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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is completing her two-day whistlestop tour of the Greenlandic capital, Nuuk, on Monday to further European Union-Arctic relations — and gather intelligence as the European Union maps out a new Arctic Policy.
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When the policy’s first iteration was published in 2021, it made little reference to growing security threats. Instead, the then-EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell emphasised climate change, raw materials and geostrategic influence as central to the document.
But in the years since, the European Commission has admitted the policy needs an urgent revamp to address the changing security and defence environment in the region — a more militarised Russia, for one thing, as well as China’s effort to expand its economic footprint as melting ice opens new Arctic Sea routes.
A European Commission spokesperson told Euronews that the updated document will aim to promote “peace, stability, and sustainable development in the region”, and that Brussels is committed to playing a constructive role in the territory.
They said the Arctic had gained “significant global attention” due to its unique environment and role in international dynamics.
“This update is necessary to maintain that the policy is relevant and effective in addressing the evolving challenges and opportunities in the Arctic region,” they said.
However, various people involved have told Euronews the publication of the policy has been “delayed”, and the Commission spokesperson was unable to provide a date.
As the wait continues, experts have warned Euronews there is much at stake if the EU executive does not get this new version right — particularly when it comes to security and defence.
Who is in the Arctic?
Russia and China have become increasingly active in the resource-rich High North. The United States and Canada are also present in the area, as are three EU member states: Finland, Sweden and Denmark.
“If you look at the Arctic, this is the place where all the superpowers meet,” Estonian MEP Urmas Paet told Euronews. Paet has drafted several high-profile reports regarding EU foreign policy, including one on the Arctic.
In a 2025 report, he strongly urged the European Commission to update its Arctic strategy, stressing that Russia’s militarisation and China’s Polar Silk Road have transformed the region into a major geopolitical flashpoint.
If the new strategy does not rise to the moment, he said, Europe will be “more and more” marginalised in the Arctic, with other superpowers potentially gaining the upper hand.
“The Americans, Chinese, and Russians will be more and more active, and well, Europe, less and less relevant,” he said.
Paet has urged Europe to work more closely with Greenlandic partners when it comes to critical raw materials and energy, and has called for the EU’s next long-term budget to earmark funds for a range of economic activities in the region, such as fishing, icebreakers, and infrastructure investments.
“The important point for this new strategy is that it clearly reflects adequately what is ongoing, and also shows the way how the European Union, also through its budget should react to all those changes we have witnessed.”
The major issue now, Paet said, is publication. “They are very delayed,” he said.
What do these foreign powers want?
Arctic warmingis nearly four times the global average, with more than 10,000 cubic kilometres of sea ice lost in the region over the last 40 years. This continued warming has accelerated glacier melt, making the region increasingly attractive to countries by opening up new shipping routes in previously inaccessible areas.
In 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping articulated his Polar Silk Road initiative. This is Beijing’s official vision to establish shipping infrastructure through the Arctic Ocean to link Europe and Asia.
In August, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov trumpeted the news that a container ship from China had arrived at the Russian city of Murmansk via a once-impassable Arctic route. He celebrated the development while outlining Russia’s plans to develop other international cooperation in the region.
Meanwhile, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in February that given US President Donald Trump’s annexationist rhetoric toward Greenland, and these other geopolitical issues, the Arctic can no longer be considered a quiet corner of the map.
“It is the front line of the global power competition,” she said, while attending an Arctic-oriented conference in Tromsø, Norway.
Kallas warned that hybrid threats are growing in intensity and frequency in the region and are tied to Russia’s “enduring military build-up” in the High North.
“In response, European allies are stepping up on Arctic security, and the European Union is ready to do its part,” she said.
How do you secure the Arctic?
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Secretary-General Mark Rutte cautioned that in the face of China’s growing interest in the High North and Russia’s increased military activity, “it was crucial that we do more,” he said.
As a result, NATO launched Arctic Sentry in February. The multi-domain activity aims to strengthen the Alliance’s posture in the area by bringing together allies under one overarching operational strategy. A senior NATO official told Euronews the criteria for success would depend on how Russia and China respond to NATO’s increased footprint in the region.
Linda Solstrand Dahlberg, a senior representative of the Arctic University of Norway, told Euronews that the policy could incorporate a blueprint for greater EU and NATO coordination regarding the Arctic. This would safeguard subsea cables connecting Norway to mainland Europe, as well as coordination against the growing militarisation by foreign powers, such as Russia.
“A secure Arctic is inextricably linked with European security,” she said.
Dahlberg also suggested the document should explore the possibility of greater defence industry cooperation, which could benefit European countries looking for weather-tested capabilities.
“We’ve got competence and expertise in this area of the world, and we have stress testing capabilities for cold climates.”
European Policy Centre defence analyst Maria Martisiute said the major shortcoming of the 2021 policy is that it does not mention military defence. She reiterated that the EU’s geopolitical agenda has clearly changed since then, with Russa’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
But there have been developments outside of this, with Europe developing Security and Defence Partnerships with Canada, Iceland, Norway and the UK.
“These partnerships have to also be reflected in the new EU Arctic strategy,” Martisiute said.
Together, Martisiute and Dahlberg published a paper with dozens of recommendations for the EU’s forthcoming policy. The most important thing that the European Commission must consider when finalising the document, according to them, is that they are cognisant that Arctic defence impacts European defence.
“The Arctic doesn’t exist in a vacuum,” Martisiute said. “It’s very closely integrated into the wider security landscape.”
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