Integrated EU Arctic policy

19.9.2016

Question for written answer E-006943-16
to the Commission
Rule 130
Jørn Dohrmann (ECR)

The new Arctic Communication entitled ‘An integrated European Union policy for the Arctic’ of 27 April 2016 covers many EU policies affecting social, economic and environmental aspects of great importance for the Arctic region. However, it does not refer to the Arctic strategies issued by EU Member States (the three Arctic EU Member States and several non-Arctic EU Member States) even though all of these national Arctic strategies also deal with these important areas. There is much common ground and potential synergy between the EU Arctic policy and the EU Member States’ Arctic strategies (as well as the Arctic strategies of the Arctic EEA Member States, Norway and Iceland).

When will the Commission and the VP/HR tackle the task of building a real ‘integrated EU Arctic policy’ in accordance with the EU Member States’ aspirations and concerns?