME (Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment) and more recently the EPPR 
(Emergency  Prevention  Preparedness  and  Response)  Working  Groups  to  share 
experiences  in  marine  safety.  In  the  March  2012  at  the  PAME  Working  Group 
meeting, EMSA made a presentation on its ship tracking and monitoring systems that 
are or may be deployed by Arctic countries to support implementation of the Arctic 
Marine Shipping Assessment38. PAME agreed to explore how it might work with and 
benefit from the work of EMSA. 

Progress has been made with Russia towards an agreement on starting a pilot project 
-  involving  the  Commission  and  EMSA  -  for  the  improvement  and  further 
cooperation on vessel traffic monitoring in the Baltic Sea and the Barents Sea. The 
Commission has also developed contacts and cooperation with Canada on Arctic and 
shipping  related  matters,  such  as  Port  State  Control,  as  Canada  is  part  of  the  Paris 
Memorandum  of  Understanding  for  its  North-East  Atlantic  coast  ports.  Arctic 
matters have also been raised in regular Commission contacts with relevant maritime 
industries,  associations  (ship  owners,  ports,  shipyards)  and  stakeholders,  and 
participation in Arctic events has enabled to Commission to keep good contact with 
relevant  Arctic  authorities.  The  Arctic  was  also  included  in  the  programme  of  an 
international shipping conference jointly organised by the Commission and Denmark 
in  May  2010  in  Copenhagen,  in  the  context  of  the  Commission  presenting  its 
Maritime Transport Strategy until 2018 to the global shipping community.  

38 

http://arctic-council.org/filearchive/AMSA%20Scenarios%20of%20the%20Future%20-
%20%20Narratives%20Report.pdf 

25 

 
                                                 
Arctic transport infrastructure other than maritime 

The eleven countries belonging to the Northern Dimension Partnership for Transport 
and  Logistics  (NDPTL)  (Denmark,  Estonia,  Finland,  Germany,  Latvia,  Lithuania, 
Poland,  Sweden,  Norway,  Belarus,  and  Russia)  agreed  in  June  2010  to  establish  a 
secretariat  for  the  Partnership  to  be  hosted  in  the  headquarters  of  the  Nordic 
Investment Bank in Helsinki and had signed the Secretariat Agreement by December 
2010.  The  NDTPL  secretariat  began  its  activities  in  February  2011.  It  was  an 
important  step  in  the  context  of  efforts  to  establish  trans-European  (multi-modal) 
connections in Europe's High North. It will also contribute to addressing the lack of 
East-West  connections  for  several  modes  of  transport,  including  railways.   In 
addition, Memorandum of understanding on the Northern Dimension Partnership on 
Transport and Logistics (NDPTL) is now entering in its operational phase, with the 
identification  (for  future  endorsement  by  the  partners)  of  an  infrastructure  network 
and potential priorities on transport related projects.  The EU regional development 
policy,  with  its  projects  and  infrastructure  development,  and  the  Trans-European 
Transport Network programme remain crucial tools to developing the Arctic region. 
The  EU  has  also  achieved  significant  progress  in  the  field  of  civil  aviation  with 
cooperation  and  agreements  reached  with  third  countries  all  over  the  world, 
including Arctic states.  

2.4 

Tourism 

The 2008 Communication signalled support for sustaianble tourism that protects the 
environment  and  benefits  local  communities.  It  also  suggested  that  the  safety  of 
cruise  ships  should  be  enhanced,  and  their  access  to  highly  vulnerable  areas  be 
restricted. 

Arctic  tourism,  in  particular  cruise  ship  activities,  has  been  steadily  increasing  in 
recent years. The Commission has addressed options for enhancing safety standards 
and  establishing  best  practice  through  work,  for  instance,  with  the  Associations  of 
Cruise Operators (AECO), most notably at a conference in Rome in 2009. Industry is 
itself exploring options with classification societies and flag states. At Arctic Council 
level, the PAME working group has discussed best practices for operators under the 
follow-up action of the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment39, with the involvement 
of the Commission and EMSA. The Commission reflects in various fora, in parallel 
to  the  ongoing  development  of  IMO's  mandatory  Polar  Code,  on  how  the  risks 
incurred by cruise passenger ships operating in Arctic waters, and their passengers on 
board, can be reduced.  

Discussions,  involving  the  Commission,  have  taken  place  on  solutions  for  crucial 
safety issues that a number of cruise passenger vessels in the Arctic are confronted 
with, in terms of bad or dangerous practices. These include navigating in unchartered 
waters,  approaching  icebergs  and  other  hazards,  or  not  coordinating  voyages  with 
other  ships  in  Arctic  areas  with  particularly  limited  Search  and  Rescue  (SAR) 
availability.  The  Commission  has  had  discussions  on  possible  initiatives  for  risk 
reduction in the Arctic with the cruise ship industry and other relevant actors. 

39 

http://arctic-council.org/filearchive/AMSA%20Scenarios%20of%20the%20Future%20-
%20%20Narratives%20Report.pdf 

26 

 
                                                 
The legally-binding SAR agreement adopted by the eight Arctic States at the Nuuk 
Ministerial  meeting  of  12  May  2011  is  an  important  development  in  terms  of 
reinforced  cooperation  and  coordination  between  Arctic  States,  increasing  safety  in 
the Arctic. 

EU cross-border and transnational programmes for the Arctic regions of the EU and 
neighbouring areas support several projects developing new approaches to tourism in 
the  Arctic40,  such  as  the  project  Tourist  Guide  for  Northern  Periphery,41  which  is 
developing innovative information services for tourists. 

3. 

CONTRIBUTING TO ENHANCED ARCTIC COOPERATION 

The Commission's 2008 Communication suggested that greater input should be made 
to the workings of the Arctic Council and increased dialogue should take place with 
regional  partners.  It  also  suggested  that  the  possibilities  of  integrated  ecosystem 
management in the Arctic should be explored.  

Since 2008 the EU has substantially increased its involvement in Arctic cooperation, 
notably  through  its  engagement  with  the  Arctic  Council  and  Arctic  Council 
members.  The  Arctic  Council  remains  the  most  important  forum  for  international 
cooperation in the region, and its recent agreement on Cooperation in Aeronautical 
and  Maritime  Search  and  Rescue  in  the  Arctic  is  an  important  indicator  of  its 
development. The Commission applied, on behalf of the EU, to become a permanent 
observer to the Arctic Council on 1 December 2008. Since criteria for the admission 
of observers were adopted in May 2011, updated information was submitted by the 
Commission  in  a  letter  co-signed  by  Vice  President  Ashton  and  Commissioner 
Damanaki to the Chair of the Arctic Council, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt. 
The  Arctic  Council  will  decide  on  applications  for  observer  status  at  its  next 
ministerial in May 2013.  

Currently  all  six  observer  states  are  EU  Member  States,  i.e.  France,  Germany, 
Netherlands,  Poland,  Spain,  and  the  United  Kingdom.  Italy  has  also  applied  to 
become  an  observer.  The  Commission  was  invited  and  attended  the  ministerial 
meetings  in  2009  and  2011  as  well  as  the  May  2010  deputy  foreign  ministers 
meeting  and  the  Information  Day  with  observers  in  Copenhagen.  Contacts  and 
dialogue  with  the  consecutive  Norwegian,  Danish  and  Swedish  chairmanships,  as 
well  as  with  the  Arctic  Council  Secretariat  in  Tromsø,  have  been  frequent  and 
constructive. 

The  Commission  services,  the  European  External  Action  Service  (EEAS)  and  EU 
agencies  have  participated  as  ad  hoc  observers  in  Arctic  Council  meetings  and 
engaged actively in its working groups. EEA staff members were part of the external 
team  that  conducted  a  review  of  the  achievements  to  date  of  the  Arctic  Council 
working  group  on  the  Arctic  Monitoring  and  Assessment  Programme  (AMAP). 
AMAP  is  also  the  official  co-ordinator  of  the  FP7  project  ArcRisk  described  in 
chapter  2.  Similarly  the  Commission  and  the  EEA  have  contributed  to  the  Arctic 
Council  initiative  on  an  Arctic  Ocean  Review  which  addresses  issues  of  marine 

40 
41 

http://www.interregnord.com/en/projects/north/1-trade-and-industry-development.aspx 
http://www.northernperiphery.eu/en/projects/show/&tid=82 

27 

 
                                                 
governance and identifies gaps and areas for further improvement in the Arctic. The 
EU  also  contributes  to  work  on  marine  safety  and  offshore  oil  and  gas  activities 
taking place under the Arctic Council, specifically under the Protection of the Arctic 
Marine  Environment  (PAME)  and  the  Emergency  Prevention,  Preparedness  & 
Response (EPPR) Working Groups 

The  Northern  Dimension  (ND)  remains  a  successful  common  policy  of  the  EU, 
Iceland, Norway and Russia. The Northern Dimension Policy Framework Document 
was  adopted  at  the  2006  Northern  Dimension  Summit  and  entered  into  force  on  1 
January 2007. The policy covers a broad geographic area “from the European Arctic 
and Sub-Arctic areas to the southern shores of the Baltic Sea, including the countries 
in its vicinity and from North-West Russian in the east to Iceland and Greenland in 
the west. While North-West Russia remains the focus, the “extensive Arctic and sub-
Arctic  areas  including  the  Barents  Region”  are  considered  as  "priority  areas".  This 
formulation, together with the fact that both the Arctic Council and the Barents Euro-
Arctic  Council  are  considered  as  “participants”  of  the  ND  Policy,  establishes  the 
basic parameters for the Arctic Window of the Northern Dimension. 

The Northern Dimension Steering Group has repeatedly discussed ways and means 
to further define the Arctic Window. The meeting of the ND Senior Officials on 12 
November 2009 adopted a Joint Statement which instructed the Steering Group ”to 
consider  ways  to  develop  the  ND  Arctic  Window  without  duplicating  work  within 
the mandates of the Arctic Council or the Barents Euro-Arctic Council. In particular 
they  noted  that  further  consideration  would  be  needed  on  how  indigenous  peoples 
could  be  included  in  the  deliberations  of  the  ND  Arctic  Window.”  Following  the 
Senior  Officials  Meeting  the  Steering  Group  invited  representatives  of  the 
Indigenous Peoples to participate in meetings and also requested all the ND Partner-
ships  and  initiatives  to  consider  what  additional  action  they  could  undertake  with 
regard to the Arctic region. 

At  the  11th  meeting  of  the  ND  Steering  Group  in  Reykjavik  on  21  June  2010,  all 
Northern  Dimension  Partnerships  and  initiatives  were  invited  to  consider  to  what 
extent increased attention could be given to Arctic issues in their respective domains. 
Preliminary  results  of  these  contributions  were  discussed  in  Oslo  on  23  September 
2010  and  the  Steering  Group  decided  to  request  that  all  ND  Partnerships  and 
initiatives  submit  written  contributions  on  their  views  on  how  they  could  pay 
increased  attention  to  the  Arctic  region.  Norway  undertook  to  prepare  a  concept 
paper on the ways and means to better involve the indigenous peoples in the practical 
implementation  of  the  Northern  Dimension  Policy.  The  ministers  also  adopted  a 
Joint Statement which referred to the the untapped potential of the Arctic Window  

In addition to the well-established ND Partnerships on Environment (NDEP) and in 
Public Health and Social Well-Being (NDPHS) two other Partnerships have been set 
up respectively on Transport and Logistics (NDPTL) and on Culture (NDPC) during 
the  period  2009-2011.  The  Nordic  Investment  Bank  hosts  the  secretariat  of  the 
NDPTL and the Nordic Council of Ministers hosts the NDPC secretariat. Other ND 
initiatives  are  the  Northern  Dimension  Institute  (NDI),  set  up  in  2010  between  19 
universities  and  research  centres,  and  the  Northern  Dimension  Business  Council 
providing  a  cooperation  platform  for  businesses  in  the  ND  region.  Canada  is  a 
partner  in  the  NDEP  and  an  associated  partner  in  the  NDPHS.  Although  it  was  a 
founding partner of the NDPHS, it withdrew from it as a full partner in 2010. 

28 

 
The  Northern  Dimension  has  also  been  a  useful  umbrella  to  facilitate  cooperation 
between the Four Councils of the North, i.e. the Arctic Council, the Barents Euro-
Arctic  Council,  the  Council  of  the  Baltic  Sea  States  and  the  Nordic  Council  of 
Ministers.  An  annual  coordination  meeting  is  held  between  the  presidencies  of  the 
councils  and  the  Commission.  Russia  and  Norway  took  the  initiative  to  organise  a 
deputy foreign ministers’ meeting of the four council chairmen and the Commission 
respectively in St. Petersburg in September 2009 and in Oslo in January 2012. These 
meetings led to a closer look at ways to avoid overlap and promote synergy among 
the four councils.  

The Commission has been a member of Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) since 
its foundation in 1993. The EU supports the BEAC role in facilitating cross-border 
cooperation  in  the  High  North,  in  which  EU  programmes  in  collaboration  with  the 
Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) play an important role.  

The  NCM  is  a  close  partner  of  the  EU  on  Arctic  and  Barents  cooperation.  A 
workshop to identify concrete areas for developing common initiatives took place on 
8 April 201142. 

Arctic  cooperation  is  now  regularly  included  in  the  agendas  of  bilateral  meetings 
with the Arctic states, notably Canada, Iceland, Norway, Russian Federation and the 
US.    The  visits  of  the  High  Representative  /  Vice  President  Ashton  and 
Commissioner Damanaki in the Arctic areas in Finland, Sweden, Norway, including 
Svalbard,  and  Greenland  underlined  the  importance  of  the  region  and  provided 
opportunity for firsthand assessment of the changes as well as possibility to discuss 
the  challenges  with  local  populations,  Saami  and  Inuit  representatives  and  Arctic 
experts. Specific missions on bilateral Arctic policy implementation were carried out 
by  Commission  and  EEAS  officials  to  the  governments  of  Canada,  Greenland,  US 
and Russia. 

In  addition,  the  EU  Delegations  in  Arctic  states  have  a  significant  role  in 
communicating  relevant  EU  policy  to  governments  and  the  public  as  well  as 
informing EU on national Arctic activities of relevance in the Arctic states.  

Iceland  applied  to  join  the  EU  in  June  2009.  The  European  Council  subsequently 
decided  in  June  2010  to  open  accession  negotiations,  and  the  Inter-Governmental 
Conference (IGC) began negotiations in June 2011. 

EU-Greenland  Relations:  In  2009,  Greenland,  an  autonomous  territory  of  the 
Kingdom of Denmark, increased its autonomy, when the Self Government Act took 
over from the 1979 Home Rule arrangement. The Act contains the possibility of the 
devolution  to  the  Government  of  Greenland  of  most  of  the  (internal)  competencies 
hitherto in the hands of the Danish government. Furthermore, it recognizes the right 
of the people of Greenland to self-determination under international law, as well as 
defining  the  natural  resources  located  in  Greenland,  as  being  the  property  of  the 
Greenlandic people. Greenland’s relations with the EU are defined by the Overseas 
Association  Decision  and  the  comprehensive  Greenland-EU  partnership,  which 
provide the framework for cooperation between Greenland, Denmark and the EU.  

42 

http://www.norden.org/en/nordic-council-of-ministers/ministers-for-co-operation-mr-sam/the-
arctic/calender/nordic-council-of-ministers-eu-seminar-an-arctic-agenda 

29 

 
 
                                                 
In  the  context  of  the  Overseas  Association,  Greenland  has  the  ambition  to  play  a 
leading  role  in  the  discussions  between  the  Overseas  Countries  and  Territories 
(OCTs), the Member States to which they are associated and the EU on issues related 
to  environment  and  climate  change.  On  29–30  March  2011  the  Government  of 
Greenland  organized  a  Climate  Change  workshop  in  Brussels.  Greenland  co-chairs 
the  partnership  working  party  on  environment,  climate  change,  prevention  and 
management  of  natural  disasters  and  thus  plays  an  active  role  in  defining 
environmental  themes  of  relevance  in  the  context  of  the  ongoing  revision  of  the 
Overseas  Association  Decision,  which  expires  at  the  end  of  2013.  The  aim  of  this 
revision  of  the  Overseas  Association  Decision  is  to  modernise  and  adapt  the 
association  relationship  to  the  needs  of  the  OCTs.  Greenland  and  the  Commission 
hosted  an  OCT  Association  meeting  in  March  2010  and  Greenland  chairs  the 
Oversees  Countries  and  Territories  Association  (OCTA)  during  the  Danish  EU 
Presidency in 2012.  

Regarding Greenland, the current partnership allows for policy dialogue on areas of 
mutual  interests,  beyond  targeted  financial  aid,  such  as  research,  raw  materials  and 
energy.  During  the  period  2007-2013,  Greenland  will  receive  EU  financial  support 
amounting to €25 million per year in 2006 prices. Greenland ministerial delegations 
have  met  with  Commissioners  to  discuss  the  Greenland-EU  partnership  in  2009, 
2010 and 2011, where the need to strengthen the partnership has been an important 
issue.  A  mid-term  review  of  the  partnership  was  undertaken  in  2010.  The  targeted 
sector  for  financial  cooperation  in  the  period  2007-2013  is  education  and  both 
Greenland and Denmark has expressed an interest in maintaining that focal sector for 
the  future  financial  period  (2014-2020).  On  7  December  2011,  the  Commission 
submitted a legislative proposal to renew the partnership for the period 2014-202043. 
As part of the future partnership, the Commission has proposed an enhanced dialogue 
on  Arctic  issues  as  well  as  natural  resources,  including  raw  materials.  Hence, 
intensive dialogue has been initiated in 2011 between the Government of Greenland 
and all relevant Commission services. 

The  EU-Greenland  Partnership  is  complementary  to  the  EU-Greenland  Fisheries 
Partnership  Agreement  (FPA),  and  defines  the  EU's  financial  contribution  for 
development beyond the area of fisheries. Given that the current protocol to the FPA 
will  expire  end  of  2012,  a  new  three-year  protocol  was  succesfully  initialled  in 
February 2012. Under the terms of the new protocol, the EU will annually provide a 
financial  contribution,  including  sectoral  support,  to  Greenland,  to  a  maximum 
amount  of  €17.8  million.  In  2010,  the  EEA   and  Greenland  signed  a  cooperation 
agreement  to  support  sustainable  development  and  to  protect  and  improve  the 
environment  through  targeted,  relevant  and  reliable  information  to  policymakers  in 
Greenland  and  Europe.  In  January  2012,  the  EEA  and  the  Greenland  Ministry  of 
Health signed a cooperation agreement covering environment and health issues. 

International legal frameworks. UNCLOS, the widely recognized international legal 
framework, and the IMO remain the major basis for Arctic cooperation concerning 
maritime  issues;  the  EU  remains  fully  attached  to  both  and  to  their  respective 
principles.  

43 

COM(2011) 846, 7 December 2011 

30 

 
                                                 
The EU is promoting integrated ecosystem-based management of human activities in 
the Arctic in the framework of the Oslo and Paris Conventions for the protection of 
the  marine  environment  of  the  North-East  Atlantic  (OSPAR)  which  is  working  to 
establish  a  network  of  well-managed  marine  protected  areas  by  2012.  The  EU 
cooperates  also  in  the  framework  of  OSPAR  to  assess  the  suitability  of  existing 
measures to manage oil and gas activities in the Arctic, including drilling in extreme 
conditions  and  their  relevance  to  potential  environmental  impacts.  Based  on  this 
assessment,  OSPAR  will  conclude  on  the  need  for  action  within  the  scope  of  the 
OSPAR Convention. 

The  EU  has  continued  to  put  forward  within  competent  UN  fora  the  concept  that 
biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction needs to be properly addressed. The 
EU  believes  that  this  should  be  done  through  an  implementing  agreement  of 
UNCLOS and based on the obligations of States under the Convention to protect and 
preserve the marine environment and to cooperate on a global and regional level in 
order to achieve this. This could have relevance to the Arctic. At the fourth meeting 
of  the  of  the  "UN  Ad  Hoc  Open-ended  Informal  Working  Group  to  study  issues 
relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond 
areas  of  national  jurisdiction"  which  took  place  from  31  May  to  3  June  2011, 
growing support at international level on exploring such an option was noted, though 
this continued to be opposed by some key international partners.  

The Commission remains in contact with Iceland and Norway on possible integration 
of  the  Marine  Strategy  Framework  Directive  into  the  European  Economic  Area 
Agreement. 

The  Arctic  TRANSFORM  project  funded  by  the  European  Commission  engaged 
experts in a transatlantic discussion of five Arctic-related thematic areas: indigenous 
peoples,  environmental  governance,  fisheries,  offshore  hydrocarbon  activities,  and 
shipping.  Expert  working  groups  addressed  each  thematic  area  with  the  goal  of 
developing the international and EU policy options for addressing the rapid changes 
underway in the Arctic marine area44. 

Communication  and  coherence.  Following  the  Commission's  proposal  to  explore 
the  possibilities  of  setting  up  a  European  Arctic  Information  Centre  and  its 
endorsement by the Council of the European Union (December 2009) and European 
Parliament  (January  2011),  the  Commission  has  been  in  contact  with  relevant 
European entities. The Commission has also presented its views on the concepts of 
the possible information centre through answers to parliamentary questions45.  

The  Commission  is  preparing  to  implement  a  preparatory  action,  approved  by  the 
Budgetary  Authority  with  a  budget  of  €1  m illion,  for  a  strategic  assessment  of  the 
impact of development in the Arctic. The project will also follow up the suggestion 
in  the  2008  Communication  to  explore  possibilities  for  creating  a  European  Arctic 
Information  Centre  and,  for  this  purpose,  will  test  the  feasibility  of  an  Arctic 
information  platform  based  on  a  network  of  leading  Arctic  research  centres  and 
universities  within  and  outside  the  EU.  Arctic  policy  and  Arctic  cooperation  is  the 

44 
45 

http://arctic-transform.org/docs.html 
P-7657/2010 – Diana Wallis (ALDE) 

31 

 
                                                 
subject  of  intensive  coordination  between  the  Commission  services  and  the  EEAS. 
The  Arctic  inter-service  group  (AISG)  established  in  early  2008  continues  to  meet 
regularly and serves as an important channel for regular and continuous information 
exchange between the Commission, the EEAS and agencies (EEA and EMSA). The 
AISG  members  participated  and  presented  the  EU’s  Arctic  policy  at  several 
conferences devoted to Arctic issues. The various sections on the Europa website46 
and  the Maritime Forum47 now include  special thematic pages  on the Arctic which 
will be continuously updated and expanded. 

46 

46 
47 

http://eeas.europa.eu/arctic_region/index_en.htm; http://ec.europa.eu/environment/enlarg/arctic_en.htm;   
http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/policy/sea_basins/arctic_ocean/index_en.htm; 
http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/newsanddoc/article_2993_en.htm 
http://eeas.europa.eu/arctic_region/index_en.htm 
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/taxonomy/term/95 

32 

 
                                                 
GLOSSARY 

Acronym 

Definition 

ABA 

AC 

ACCESS 

ACOBAR 

AIS 

AMAP 

Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 

Arctic Council 

Arctic  Climate  Change,  Economy  and  Society  (collaborative  research 
project supported by FP7) 

 Acoustic  Technology  for  Observing  the  interior  of  the  Arctic  Ocean 
(collaborative research project supported by FP7) 

Automatic  identification  system.  Anti-collision  system  for  ships,  also 
used for vessel traffic monitoring (VTMIS). 

Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme. Arctic Council working 
group 

AMSA 

Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment 

ARCFAC 

ArcRisk 

ATP 

BEAC 

CAFF 

CBC 

CBMP 

CBSS 

CCS 

European  Centre 
infrastructures project supported by FP6) 

for  Arctic  Environmental  Research 

(research 

Arctic health risks: Impacts on health in the Arctic and Europe owing to 
climate-induced changes in contaminant cycling (collaborative research 
project supported by FP7) 

 Arctic Tipping Points (collaborative research project supported by FP7) 

Barents  Euro-Arctic  Council.  A 
cooperation in the Barents Region established in 1993. 

forum 

for 

intergovernmental 

Arctic  Council  working  group  on  Conservation  of  Arctic  Flora  and 
Fauna 

Cross-border  cooperation  programmes  funded  under  the  European 
Neighbourhood  and  Partnership  Instrument  and  the  European  Regional 
Development fund  

Circumpolar  Biodiversity  Monitoring  Programme.  An  international 
network  of  scientists,  government  agencies,  Indigenous  organizations 
and  conservation  groups  working  together  to  harmonize  and  integrate 
efforts to monitor the Arctic's living resources. 

Council of the Baltic Sea States 

Carbon Capture and Storage 

CleanSeaNet 

Near-real-time satellite-based oil spill and vessel monitoring service  

33 

 
Acronym 

Definition 

CLEAR 

 Climate  Change,  Environmental  Contaminants  and  Reproductive 
Health (collaborative research project supported by FP7) 

CPAR 

Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region 

DAMOCLES 

Developing Arctic Modelling and Observing Capabilities for Long-term 
Environmental Studies (collaborative research project supported by FP6)

EBRD 

EEA 

EEAS 

EIDHR 

EMSA 

EMSO 

ENPI 

ENRTP 

EPPR 

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development 

European Environment Agency 

European External Action Service 

European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights 

European Maritime Safety Agency based in Lisbon, Portugal 

European Multidisciplinary Seafloor Observatory  

European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument 

A  programme  for  external  cooperation  to  promote  environmental  and 
sustainable  management  of  natural  resources,  including  energy.  In  the 
world and especially in developing countries.  

Arctic Council working group on Emergency Prevention, Preparedness 
and Response 

ERDF 

European Regional Development Fund 

ERICON-AB 

The  European  Polar  Research  Icebreaker  Consortium  Aurora  Borealis 
(research infrastructures integrating activity supported by FP7)  

ESA 

ESFRI 

European Space Agency 

European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures 

ESONET 

European Seafloor Observatory Network 

ETC 

European Territorial Cooperation 

EUROBASIN 

European  Basin-scale  Analysis,  Synthesis  &  Integration  (collaborative 
research  project  corresponding 
the 
to 
international  project  Basin-scale  Analysis,  Synthesis  and  Integration. 
Supported by FP7.) 

the  European  branch  of 

EuroSITES 

Integration  and  enhancement  of  key  existing  European  deep-ocean 
observatories (research infrastructures project supported by FP7) 

34 

 
Acronym 

Definition 

EuRuCAS 

European-Russian  Centre  for  cooperation  in  the  Arctic  and  Sub-Arctic 
environmental  and  climate  research  (international  research  cooperation 
action supported by FP7) 

FP6 

FP7 

GEO 

GEOSS 

Europe's Sixth Framework Programme for sixth framework programme 
of  the  European  Community  for  research,  technological  development 
and demonstration activities, covering the period 2002-2006 

Europe's  Seventh  Framework  Programme 
Development, covering the period 2007-2013 

for  Research 

and 

 Intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations 

 Global  Earth  Observation  System  of  Systems,  coordinated  by  the 
intergovernmental group GEO 

GHG 

greenhouse gases 

GLONASS 

GMES 

GPS 

HERMES 

A  satellite  navigation  system  operated  by  the  Russian  Federal  Space 
Agency. 

Global Monitoring for Environment and Security is the European Earth 
monitoring  programme  that  allows  for  the  collection,  assimilation  and 
production  of  information  about  planet  Earth’s  physical,  chemical  and 
biological systems. 

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is the United States space-based 
global navigation satellite system (GNSS) 

 Hotspot  Ecosystem  Research  on  the  Margins  of  European  Seas 
(collaborative research project supported by FP6) 

HERMIONE 

 Hotspot  ecosystem  research  and  Man's  impact  on  European  seas 
(collaborative research project supported by FP7) 

HYPOX 

Ice2sea 

ICOS 

IMHAP 

In  situ  Monitoring  of  Oxygen  Depletion  in  Hypoxic  Ecosystems  of 
Coastal  and  Open  seas,  and  Land-locked  Water  Bodies  (collaborative 
research project supported by FP7) 

Estimating the Future Contribution of Continental Ice to Sea-level Rise 
(collaborative research project supported by FP7) 

Integrated Carbon Observation System 

The Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-
being  Task  Group  on  Indigenous  Mental  Health,  Addiction  and 
Parenting 

IMO 

International Maritime Organisation 

35 

 
Acronym 

Definition 

INSPIRE 

Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
14 March 2007 establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in 
the European Community  

INTERACT 

 International  Network  for  Terrestrial  Research  and  Monitoring  in  the 
Arctic (networking action supported by FP7) 

IPCC 

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 

IPCC AR5 

IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report 

LRIT 

LRTAP 

NASCO 

NCM 

NDEP 

NDI 

NDPC 

NDPHS 

NDPTL 

NEAFC 

Long  Range  Identification  and  Tracking.  A  system  allowing  ships  to 
report their position by satellite. 

Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution 

North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization 

Nordic Council of Ministers 

Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership 

Northern Dimension Institute 

Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture 

The Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-
being 

The Northern Dimension Partnership on Transport and Logistics 

North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission 

NORDREG 

Northern Canada Vessel Traffic Services Zone 

OCT 

OCTA 

OGP 

Overseas Countries and Territories 

Overseas Countries and Territories Association 

The International Association of Oil & Gas producers 

OSPRAG 

UK's Oil Spill Prevention and Response Advisory Group 

PAGE21 

PAME 

PCW 

Changing  Permafrost  in  the  Arctic  and  its  Global  Effects  in  the  21st 
Century (collaborative research project supported by FP7) 

Arctic  Council  working  Group 
Environment 

for  Protection  of 

the  Marine 

Polar Communications and Weather satellite. A potential new Canadian 
two-way 
space  mission 

called  which  would  provide  24/7 

36 

 
Acronym 

Definition 

communications  capability  to  the  Canadian  north  and  near-real  time 
meteorological  information  products  about  the  north  to  government 
users throughout Canada 

PRETEAR 

Preparation for Threats to Environments in Arctic Regions. Project co-
funded by the EU’s Civil Protection Financial Instrument 

RAIPON 

Federation of Arctic Indigenous Peoples of the North 

RECONCILE 

SafeSeaNet 

Reconciliation  of  Essential  Process  Parameters  for  an  Enhanced 
Predictability  of  Arctic  Stratospheric  Ozone  Loss  and  its  Climate 
Interactions (collaborative research project supported by FP7) 

A European Platform for Maritime Data Exchange between EU Member 
States' maritime authorities, and including the European Economic Area 
States  

SAO 

SAON 

SAR 

Senior Arctic Officials 

Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks 

Search and Rescue 

SCPAR 

Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region 

SEARCH 
DAMOCLES 

for 

SEARCH for DAMOCLES (S4D) is a joint initiative designed to bridge 
two  independent  Arctic  research  programmes,  SEARCH  (USA)  and 
DAMOCLES (EU) (networking activity supported by FP6). 

SEIS 

SIOS 

STCW 

TACIS 

TEN-T 

THC 

THOR 

Shared Environmental Information System 

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System 

Standards of Training, Certification and Watch-Keeping for mariners 

TACIS 
the 
is  an  abbreviation  of  "Technical  Assistance 
Commonwealth  of  Independent  States",  a  programme  implemented  by 
the  European  Commission  to  help  members  of  the  Commonwealth  of 
Independent  States  (as  well  as  Mongolia),  in  their  transition  to 
democratic market-oriented economies. 

to 

Trans European Transport Networks 

Atlantic thermohaline circulation 

Thermohaline  overturning  -  at  risk?  (collaborative  research  project 
supported by FP7) 

UNCLOS 

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 

37 

 
Acronym 

Definition 

UNFCCC 

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 

UNECE 

UNGA 

WWF 

United  Nations  Economic  Commission  for  Europe.  It  is  one  of  five 
regional commissions of the United Nations. 

United Nations General Assembly 

World Wildlife Fund 

38 

 
ANNEX I 

Key research projects with an Arctic dimension (2008-2012) 

Seventh  Framework  Programme  Grants  to  collaborative  research  projects  with  an 
Arctic dimension, started and/or ongoing 2008-2012 

Grant 

Project Title 

Start
/End 

EU 

Contribution 

(€ million) 

ACCESS 

Arctic 
Climate 
Change,  Economy 
and Society 

2011-
2015 

11.0 

ACOBAR 

ArcRisk 

2008-
2012 

2009-
2013 

Acoustic 
Technology 
Observing 
interior 
of 
Arctic Ocean 

for 
the 
the 

in 

Health 
Arctic 
Risks:  Impacts  on 
health 
the 
Arctic  and  Europe 
owing  to  climate 
induced 
changes 
in 
contaminant 
cycling 

ATP 

Arctic 
Points 

Tipping 

2009-
2012 

CLEAR 

2010-
2014 

Climate  Change, 
Environmental 
Contaminants  and 
Reproductive 
Health 

3.0 

3.5 

5.0 

2.4 

Project Objectives 

ACCESS  will  assess  climate  change  impacts  on  key 
economic  sectors  (maritime  transport,  fisheries,  tourism 
and  resource  extraction)  and  how  the  development  of 
these  sectors  could  affect  the  Arctic  environment  and 
climate  feedbacks.  It  will  produce  scenarios  to  assist 
policy makers in their strategic choices. The project will 
also  consider  Arctic  governance  issues,  including  the 
United  Nations  Convention  for  the  Law  of  the  Sea 
framework. www.access-eu.org 

ACOBAR  has  developed  an  observation  system  for 
environmental  monitoring  of  the  Arctic  Ocean  using 
underwater acoustic methods. http://acobar.nersc.no 

long-range 

is  having  on 

ArcRisk  seeks  to  understand  a)  what  influence  climate 
change 
transport  of 
the 
contaminants;  b)  how  contaminants  travel  through  the 
food web; and c) what impact this is having on the health 
of human populations, including Arctic populations. This 
project  is  coordinated  by  the  Arctic  Monitoring  and 
Assessment  Programme,  a  working  group  of  the  Arctic 
Council. www.arcrisk.eu 

identified  and  assessed  potential  critical 
ATP  has 
thresholds  at  which  minor  climate  change  driven 
perturbations  can  irreversibly  change  the  Arctic  marine 
ecosystems. www.eu-atp.org 

CLEAR  is  investigating  the  possible  impact  of  global 
climate change on reproductive health in the Arctic and in 
two  local  European  populations.  The  key  questions  it 
addresses  are:  a)  how  may  climate  change  impact  on 
environmental 
human 
contaminants;  and  b)  how  may  contaminants  impact  on 
occurrence  of 
reproductive  disorders  as  sensitive 
indicators of health. www.inuendo.dk/clear 

to  widespread 

exposure 

DAMOCLES  Developing  Arctic 
and 

Modelling 
Observing 
Capabilities 
Long-term 
Environmental 
Studies  

for 

2005-
2010 

16.5 

DAMOCLES  shed  light  on  the  changes  in  sea-ice, 
atmosphere  and  ocean  of  the  Arctic  and  sub-Arctic 
domain. It improved modelling and identified appropriate 
adaptation strategies. www.damocles-eu.org 

39 

 
 
 
Grant 

Project Title 

Start
/End 

EU 

Contribution 

(€ million) 

EPOCA 

European  Project 
on 
Ocean 
Acidification 

2008-
2012 

6.5 

EUROBASIN  European  Union 

Basin-scale 
Analysis, 
Synthesis 
Integration 

and 

2010-
2014 

7.0 

HERMIONE  Hotspot 

Ecosystem 
Research 
and 
Man’s  Impact  on 
European Seas 

2009-
2012 

8.0 

2009-
2012 

3.5 

HYPOX 

In  situ  monitoring 
oxygen 
of 
in 
depletion 
hypoxic 
ecosystems 
of 
coastal  and  open 
land-
seas,  and 
water 
locked 
bodies 

Ice2sea 

Estimating 
the 
future  contribution 
of  continental  ice 
to sea-level rise 

2009-
2013 

10.0 

Project Objectives 

EPOCA improved our understanding of past and present 
spatio-temporal  changes  of  ocean  acidification;  of  the 
impacts  of  ocean  acidification  on  marine  biota;  and  of 
future  changes  in  ocean  chemistry  and  biogeochemical 
feedbacks  in  terms  of  hotspots,  uncertainties,  thresholds. 
It shed light on tipping points. www.epoca-project.eu 

EUROBASIN  seeks  to  understand  the  potential  impacts 
and  feedbacks  of  global  change  and  anthropogenic 
forcing  on  the  sea  ecosystems  of  the  North  Atlantic, 
including  the  associated  Arctic  shelf,  with  a  view  to 
furthering  our  capacity  to  manage  these  systems  in  a 
sustainable  manner.  EURO-BASIN 
is  part  of  a 
multidisciplinary  international  effort  (BASIN)  linked 
with similar activities in the US and Canada. www.euro-
basin.eu 

HERMIONE is advancing knowledge on the functioning 
of  EU  deep-sea  ecosystems  and  their  contribution  to  the 
production  of  goods  and  services.  It  considers  the 
combined effects of climate change and human activities 
such  as  fishing,  resource  extraction,  seabed  installations 
and  pollution.  It  comprises  a  component  looking  at  the 
impact  of  global  warming  in  the  Arctic  on  deep  sea 
ecosystems. www.eu-hermione.net 

HYPOX  monitors  oxygen  depletion  and  associated 
processes  in  aquatic  systems  due  to  global  warming  and 
eutrophication  in  open  waters  and  land-locked  systems. 
The Arctic is one of several regions studied. This project 
improves  our  capacity  to  monitor  oxygen  depletion 
globally  by  implementing  reliable  long-term  sensors  to 
different  platforms  for  in  situ  monitoring.  It  will  use  a 
state  of  the  art  data  centre  and  comply  with  GEOSS 
standards. www.hypox.net 

Ice2sea  will  enhance  global  sea-level  rise  projections  by 
improving  the  understanding  of  the  interactions  between 
climate,  ice  and  oceans.  Specifically,  it  studies  the 
contribution  that  the  loss  of  continental  glaciers  and  ice 
sheets  stands  to  make  to  sea  level  rise,  thus  reducing  a 
key source of uncertainty in the projections. This project 
will  help  to  build  a  scientific  foundation  for  policy 
development 
area. 
www.ice2sea.eu 

and  decision-making 

this 

in 

PAGE21 

2011-
2015 

6.9 

Changing 
Permafrost  in  the 
Arctic 
its 
Global  Effects  in 
the 21st Century 

and 

PAGE21 will improve the understanding of the processes 
and dynamics affecting the size of the Arctic permafrost 
carbon  and  nitrogen  pools,  and  assess  their  vulnerability 
to climate change. It will improve datasets and modelling, 
and  further  the  understanding  of  uncertainties  and  of 
feedbacks involving permafrost and global change. It will 
also explore stabilisation scenarios. www.page21.eu 

40 

 
 
Project Objectives 

RECONCILE 
improves  our  understanding  of  key 
processes  dominating  polar  ozone  loss.  Through  direct 
implementation of a chemistry climate model (CCM), the 
project strengthens our predictive capabilities in terms of 
feedbacks between stratospheric ozone and global climate 
change,  in  particular  in  the  polar  regions.  www.fp7-
reconcile.eu 

This was a joint initiative designed to foster a partnership 
between  two  major  Arctic  research  programs,  SEARCH 
(USA)  and  DAMOCLES  (EU)  to  exploit  synergies  on 
account  of  their  shared  scientific  objectives.  The  latter 
included  large-scale  observations  of  the  Arctic  Ocean 
sea-ice  cover,  circulation  and  atmospheric  processes, 
integration and assimilation of observations with models, 
assessment  of  environmental  and  human 
impacts. 
www.damocles-eu.org 

scenarios 

THOR  combines  modelling  with  observations  to  provide 
improved  quantification  of  the  risk,  time  horizon  and 
possible 
for  Thermohaline  Circulation 
breakdown, and related abrupt climate change for Europe 
and  the  Arctic/sub-Arctic  region  in  the  medium  term. 
THOR  will  also  develop  strategies  for  the  establishment 
of  a  medium  term  climate  forecast  service  for  Europe  to 
assist planning in both the public and the private sectors. 
www.eu-thor.eu 

Start
/End 

EU 

Contribution 

(€ million) 

2009-
2013 

3.5 

Grant 

Project Title 

RECONCILE  Reconciliation  of 
essential  process 
parameters  for  an 
enhanced 
predictability 
Arctic 
stratospheric 
ozone  loss  and  its 
climate 
interactions 

of 

2006-
2010 

0.6 

SEARCH  for 
DAMOCLES 

of 

Study 
environmental 
Arctic  Change  - 
Developing  Arctic 
Modelling 
and 
observing 
capability 
long-term 
environment 
studies 

for 

THOR 

Thermohaline 
overturning  –  at 
risk? 

2008-
2012 

9.3 

41 

 
 
 
Seventh  Framework  Programme  Grants  to  projects  building  capacity  for  research  on 
the Arctic, started and/or ongoing 2008-2012 

Grant 

Project Title 

EISCAT_3D_2 

Upgrade  of  the  EISCAT 
ionospheric 
facility 
and 
weather 
research 

for 
space 

Start/
End 

EU 
Contribution 

(€ million) 

2010-
2014 

4.5 

Project Objectives 

EISCAT_3D is a next generation incoherent scatter 
radar system for high-latitude atmosphere and geo-
space  studies.  The  facility  will consist  of  multiple 
large  phased-array  antenna  transmitters/receivers 
in three countries, comprising tens of thousands of 
individual  antenna  elements.  The  new  radars  will 
collect  data  from  the  upper  stratosphere  to  the 
magnetosphere and beyond. www.eiscat.se 

EMSO 

European 
Multidisciplinary 
Seafloor Observatory 

2008-
2012 

3.9 

the 

legal, 

financial  and 
EMSO  establishes 
framework  of  a  new  European 
governance 
Multidisciplinary 
as 
Seafloor  Observatory 
identified in the ESFRI roadmap.  This preparatory 
phase  project  will  aim  at  the  foundation  of  a 
European  Research  Infrastructure  Consortium  as 
the legal entity that will manage EMSO distributed 
research infrastructures. www.emso-eu.org 

ERICON-AB 

The  European 
research 
consortium 
Borealis 

polar 
icebreaker 
Aurora 

2008-
2012 

ESONET 

European 
Observatory Network 

Seas 

2007-
2011 

EuroSITES 

and 
Integration 
enhancement 
key 
existing  European  deep-
ocean observatories 

of 

2008-
2011 

EuRuCAS 

European-Russian 
Centre for cooperation in 
the  Arctic  and  Sub-
Arctic 
environmental 
and climate research 

2012-
2015 

ERICON-AB  is  generating  the  strategic,  legal, 
financial and organisational frameworks as a basis 
for  developing  and  implementing  the  European 
polar 
icebreaker  Aurora  Borealis. 
www.eri-aurora-borealis.eu 

research 

ESONET  is  creating  an  organisation  capable  of 
implementing,  operating  and  maintaining  a 
network  of  ocean  observatories  in  deep  waters 
around  Europe.  It  makes  continuous  real-time 
observations  over  a 
time  scales. 
www.esonet-noe.org 

range  of 

EuroSITES  constructs  a  coherent  European 
network of deep ocean observatories and perform a 
small  number  of  specific  science  missions  to 
inform  future  improved  and  novel  monitoring 
capability. www.eurosites.info 

EuRuCas enhances cooperation on Arctic research 
between the EU and Russia by providing access for 
EU researchers to work at the Nansen International 
Environmental  and  Remote  Sensing  Centre 
(NIERSC)  established  in  St.  Petersburg,  Russia. 
Joint studies to focus on climate and environmental 
changes  in  the  Arctic  and  Sub-Arctic  in  the  21st 
century and their socio-economic impacts will also 
be supported. Website forthcoming. 

4.5 

7.0 

3.5 

2.0 

42 

 
 
Grant 

Project Title 

Start/
End 

EU 
Contribution 

Project Objectives 

ICOS 

Integrated 
Observing System 

Carbon 

2008 -
2012 

(€ million) 

4.3 

INTERACT 

International  Network 
for  Terrestrial  Research 
and  Monitoring  in  the 
Arctic 

2011-
2014 

7.3 

SIOS 

Integrated 
Svalbard 
Arctic  Earth  Observing 
System 

2010-
2013 

4.0 

ICOS provides the long-term observations required 
to  understand  the  present  state  and  predict  future 
behaviour  of  climate,  the  global  carbon  cycle  and 
greenhouse gases emissions. It tracks carbon fluxes 
in  Europe  and  adjacent  regions  by  monitoring  the 
ecosystems, 
the  oceans 
the  atmosphere  and 
through  integrated  networks.  Data  from  several 
observatories are already available. 

ICOS  monitors  from  observatories  in  Northern 
Eurasia  feedbacks  specific 
latitudes. 
www.icos-infrastructure.eu 

to  high 

INTERACT is building a circum-arctic network of 
terrestrial  field  bases  for  enhanced  capacity  for 
research  and  monitoring  in  the  Arctic.  It  fosters 
access  to  field  stations  and  data.  It  has  already 
established  equipment 
to  measure  biospheric 
feedbacks  at  many  sites  and  awarded  hundreds  of 
researchers access to 20 research stations. Further, 
sensors  and  data 
for  networking 
methods 
management  have  been  surveyed. 
Improved 
cooperation on biodiversity issues is being sought. 
www.eu-interact.org 

SIOS  will  provide  a  unique  assembly  of 
observational  infrastructures  to  address  the  whole 
spectrum  of  the  natural  coupled  system  in  the 
European  Arctic.  It  will 
thus  be  a  crucial 
infrastructure  to  verify  predictions  of  coupled 
Arctic,  and  –  ultimately  –  Earth  System  Models, 
either  directly  or  indirectly  through  validation  of 
satellite  observations  in  this  northernmost  region. 
www.sios-svalbard.org 

43 

 
 
 
 
 
 
ANNEX II 

European  Territorial Cooperation  (ETC)  programmes  financing  projects  in  the  Arctic 
and sub-Arctic regions 2007-2013 

•  Botnia-Atlantica programme,  
http://www.botnia-atlantica.eu 

•  Interreg IVA North programme,  

http://www.interregnord.com/en/projects.aspx 

•  Interreg IVA Sweden-Norway programme,  
http://www.interreg-sverige-norge.com 

•  Northern Periphery Programme, 

http://www.northernperiphery.eu/en/projects/main/ 

•  Baltic Sea Region Programme, 

http://eu.baltic.net/Project_Database.5308.html?&&contentid=70&contentaction=
sing

44 

 
ANNEX III 

EU financed joint EU-Russia projects in the energy sector, implemented in 2008 – 2010 

•  Study on the impact of the financial crisis on the EU-Russia energy cooperation 

(2009 – 2010, Common Space Facility); 

•  Study on Renewable Energy Policy and the Rehabilitation of Small Scale Hydro-

power Plants (2007 -September 2009, TACIS programme); 

•  Support to the creation of an energy efficiency management system in the Russian 

Federation (until December 2009, Common Space Facility); 

•  Energy efficiency investment projects in Russian regions (2008-2010, TACIS); 

•  Project  "EU-Russia  cooperation  on  energy  efficiency  indicators  in  the  Russia 

Federation" (February 2010 – February 2011, Common Space Facility) 

•  Rehabilitation  of  District  heating 

(Northern  Dimension 
Environment Partnership Project) is ongoing to support investments of the EBRD; 

in  Kaliningrad 

•  Several  interregional  cooperation  projects  such  areas  like:  energy  efficiency  in 
buildings,  district  heating;  sustainable  energy  management  on  municipal  level, 
planning and integration of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies 
in historic centres etc. 

45