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Arctic Yearbook 2013
No Entry for the EU Into the Arctic While Guaranteeing Access to Others?
From a security point of view, the Arctic is already complex; involving actors from the region and
from beyond. Peaceful development of the Arctic requires security arrangements capable of
managing the transformation of the region in a stable manner. The best option would no doubt be
to demilitarize the area, as is the case in the Antarctic, in order to pave the way for better framework
conditions for Arctic co-operation and sustainable Arctic governance. Developing joint
environmental governance and maritime search and rescue are also important policy options.
Managing competition, promoting cooperation and developing security arrangements could be a
task to be taken on by the European Union in close cooperation with all actors in the Arctic. There
are Arctic insiders and outsiders and their interests should be integrated. Needless to say, the
measures to be taken require EU financing. But how far should the European Union – as a non-
member of the Arctic Council – go in offering financial means to a region without having a say in
actual decision-making?