EU arming itself for conflicts in the Arctic

The EU is arming itself for possible conflicts in the Arctic region. A new strategy of the European Commission provides that the High North will in the future be viewed significantly more from a security policy perspective. Specifically, this should result in the creation of a coordination center for the monitoring and protection of submarine cables as well as the observation of the Russian "Shadow Fleet" and illegal fishing. Furthermore, an increase in European icebreaker capacities as well as the expansion of civil transport routes for military use are planned. Satellite-based monitoring will also be strengthened. To this end, the EU systems Copernicus and Galileo are to be expanded or used more for observing the Arctic. "Frontline of the global great power competition" The EU's Foreign Affairs Officer Kaja Kallas stated that the Arctic is now a "frontline of the global great power competition." Russia and China were building up their presence and pursuing further ambitions. Moscow, for instance, has reactivated bases from the Soviet era in the region and is testing new weapons there. Drone incidents, GPS disruptions, and the sabotage of submarine cables endangered security. A high-ranking EU official said that the Arctic could become the next major security flashpoint after the end of the war in Ukraine. Geographically, the northern parts of the EU countries Finland and Sweden are located in the Arctic region. Greenland is also extremely relevant for the EU. The vast Arctic island is not part of the EU but belongs to the Kingdom of Denmark. Access to critical raw materials It is open how much the implementation of the new strategy will cost. The EU Commission does not state a total amount or costs for central projects such as additional icebreakers and new facilities for the protection of submarine cables. Regarding icebreaker capabilities, an EU official stated that it should first be determined how many and which ships Europe needs. With a view to the possible exploitation of oil, coal, and gas reserves, the EU wants to stay on course and advocate that these are not exploited in the region. However, the situation is different regarding critical raw materials. The EU wants to secure access to these. In the Arctic, rare earth metals as well as important battery raw materials such as nickel, cobalt, and graphite are stored.