The European Union has unveiled plans to strengthen surveillance in the Arctic in light of growing security threats from Russia and China and global warming leading to the melting of sea ice in the high north.
The proposals include extending the EU’s Copernicus and Galileo satellite systems to improve monitoring and detect potential threats.
The EU also plans what it is calling an ‘Arctic Cable Hub’ to monitor, protect and repair undersea infrastructure. It could be the first step towards a broader Maritime Security Hub tracking suspicious vessels, illegal fishing and pollution.
An EU official would not be drawn on where the Arctic region – and the EU’s strategy – would start and end. Asked if that meant it could stretch as far south as Ireland he said the EU would not be defining boundaries
The strategy responds to a “much harsher security environment”, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in the European Parliament this afternoon.
“The Arctic is no longer insulated from the world’s geopolitical tensions,” she said, warning that Russia’s military activity, GPS jamming and damage to undersea cables were undermining security.
Kallas also pointed to China’s growing strategic ambitions, including investments in ports, minerals and critical infrastructure. “The Arctic has become the frontline of global power competition,” she said.
The EU says it will also explore joint procurement to expand Europe’s icebreaker capacity, improve military mobility and invest in defence technologies. A separate package of measures aims to strengthen transport and digital links, support renewable energy and promote sustainable development.
The European Commissioner International Partnerships, Jozef Síkela, has been keeping EU’s allies including the UK, Canada and Norway informed about the proposals according to an EU source.
Síkela has also made two trips to Greenland this year.
The Arctic region is warming three to four times faster than the global average, according to the EU. Retreating ice is opening access to resources and shipping routes, intensifying competition.
The European Commission will consider whether there is a need to buy icebreaker ships suitable for both civilian and military needs.
According to one source, EU member states currently have a total of around 10 vessels compared to Russia’s 40.
European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, said the Arctic is part of Europe and “our northern neighbourhood.”