In arctic matters the Nordic countries should be consulted – the Nordic industry organisations’ message to the Commission

Together with the Nordic sister organisations, Confederation of Finnish Industries met the European Commission’s EU Special Envoy for Arctic matters Michael Mann last week and discussed the Commission’s new Arctic strategy to be published in 2021. The Nordic sister organisations emphasized that they should be consulted on Arctic issues, as the countries have a genuine interest, expertise and knowledge of Arctic conditions due to their geographical location.

We emphasized three things:

1.  The Arctic has a role to play in resolving the EU’s climate crisis and the transition to a green economy, e.g. its location is advantageous for data centers and there are natural resources such as minerals and metals that will be needed, for example, for windmills and batteries in the future.
2.  Sustainable economic growth must be guaranteed in the Arctic. Economic growth and the creation and maintenance of jobs ensure that areas remain populated.
3.  International cooperation on Arctic issues is important. Eight countries located in the Arctic (Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Canada and the USA) are responsible for Arctic governance. The EU Arctic countries and Norway are best placed to support the development of a new EU Arctic strategy.

Please find our common position here