WEBVTT NOTE Brussels Live. Transcribed and translated automatically from the original sound. Mistakes are possible. Independent service, not affiliated with the European Parliament or the European Commission. Source: © European Union. AI-generated: Transcripts, translations and summaries on this site are generated automatically by AI: speech recognition (Soniox), machine translation and summaries (Mistral AI). Not edited by humans before publication. EU AI Act, Article 50. 00:00:04.074 --> 00:00:07.893 Good morning, everyone. Good morning, dear colleagues. 00:00:07.963 --> 00:00:13.408 Welcome to this brief meeting of our Foreign Affairs Committee, where we have 00:00:13.479 --> 00:00:19.207 roughly 45 up to 60 minutes' time, so we can all participate in the votes at 1 2. 00:00:19.278 --> 00:00:23.874 If you have no comments, then we can then enter into the agend a. 00:00:23.945 --> 00:00:27.056 Item number 1 is the adoption of the agenda. 00:00:27.127 --> 00:00:33.067 There are no objections from your side, as I can see, so we can propose to adopt the 00:00:33.138 --> 00:00:38.795 agenda as it stands. The main point of today's agenda is the presentation of the 00:00:38.865 --> 00:00:44.310 Joint Communication on the Europe -Snova neighborhood, a new strategy for the 00:00:44.381 --> 00:00:48.270 Arctic. It is my pleasure to welcome two our committee: 00:00:48.341 --> 00:00:53.857 Madame Claude Viron-Reville, the Special Envoy for Ar ctic Affairs and Head of 00:00:53.928 --> 00:00:58.807 Division for Western Europe, at the European External Action Service. 00:00:58.878 --> 00:01:04.747 I would also like to welcome Mr. Mark Gray, Head of Unit for Political Strategy and 00:01:04.818 --> 00:01:08.000 Communication, at the Commission's D G INTPA. 00:01:08.070 --> 00:01:13.940 The Arctic—and we've discussed this a number of times in our committee—is no longer 00:01:14.010 --> 00:01:19.809 a remote per ipheral region. Climate change, growing geopolitical competition, and 00:01:19.880 --> 00:01:25.608 the Russian military presence in the High North have made it a strategic priority 00:01:25.678 --> 00:01:31.335 for the European Union. Up to now, the European Union's approach, dated from the 00:01:31.406 --> 00:01:37.346 Communication of October 2021, and it is certainly an understatement to say that the 00:01:37.417 --> 00:01:40.387 world has changed considerably since then. 00:01:40.458 --> 00:01:46.398 Earlier this week, the College adopted a new strategy for the Arctic, which responds 00:01:46.468 --> 00:01:49.792 to that change and is presented here now today. 00:01:49.863 --> 00:01:55.378 It looks set to place greater emphasis on security, defense, connectivity, and 00:01:55.449 --> 00:02:01.318 economic security, while binding on our long-standing commitments to climate action 00:02:01.389 --> 00:02:04.642 scientific cooperation and indigenous peoples. 00:02:04.713 --> 00:02:10.582 What I would like to say to our two guest speakers is that this committee, as shown 00:02:10.653 --> 00:02:15.390 at close interest in Arctic matters throughout the last few year s. 00:02:15.461 --> 00:02:20.765 In November 2025, we adopted our report on the EU's diplomatic strategy and 00:02:20.835 --> 00:02:26.634 geopolitical cooperation in the Arctic, where we call for a robust value-based and 00:02:26.705 --> 00:02:28.614 security-oriented strategy. 00:02:29.874 --> 00:02:35.137 Also, I would like to welcome that, as a follow-up, we commissioned a study entitled 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:40.336 "Focus on the High North: Upgrading the EU's Arctic Policy and Protecting the EU's 00:02:40.399 --> 00:02:45.662 Interests in a Rapidly Evolving Region. " And finally, just a few weeks ago, we sent 00:02:45.724 --> 00:02:50.799 a small delegation to Iceland, where the E U's Arctic Policy was, of course, also 00:02:50.861 --> 00:02:56.124 core of the discussions in Reykjavík. So, with all that in mind, we now look forward 00:02:56.187 --> 00:02:59.444 to hearing from you from the EAS and the Commission: 00:02:59.507 --> 00:03:03.391 how the Joint Communic ation translates into ambitious action. 00:03:03.454 --> 00:03:08.278 Because the European Union is world champion in printing papers, we have many 00:03:08.340 --> 00:03:13.603 strategies—it's time for a strategy to coordinate all our strategies—but we are more 00:03:13.666 --> 00:03:16.547 interested in what does that mean in practice. 00:03:16.610 --> 00:03:21.685 I will give you now, first, you the floor for 7 minutes, and then afterwards you, 00:03:21.747 --> 00:03:26.884 Mr. Gray. Then we have time for an exchange of views, and I will close the meeting 00:03:26.947 --> 00:03:30.894 at quarter to 12 so we can all vote. The floor is yours, Madam. 00:03:33.114 --> 00:03:37.722 Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and very good to be here. 00:03:37.803 --> 00:03:44.593 Honorable Member of the AFET Committee, and friends of the Arctic, so I'm very happy 00:03:44.674 --> 00:03:50.979 to be invited to present this strategy. Just days after its adoption, and this 00:03:51.060 --> 00:03:57.850 strategy was the strategy the EU is stepping up its Arctic engagement, so as you can 00:03:57.931 --> 00:04:04.156 infer from the title of the strategy, partnership s are key to the successful 00:04:04.237 --> 00:04:10.380 implementation of our ambition. The northern neighborhood is the cooperation 00:04:10.461 --> 00:04:17.090 framework with our partners. Northern neighborhood, we conceive it as an inclusive 00:04:17.171 --> 00:04:23.800 framework of interests, values, and geography, and the term "neighborhood" is here 00:04:23.880 --> 00:04:30.186 to underline the proximity of the European Union to the wider Ar ctic, and our 00:04:30.267 --> 00:04:36.814 ambition to make the cooperation between the EU and its Arctic partners more oper 00:04:36.895 --> 00:04:43.443 ational, but also more strategic. So our message is that we want to work together 00:04:43.524 --> 00:04:50.234 with like-minded partners in our northern neighborhood, security in our response to 00:04:50.314 --> 00:04:56.943 climate crisis and, above all, we want to do that tog ether with the people of the 00:04:57.024 --> 00:05:02.117 Arctic and especially indigenous peoples and local communities. 00:05:02.198 --> 00:05:07.695 So I want to emphasize again that the neighborhood is not a policy ; 00:05:07.775 --> 00:05:14.000 it is a framework for cooperation. We had a very successful Arctic sum mit in 00:05:14.081 --> 00:05:20.548 Rovaniemi, in September, where the high representative and vice president of the 00:05:20.629 --> 00:05:27.257 Commission, Kaja Kallas, particip ated, and the Rovaniemi summit, the first of its 00:05:27.338 --> 00:05:34.048 kind, sent a powerful message of our new level of ambition, and it could serve as a 00:05:34.129 --> 00:05:40.677 model for regular high-level joint summits with our member states and partners to 00:05:40.757 --> 00:05:44.799 discuss shared challenges and how to address them. 00:05:44.880 --> 00:05:51.105 Now, the structure of the strategy that you have seen shows that our approach 00:05:51.186 --> 00:05:57.976 remains balanced. It is people-centered, it is climate-aware, it is security-minded, 00:05:58.057 --> 00:06:01.695 and it is gro unded in long-term cooperation. 00:06:01.775 --> 00:06:06.706 We have therefore organized the strategy along four chapters: 00:06:06.787 --> 00:06:13.174 the first one is strengthening security and resilience, the second one is about 00:06:13.254 --> 00:06:19.721 protecting the environment and addressing climate change, the third one is about 00:06:19.802 --> 00:06:21.002 supporting the 00:06:21.294 --> 00:06:27.472 Arctic economy and economic security, and the fourth one contributing to the 00:06:27.554 --> 00:06:31.374 prosperity of the people liv ing in the Arctic. 00:06:31.456 --> 00:06:37.959 Now, regarding security, the basis of our updated strategy is not surprising for 00:06:38.040 --> 00:06:44.463 you. You have showed, as the Chair, Mr. McAllister, underlined, that you have a 00:06:44.544 --> 00:06:50.966 strong interest in the file, you did so with the own initiative report that was 00:06:51.047 --> 00:06:57.795 issued last year, and also with the Arctic study that came out last month, and that 00:06:57.876 --> 00:07:04.542 we have re ad carefully. You have along those reports consistently highlighted the 00:07:04.623 --> 00:07:09.663 need for the EU to address the ch ange geopolitical landscape. 00:07:09.745 --> 00:07:16.004 Rightly so. And our updated Arctic strategy reflects also this new reality by 00:07:16.086 --> 00:07:22.345 putting security firmly at its core. Because the Arctic regions are no longer 00:07:22.426 --> 00:07:28.686 insulated against shifting geopolitical dynamics, Russ ia's war of aggression 00:07:28.767 --> 00:07:34.864 against Ukraine, Russia's complete disregard for the rules-based order invi 00:07:34.946 --> 00:07:41.530 olability of borders and territorial integrity, have made cooperation with Russia 00:07:41.612 --> 00:07:48.359 impossible. Russia is building up its military capacity in the Arctic, reviving the 00:07:48.440 --> 00:07:55.106 Cola Peninsula as a strategic bastion, and expanding the capacities of the port of 00:07:55.188 --> 00:08:01.935 Murmansk. In parallel, we are seeing a steady normalization of more confrontational 00:08:02.016 --> 00:08:08.682 behavior in the region, hybrid threats, in the Baltic, and increasingly too in the 00:08:08.764 --> 00:08:14.698 Arctic, and a serious concern with recurring incidents affecting critical 00:08:14.779 --> 00:08:21.608 infrastructure and regional stability. Russia maritime doctrine is linking the North 00:08:21.689 --> 00:08:25.429 Atlantic, the Arctic, and the Baltic theaters. 00:08:25.510 --> 00:08:32.257 And we need to adjust to this reality and regard the Arctic and Baltic regions as a 00:08:32.339 --> 00:08:35.753 continuous interconnected strategic space. 00:08:35.834 --> 00:08:41.850 And finally, we need to leave no doubt that sovereignty is not negotiable. 00:08:41.931 --> 00:08:48.516 But also to have a safe and secure Arctic, we need the resilient and prepared and 00:08:48.597 --> 00:08:55.345 populated Ar ctic, and at the heart of this lies improved infrastructure that would 00:08:55.426 --> 00:09:00.303 boost East-West connection s, from the Baltic to the Arctic. 00:09:00.385 --> 00:09:05.994 We need infrastructure that is suited to the Arctic and to both civil 00:09:06.294 --> 00:09:12.586 ian and defensive purposes. This requires speeding up the implementation of 20 00:09:12.667 --> 00:09:18.152 projects, such as Rail Nordica project and completing Ra il Baltica. 00:09:18.232 --> 00:09:24.524 We need also to upgrade our vigilance capacity to safeguard our infrastructure 00:09:24.605 --> 00:09:28.558 against the har sh climate and hybrid activities. 00:09:28.638 --> 00:09:35.172 This is why we will work to enhance our situational and maritime domain awareness 00:09:35.253 --> 00:09:41.625 through satellite data, in-situ and remote sensor observation, and inform ation 00:09:41.706 --> 00:09:47.030 sharing. To do this, we aim to establish a maritime security hub . 00:09:47.110 --> 00:09:53.644 We want to work with member states to improve the security of submarine cables in 00:09:53.725 --> 00:10:00.501 the region through an Ar ctic cable hub. Looking ahead, we hope that this initiative 00:10:00.582 --> 00:10:07.277 can be expanded to a comprehensive maritime security hub, with member states in the 00:10:07.357 --> 00:10:11.552 lead. We also want to increase our icebreaker fleet; 00:10:11.633 --> 00:10:15.424 the EU can count approximately 10 ic ebreakers. 00:10:15.505 --> 00:10:21.958 Whereas Russia has nearly 50 of them. The EU will need first to map the specific 00:10:22.038 --> 00:10:28.411 need for icebreakers with member states through the new EU industri al maritime 00:10:28.492 --> 00:10:34.542 value chain alliance, and we will explore opportunities to pull funding and 00:10:34.622 --> 00:10:41.075 technical resources within the neighborhood, within their neighborhood grouping, 00:10:41.156 --> 00:10:46.238 that means that we are ready to re ach out to our partners too. 00:10:46.319 --> 00:10:53.014 Then again, regarding space, Earth observation and navigation, we want to boost our 00:10:53.094 --> 00:10:56.886 Copernicus and Galileo coverage. Of the Arctic. 00:10:56.966 --> 00:11:03.178 To improve our ability to monitor land and sea ice mapping permafrost-related 00:11:03.258 --> 00:11:07.614 changes, oil spill, and maritime safety in the Arctic. 00:11:07.695 --> 00:11:14.309 To add to Copernicus capacities, a new Earth observation governmental service will 00:11:14.390 --> 00:11:20.763 support decision-making in security and defense, and to complement Galileo-free 00:11:20.843 --> 00:11:27.538 navigation services, the EU will initiate secure navigation services for government 00:11:27.619 --> 00:11:31.007 use with Galileo public regulated service. 00:11:31.088 --> 00:11:37.380 These initiatives highlight that Arctic security is a key priority for the EU. 00:11:37.460 --> 00:11:44.236 Arctic security is European security. As the High Representative Vice President said 00:11:44.317 --> 00:11:48.834 in Strasbourg on Tuesday, Europe has interest to defend. 00:11:48.834 --> 00:11:52.882 It has partners to work with and responsibilities to meet. 00:11:52.952 --> 00:11:56.092 Europe will not be a bystander in the Arctic. 00:11:56.162 --> 00:12:01.955 It is a collective effort, which requires coordination with NATO and with partners. 00:12:02.025 --> 00:12:07.818 I will stop there, and give an opportunity to my colleague from I NTPAM, Mark Gray, 00:12:07.887 --> 00:12:13.750 to complement on the other point. Thank you very much, and I look forward to hearing 00:12:13.820 --> 00:12:15.774 your comments and questions. 00:12:16.794 --> 00:12:19.858 Thank you very much for your introductory statement. 00:12:19.917 --> 00:12:24.573 Before I give the floor to Mr. Gray, I'm pleased to welcome a group of national 00:12:24.632 --> 00:12:29.111 parliamentarians from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland to our 00:12:29.170 --> 00:12:33.472 Strasbourg for the 66th meeting of the EAA Joint Parliamentary Committee. 00:12:33.531 --> 00:12:36.654 Welcome, dear colleagues, to the European Parliament. 00:12:38.274 --> 00:12:39.474 Mr. Gray. 00:12:40.194 --> 00:12:47.556 Thank you so much, Chair. Honorable members, thank you for the invitation and I can 00:12:47.645 --> 00:12:55.007 also also like to express my welcome to members from national parliaments and we've 00:12:55.096 --> 00:12:59.886 met quite a number of them very recently in Reykjavík. 00:12:59.974 --> 00:13:07.425 I want to begin by paying tribute to this parliament and the recommendations and the 00:13:07.514 --> 00:13:14.433 study that has been very much a foundation also for the drafting of this joint 00:13:14.521 --> 00:13:19.755 communication. It's been an extensive consultation process. 00:13:19.843 --> 00:13:27.117 We've tried to listen as much as we can, and I think many of the key elements that 00:13:27.205 --> 00:13:33.592 have been set out by this House are captured in the joint communication. 00:13:33.681 --> 00:13:40.954 I want to make three points, and I'm going to try not to repeat what has just been 00:13:41.043 --> 00:13:45.389 said. First, very briefly, why are we doing this? 00:13:45.478 --> 00:13:52.574 Two, that shift of political framing that I think is important but if I can also 00:13:52.663 --> 00:13:57.275 respond to the Chair. Strategies are nice, but what. 00:13:57.364 --> 00:14:04.637 Are you actually going to do about it? So I will try and spend most of the time on 00:14:04.726 --> 00:14:12.177 that. In terms of why are we doing this, I think the special envoy court has set out 00:14:12.265 --> 00:14:19.450 very nicely the changing situation. I think the reality is that this is not an up 00:14:19.539 --> 00:14:25.748 date of a strategy. This is a new strategy, to adapt to a new reality. 00:14:25.837 --> 00:14:32.312 And that reality is changing faster than probably any of us could expect. 00:14:32.401 --> 00:14:37.102 We now see that the Arctic is a geopolitical theater. 00:14:37.190 --> 00:14:41.625 We see that it risks to become a security theater. 00:14:41.714 --> 00:14:48.455 We have seen claims made on the Arctic and parts of it, and I think with the 00:14:48.544 --> 00:14:55.995 European Union's exper ience, whether that be in Ukraine or in terms of our response 00:14:56.084 --> 00:15:03.091 to Greenland we uphold the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty. 00:15:03.180 --> 00:15:07.349 That brings me to my second point, the framing. 00:15:07.437 --> 00:15:11.163 We are addressing this through a new lens. 00:15:11.252 --> 00:15:17.372 And it's a partnership lens, and again, with a number of colle agues. 00:15:17.461 --> 00:15:24.557 At the back of this room, that we've discussed in Norway, in Iceland, in Canada, 00:15:24.645 --> 00:15:32.008 with the United States, Greenland, Faroe Islands, this is about building a strategy 00:15:32.096 --> 00:15:38.394 that ver y much brings together like-minded partners to address the iss 00:15:38.454 --> 00:15:45.446 ues of concern. For us, the framing matters because the northern neighborhood 00:15:45.536 --> 00:15:49.532 precisely conveys the s ense of criticality. 00:15:49.622 --> 00:15:54.798 The closeness, the connectiveness that this issue brings. 00:15:54.889 --> 00:16:02.244 What we are trying to do is to show what the European Union means for the Arctic, 00:16:02.334 --> 00:16:07.238 but also what the Arctic means for the European Union. 00:16:07.328 --> 00:16:11.324 And that we stand and support our neighbors. 00:16:11.414 --> 00:16:18.678 I think that's obviously true for the three European Union member stat es in the 00:16:18.769 --> 00:16:25.761 Arctic, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, but this is a strategy for the whole of the 00:16:25.851 --> 00:16:33.479 European Union. But now I want to turn to, in a sense, the Chair's challenge of what 00:16:33.569 --> 00:16:38.563 about this? How are we going to turn this into reality? 00:16:38.654 --> 00:16:46.009 And I think what you have seen in this strategy is a complete mobilization of the 00:16:46.100 --> 00:16:53.727 whole Commission . This is not just a strategy of DG INTPA and the EES, and I should 00:16:53.818 --> 00:17:01.354 pay tribute in particular to DG MA RI, who have played a fundamental role over many 00:17:01.445 --> 00:17:07.983 years. This is a strategy that, if you go through it, has got real meat; 00:17:08.073 --> 00:17:15.701 there is a whole set of deliverables here, across a whole set of areas, whether that 00:17:15.791 --> 00:17:22.692 be as has been mentioned on digital, on space, on transport, on critical raw 00:17:22.783 --> 00:17:29.321 materials, on research, on innovation, on tourism, et cetera, et cetera. 00:17:29.411 --> 00:17:36.948 There is a lot of, there are a whole set of proposals here, that look at the Arctic 00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:44.121 from that dual-use perspective, so not simply from a military or simply from a 00:17:44.212 --> 00:17:51.203 civilian. We are trying to build capabilities that c ross those two different 00:17:51.294 --> 00:17:58.286 issues, whether that be in terms of space, again, whether that be in terms of 00:17:58.377 --> 00:18:05.913 transport. Of course, we're very aware that there is a special fragility around the 00:18:06.004 --> 00:18:13.086 Arctic. And that is why when we look at issues like critical raw materials, we 00:18:13.177 --> 00:18:19.896 absolutely underline the environ mental, social, and governance standards. 00:18:19.987 --> 00:18:27.614 It's when we look at renewable energy we are very clear and strong on our commitment 00:18:27.705 --> 00:18:35.150 on at least what the European Union can do in terms of the moratorium on oil, gas, 00:18:35.241 --> 00:18:42.051 and coal in the Arctic. When we look at the economy, we look at it from the 00:18:42.142 --> 00:18:45.774 perspective of what can we do concretely 00:18:45.954 --> 00:18:52.824 ? That benefits the people of the Arctic. And again, I come back to the point about 00:18:52.907 --> 00:18:59.694 how much we've placed emphasis on working together with the peoples of the Arctic: 00:18:59.776 --> 00:19:06.646 indigenous peoples, local communities, to build a number of very actionable po ints 00:19:06.729 --> 00:19:13.682 that will directly benefit them. Whether that be, as I say, fisheries, blue economy, 00:19:13.764 --> 00:19:17.820 small and medium enterprises, tourism, et cetera. 00:19:17.903 --> 00:19:24.524 So there is a whole final section of the communication that addresses the people 00:19:24.607 --> 00:19:31.477 dimens ion. But I want to conclude with, in a sense, a question of what happens nex 00:19:31.560 --> 00:19:38.512 t. The first thing to say is that yes, this is a strategy, so it's not a legislative 00:19:38.595 --> 00:19:45.300 proposal, it doesn't have a detailed timeline, a detailed action plan, a costings 00:19:45.382 --> 00:19:49.935 for each initiative. But this is not business as usual. 00:19:50.017 --> 00:19:56.556 Already next week, the. Commissioner Sickola has been asked to follow up on the 00:19:56.639 --> 00:20:03.426 implementation of the strategy. Already next week, DG INTPA will convene a meeting 00:20:03.509 --> 00:20:10.213 of all DGs, to bring together all the different strands across the Commission, to 00:20:10.296 --> 00:20:16.917 now go one by one, strand by strand, of how we take each one of these actionable 00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:23.870 points and take them forward. So it's, from our perspective, not a case of we write 00:20:23.953 --> 00:20:30.160 a strategy and we come back in a few mon ths' time to consider what we did. 00:20:30.243 --> 00:20:36.451 We start already next week, concretely looking at how we take this forward. 00:20:36.534 --> 00:20:38.934 Thank you for your attention. 00:20:41.394 --> 00:20:45.840 Right, thank you to both our guest speakers and now we have time for an exchange of 00:20:45.893 --> 00:20:50.285 views. As always, I first give the floor to the coordinators for two minutes each, 00:20:50.339 --> 00:20:52.374 and Łukasz Kuhut is speaking for VEPP. 00:20:53.574 --> 00:20:59.333 Thank you very much. Dear Chair, nothing unites people like a common enemy, our 00:20:59.406 --> 00:21:05.529 enemy comes from the east. It is a threat to us all, especially those in central and 00:21:05.602 --> 00:21:11.653 eastern Europe, and the north . As the strategy rightly says, the Arctic, the North 00:21:11.725 --> 00:21:17.338 Atlantic, and the Baltic Sea are becoming one interconnected strategic space. 00:21:17.411 --> 00:21:21.421 What happens in one affects the security of all Europe. 00:21:21.494 --> 00:21:27.471 Hybrid attacks are hitting us everywhere. GPS jamming, cable sabotage, drones over 00:21:27.544 --> 00:21:31.553 our infrastructure, and the shadow fleet in our waters. 00:21:31.626 --> 00:21:37.750 The high north is part of the same front. We cannot protect Europe while leaving the 00:21:37.823 --> 00:21:43.509 high north exposed. The Arctic is a second gateway to Europe and must be fully 00:21:43.581 --> 00:21:49.632 protected. As the Standing Rapporteur for Norway and on behalf of Mika Aaltola, the 00:21:49.705 --> 00:21:55.391 Rapporteur for the Arctic, we believe that the strategy is moving in the right 00:21:55.464 --> 00:21:59.692 direction by providing concrete tools to enhance security. 00:21:59.765 --> 00:22:05.815 Firstly, the maritime security hub will enable us to share information from various 00:22:05.888 --> 00:22:11.720 national and EU sources, from the Seabed to space, tracking Russian shadow fleet 00:22:11.793 --> 00:22:17.843 vessels must be a priority. Europe has concrete tools such as air observation data, 00:22:17.916 --> 00:22:21.196 Copernicus, and navigation serv ices Galileo. 00:22:21.269 --> 00:22:27.320 Secondly, the Arctic Cable Hub is another initiative that could monitor and protect 00:22:27.393 --> 00:22:31.694 submarine cables in the North Atlant ic and Arctic regions. 00:22:31.767 --> 00:22:35.411 Critical infrastructure is essential for security. 00:22:35.484 --> 00:22:41.389 Nowadays, thirdly, we must expand European icebreaker capacity, as you mentioned, 00:22:41.462 --> 00:22:46.638 including through the new EU industrial maritime value chains alliance. 00:22:46.710 --> 00:22:51.084 European Polar Vessels must balance the power in the region. 00:22:51.157 --> 00:22:57.281 Vigilance and preparedness are essential. The EU must operate in various dimensions, 00:22:57.353 --> 00:23:02.238 such as defense, including milit ary mobility and civil protection. 00:23:02.310 --> 00:23:07.924 We already know how to do this in the Baltic and across the European Arct ic. 00:23:07.996 --> 00:23:12.808 Now these tools need real funding in the new EU budget, of course. 00:23:12.881 --> 00:23:18.639 I believe that, like-minded partners in the region, such as Norway, Canada, and 00:23:18.712 --> 00:23:21.774 Iceland, will thread the strategy as an op 00:23:21.834 --> 00:23:24.696 portunity to develop also their capacities. 00:23:24.763 --> 00:23:26.094 Thank you very much. 00:23:28.314 --> 00:23:31.734 Thank you, Łukasz, for the S&D, Andreas Schieder, please. 00:23:32.514 --> 00:23:36.019 Yeah, good morning, and thanks for the presentation. 00:23:36.086 --> 00:23:41.546 And I have the honor to speak also on behalf of our S&D Shadow Rapporteur, Robert 00:23:41.614 --> 00:23:47.073 Piet ron, who regrets not to be here. But I also particularly pleased that we are 00:23:47.141 --> 00:23:52.803 accompanied today with colleagues from the Norwegian and Icelandic Parliament, which 00:23:52.870 --> 00:23:58.195 also let's say part of the Arctic. And as previously has been pointed out, 2021 00:23:58.262 --> 00:24:02.239 strategy is no longer reflecting the reality which we have. 00:24:02.307 --> 00:24:07.834 We see that it's becoming increasingly volatile and also geopolitically sensitive, 00:24:07.901 --> 00:24:13.024 and theref ore we need this update. And the high representative rightly said 00:24:13.091 --> 00:24:18.619 already, Arctic security is European security, and it's also about this rule-based 00:24:18.686 --> 00:24:24.213 order, and we have to say that the Arctic in the past, even in the coldest days of 00:24:24.280 --> 00:24:28.392 the Cold W ar, was a rule-based order respected by everybody. 00:24:28.460 --> 00:24:32.841 And this compromise now is shaken. We have Russia, we have China. 00:24:32.908 --> 00:24:38.098 There, we have to protect our critical infrastructure, the cable hub that was 00:24:38.166 --> 00:24:43.828 already mentioned, and also the . Still in the future partnership must be one of the 00:24:43.895 --> 00:24:47.535 key pillars, as you also pointed out, of the strategy. 00:24:47.602 --> 00:24:53.129 And especially important is to strengthen the EU partnership with Greenland, while 00:24:53.197 --> 00:24:58.589 also always saying we resp ect the Greenland's right to decide its own future in 00:24:58.657 --> 00:25:01.555 close cooperation with the Denmark kingdom. 00:25:01.622 --> 00:25:06.813 And we also should continue to deepen our relations with Norway, Iceland, and 00:25:06.880 --> 00:25:11.531 Canada, as they are part ners which are sharing the values as stable. 00:25:11.598 --> 00:25:16.182 I have to say, not like others. And then there's the climate change. 00:25:16.249 --> 00:25:21.372 The Arctic warmly nearly is warming nearly four times faster than the global 00:25:21.439 --> 00:25:24.809 average, and already the global average is enough. 00:25:24.877 --> 00:25:29.595 So four times more is even a big disaster, so we have to look on this. 00:25:29.663 --> 00:25:33.168 And there is the question of critical raw materials. 00:25:33.235 --> 00:25:38.560 Where we have to look also that extraction is sustainable and meets the highest 00:25:38.627 --> 00:25:44.289 environmental and social standards, but also respecting the rights of the indigenous 00:25:44.357 --> 00:25:49.951 people. And this is my last point. I think we have to understand that the Arctic is 00:25:50.019 --> 00:25:55.074 an area where people are living, and living condition is important, but hav 00:25:55.074 --> 00:26:00.005 ing people living there is also the answer of the strategic challenges of the 00:26:00.069 --> 00:26:01.734 Arctic. Thank you so much. 00:26:03.054 --> 00:26:09.737 Thank you, Andreas who would like to take the floor for the Patriots group? 00:26:09.826 --> 00:26:16.330 Nobody for the ECR? Then for Renew Group, I give the floor to Marie-Agnès 00:26:16.419 --> 00:26:17.934 Stark-Simmermann. 00:26:18.474 --> 00:26:22.235 Thank you very much, David. I do not want to repeat myself on that. 00:26:22.291 --> 00:26:25.266 I do not want to repeat what my colleagues have said. 00:26:25.322 --> 00:26:29.869 But the Arctic is not just a land of adventure, a wonderful one, but also a major 00:26:29.925 --> 00:26:34.640 issue in the security field. And I am very pleased that Europe is finally addressing 00:26:34.696 --> 00:26:39.019 this issue, this topic. It is not without reason that we will also be working 00:26:39.075 --> 00:26:43.790 closely with Canada on this issue in future, especially when we note that the border 00:26:43.846 --> 00:26:48.505 between Canada and Denmark is more than 3,000 It is no coincidence that we are also 00:26:48.561 --> 00:26:53.276 working closely with Canada on this issue in the future when we note that the border 00:26:53.332 --> 00:26:57.542 between Canada and Denmark is a maritime border over 3,000 kilometres long. 00:26:57.599 --> 00:27:01.752 We are already connected in that regard. And in view of this world that is 00:27:01.809 --> 00:27:06.524 increasingly coming apart at the seams, it is of great importance to look at what we 00:27:06.580 --> 00:27:10.565 can do, what we must do. In terms of security policy—and to put it in a 00:27:10.621 --> 00:27:13.091 nutshell—thank you very much for this paper. 00:27:13.147 --> 00:27:17.750 We should continue working on this, but it is not just about talking about it, but 00:27:17.806 --> 00:27:20.276 also about being clear about what we can do. 00:27:20.332 --> 00:27:24.430 The report does say a lot. The topic of Greenland has just been taken up. 00:27:24.486 --> 00:27:28.808 What we experienced last year, by the way, Europe stood in a truly very solid 00:27:28.865 --> 00:27:31.952 position, alongside Denmark and Greenland respectively. 00:27:32.008 --> 00:27:35.039 This shows that when we stand together, it is helpful. 00:27:35.095 --> 00:27:39.474 Simply looking is not enough. We need to have our strategy and we also need to 00:27:39.530 --> 00:27:44.077 enforce it robustly, verbally robustly. So as not to open up another front there. 00:27:44.133 --> 00:27:45.333 Thank you. 00:27:47.574 --> 00:27:51.294 Thank you, colleague. Next speaker for the Greens is Mr Niinistö. 00:27:52.674 --> 00:27:57.128 Thank you, Chair. And thank you for the Commission for the representing the 00:27:57.187 --> 00:28:01.938 strategy. Obviously, there are a lot of improvements from the last strategy, but 00:28:01.997 --> 00:28:04.788 there are also some worries that our group has. 00:28:04.848 --> 00:28:09.539 So I will focus mainly on those. We think that the improvements on geopolitical 00:28:09.598 --> 00:28:14.230 understanding and the importance of that situation, I think there are a lot of 00:28:14.290 --> 00:28:19.218 improvements in that. I think it's important that we prepare for the Russian hybrid 00:28:19.278 --> 00:28:22.187 threats. We act against the Russian shadow fleet. 00:28:22.247 --> 00:28:26.998 We could do even more on that. But I will focus now more as a former environment 00:28:27.057 --> 00:28:32.045 minister for environment of Finland, on the environmental and climate responsibility 00:28:32.104 --> 00:28:35.846 that the EU has in the Arctic. Arctic is a very sensitive area. 00:28:35.905 --> 00:28:40.774 I mean, if species have to move northwards, they have nowhere left to go if global 00:28:40.834 --> 00:28:44.516 warming continues. They are very many biodiversity-rich areas. 00:28:44.575 --> 00:28:48.019 Under sea areas, for example, which are not yet protected. 00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:51.642 So it's one of the least protected areas still in the world. 00:28:51.701 --> 00:28:56.511 And EU and my own country when I was a minister, we worked a lot to inc rease the 00:28:56.570 --> 00:29:01.380 protected areas in the region and also work for the moratorium on the fossil fuel 00:29:01.440 --> 00:29:05.953 extrac tion. I see that in these issues, in this strategy, there is a bit of 00:29:06.012 --> 00:29:09.041 backtracking from 2021. That's at least my feeling. 00:29:09.100 --> 00:29:14.029 So if you can alleviate my worries and also answer my question, because I feel that 00:29:14.088 --> 00:29:18.661 the geopolitical challenges and the environmental challenges are interlinked. 00:29:18.720 --> 00:29:23.709 Partly we have geopolitical threats in the Arctic if we don't create better rules on 00:29:23.768 --> 00:29:28.697 stopping over-exploitation. So the better rules we have on areas of no-go where you 00:29:28.756 --> 00:29:33.744 can't economically exploit the resources in the most sensitive northern areas, if we 00:29:33.804 --> 00:29:38.733 can have a moratorium there, it will also ease the pressures of different countries 00:29:38.792 --> 00:29:41.880 fighting for those resources, including also Russia. 00:29:41.939 --> 00:29:46.571 I have to say also that often historically, if there has been protected areas, 00:29:46.630 --> 00:29:51.559 Russia has respected them. So if we do make international treaties in these issues, 00:29:51.619 --> 00:29:53.994 it's a progress where we can also reduce 00:29:54.114 --> 00:29:58.488 the risk of geopolitical tension. And the same applies to IMO as well and maritime 00:29:58.542 --> 00:30:02.649 traffic. We have to make sure that there is a higher standard of what kind of 00:30:02.703 --> 00:30:07.183 criteria the vessels that move into the Arctic waters fill , because the risk of oil 00:30:07.237 --> 00:30:11.451 spill is very high and there's the European waters and European coasts that are 00:30:11.504 --> 00:30:15.825 also. Affected by that. So I would like you to answer a bit more about my worries 00:30:15.879 --> 00:30:20.200 that there is still focus on environmental regulations and standards globally and 00:30:20.253 --> 00:30:24.307 you are not forgetting that and that goes hand in hand with the geopolitics. 00:30:24.361 --> 00:30:25.561 Thank you. 00:30:27.414 --> 00:30:31.438 Thank you. Who would like to take the floor for the left? 00:30:31.508 --> 00:30:33.414 Please, madam. Two minutes. 00:30:37.554 --> 00:30:44.038 Thank you. Mr. Chair, the new Arctic strategy is an important step forward, but let 00:30:44.116 --> 00:30:48.959 me be clear. Strategy is only as strong as its implementation. 00:30:49.037 --> 00:30:53.880 From Nordic perspective, the Arctic is not Europe's periphery. 00:30:53.959 --> 00:30:59.114 It is an integral part of our security competitiveness and future. 00:30:59.192 --> 00:31:02.551 I would like to highlight three priorities. 00:31:02.629 --> 00:31:06.535 First, security must be backed by concrete action. 00:31:06.613 --> 00:31:12.238 Russia's war against Ukraine has fundamentally changed Europe's security 00:31:12.316 --> 00:31:18.878 environment. We must strengthen our preparedness, protect official infra and improve 00:31:18.956 --> 00:31:22.315 our ability to respond to emerging threats. 00:31:22.393 --> 00:31:28.642 This requires closer cooperation between the EU-NATO and the Nordic partners, as 00:31:28.720 --> 00:31:34.579 well as concrete investments in Arctic infra and security and especially in 00:31:34.657 --> 00:31:40.985 transport area. We cannot afford the threat Arctic security as a secondary issue. 00:31:41.063 --> 00:31:47.625 Second, we must turn Europe-Arctic ambitions also into smart investments innovations 00:31:47.703 --> 00:31:54.108 and jobs. We have world-class expertise in many areas in Arctic rese arch, digital 00:31:54.187 --> 00:31:59.733 solutions, expertise in strategic assets for the entire European Union. 00:31:59.811 --> 00:32:05.826 In the north part of Europe, the EU must ensure that ambitious translate into 00:32:05.904 --> 00:32:12.388 concrete projects stronger industrial capacity and long-term economic opportunities 00:32:12.466 --> 00:32:18.950 for Arctic regions. I'm not saying again what my dear colleague Ville Niinistö said 00:32:19.028 --> 00:32:25.590 about climate and environmental issues. I don't misuse your time, but I'm totally on 00:32:25.668 --> 00:32:31.604 the same line with him. And I think he will support me as a former transport 00:32:31.683 --> 00:32:35.432 minister with the transport roads in the Arctic. 00:32:35.510 --> 00:32:42.072 Area. I think words are not enough. We need also funding, investments and measurable 00:32:42.150 --> 00:32:48.321 results. And third, security and economic development must go hand in hand with 00:32:48.400 --> 00:32:53.321 environmental responsibility and respect for local communities. 00:32:53.399 --> 00:32:59.883 So some people and other ingenious communities must be respected and local people m 00:32:59.961 --> 00:33:05.195 ust have a meaningful role in this system's affecting their future. 00:33:05.273 --> 00:33:06.473 Thank you. 00:33:08.754 --> 00:33:13.540 Thank you. And finally, for the ESN group, would somebody like to take the floor? 00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:18.563 That is not the case. When I now get the floor to our effort standing rapporteur for 00:33:18.622 --> 00:33:20.454 the Arctic, Urmas Pike, please. 00:33:22.794 --> 00:33:28.656 Thank you very much. Thank you, dear colleagues from the Commission and external 00:33:28.729 --> 00:33:32.027 action service and of course from this House. 00:33:32.100 --> 00:33:38.182 I have been following and dealing with Arctic issues in the European Parliament for 00:33:38.255 --> 00:33:44.044 the last 10 years already, so that I have seen lots of changes in the attitude, 00:33:44.117 --> 00:33:50.199 which is, I would say, unfortunately under g iven circumstances of course positive, 00:33:50.272 --> 00:33:54.522 that we pay much more attention to developments in Arctic. 00:33:54.595 --> 00:34:00.677 If I recall, which was the attitude and comments around 10 years ago, why at all we 00:34:00.751 --> 00:34:06.686 should deal with Ar ctic and if we look today that the main center is in security 00:34:06.759 --> 00:34:12.328 issues, then y es, we have noticed huge and then big changes in this regard. 00:34:12.401 --> 00:34:18.190 I'm of course very happy that finally there is also new European Union's Arctic 00:34:18.263 --> 00:34:24.052 strategy. Of course I fully agree that the implementation is the most important 00:34:24.125 --> 00:34:30.134 element here. And I just want to mention a few points where I think that comparing 00:34:30.207 --> 00:34:36.142 also with the European Parliament's last year's recom mendation were actually 510 00:34:36.216 --> 00:34:40.026 members of this House supported this recommendation. 00:34:40.099 --> 00:34:45.595 This is actually rather big majority. Which also expresses large and united 00:34:45.668 --> 00:34:50.578 understanding about Arctic developments in the European Parliament. 00:34:50.651 --> 00:34:54.241 Well, a few things which I still want to mention. 00:34:54.315 --> 00:35:00.323 Of course I understand why maybe some of them are not in this new European Union's 00:35:00.396 --> 00:35:05.452 Ar ctic strategy, but still I guess we should keep them in our minds. 00:35:05.526 --> 00:35:08.750 European Union's future, I mean enlargement. 00:35:08.823 --> 00:35:14.539 Yes, we got message from Iceland from August, but still I guess European Union 00:35:14.612 --> 00:35:20.474 itself should have its do ors open and be very welcoming and positive about this 00:35:20.547 --> 00:35:26.556 kind of develop ments because it's always better to have for instance two security 00:35:26.629 --> 00:35:32.784 nets than one. Today we have NATO, but well looking at the developments in the world 00:35:32.857 --> 00:35:38.719 I would say that EU in this regard is very important new contributor to European 00:35:38.793 --> 00:35:42.603 security. Second element energy and energy security. 00:35:42.676 --> 00:35:48.758 I of course share the concerns of my colleagues from Green Group and Left, but this 00:35:48.831 --> 00:35:53.814 is of course the issue where we have to find adequate balance point. 00:35:54.174 --> 00:35:59.395 Because at the same time we also speak that energy security of Europe is very 00:35:59.463 --> 00:36:04.684 important, but the most secure ener gy we can have is energy which comes from 00:36:04.752 --> 00:36:10.176 Europe. And in this regard of course Norway is very important contributor to the 00:36:10.244 --> 00:36:15.940 European energy security. And unfortunately whatever EU says be it moratorium, be it 00:36:16.008 --> 00:36:21.093 whatever, well I have my doubts that Russian or Chinese will care about it. 00:36:21.161 --> 00:36:26.654 So that we should avoid also the situation that with our regulations and with our 00:36:26.721 --> 00:36:32.417 attitude we only in final end man age to influence the most secure and environmental 00:36:32.485 --> 00:36:35.943 friendly energy production in North. I mean Norway. 00:36:36.011 --> 00:36:41.029 And the others who don't have such a high standards do whatever they want. 00:36:41.096 --> 00:36:45.911 So that in this sense I guess the balance point here is very important. 00:36:45.979 --> 00:36:51.403 Thirdly, I'm glad that also I would say finally European Commission and external 00:36:51.471 --> 00:36:56.353 action service are taking Arctic issues much more seriously than before. 00:36:56.421 --> 00:37:02.117 And in this regard I guess that also the adequate structures and empowerment of this 00:37:02.184 --> 00:37:07.745 field is important. Fourthly, China. We speak a lot about Russia and when we speak 00:37:07.812 --> 00:37:13.508 about security in Arctic, but of course we should much more also keep eye on Chinese 00:37:13.576 --> 00:37:19.068 activities in this regard. And to stop here I also would like to see that in this 00:37:19.136 --> 00:37:24.764 House before the end of this mandate we once aga in come back to Arctic issues also 00:37:24.832 --> 00:37:26.934 in our plenary hall. Thank you. 00:37:28.314 --> 00:37:32.688 Thank you, Urmas. As a Vice Chair of our Committee, you know that you can sometimes 00:37:32.740 --> 00:37:34.374 be generous with speaking time. 00:37:36.294 --> 00:37:39.805 Yes, thank you, but I felt that there is not such a strong pressure. 00:37:39.856 --> 00:37:41.056 But sorry, sorry. 00:37:43.314 --> 00:37:45.708 So thank you, Urmas. Also for your good work. 00:37:45.761 --> 00:37:48.048 Now, who else would like to take the floor? 00:37:48.101 --> 00:37:50.814 First, Hannah Jalul. Please raise your hand, Ville. 00:37:52.554 --> 00:37:57.435 Thank you very much. I can see from all our interventions that the main worry we 00:37:57.496 --> 00:38:02.621 have all of us I think here is the issue of en vironmental topic that I think all of 00:38:02.682 --> 00:38:07.686 us are worried with this new strategies, local communiti es, what is the guarantee 00:38:07.747 --> 00:38:12.689 that we respect the local communities. And something is important for us that has 00:38:12.750 --> 00:38:17.814 been mentioned before, a part of everything related to the environment is crit ical 00:38:17.875 --> 00:38:20.438 raw materials. How is this addressed here? 00:38:20.499 --> 00:38:23.183 What is the clear strategy on raw materials? 00:38:23.244 --> 00:38:28.125 I think about communities, environment, everything, but how is our policy on raw 00:38:28.186 --> 00:38:33.007 materials has been mentioned also. When we talk about international actors, you 00:38:33.068 --> 00:38:37.827 know, I know that the main worry also for us here is China, Russ ia, how these 00:38:37.888 --> 00:38:42.891 actors are involved there, how the European Union can have our own leverage on the 00:38:42.952 --> 00:38:47.894 issue. Which it is very important. And something I was reading the other day that 00:38:47.955 --> 00:38:52.897 maritime ro utes now that are coming from other parts of the world because of the 00:38:52.958 --> 00:38:57.901 defrosting and things like this that what will be very interesting to hear from y 00:38:57.962 --> 00:39:02.477 ou. Thank you very much and indeed because this meeting is very important. 00:39:02.538 --> 00:39:07.663 This is going to be a very important topic for the European Union in the next years. 00:39:07.724 --> 00:39:08.924 Thank you. 00:39:10.314 --> 00:39:11.694 Thank you, Ville, please. 00:39:12.714 --> 00:39:19.293 Since I'm a Danish MEP, I'm very much interested in the Greenlandic part of it. 00:39:19.377 --> 00:39:26.206 I visited Greenland a month ago. It was the same month where the agreement between 00:39:26.289 --> 00:39:31.120 the US and Greenland and Denmark was ratified in New York. 00:39:31.203 --> 00:39:37.949 So it was very much a sense of relief. And I think everyone who visited Greenland 00:39:38.032 --> 00:39:44.945 has a feeling how much threatened the population of Greenland felt in this case not 00:39:45.028 --> 00:39:48.693 from Russia and China but from the USA. And. 00:39:48.776 --> 00:39:55.272 I think it's very important therefore that the outcome of the agreement was an 00:39:55.356 --> 00:40:01.935 agreement that NATO sho uld play a much more central role in the defense of the 00:40:02.018 --> 00:40:05.683 northern of Greenland which I think is good. 00:40:05.766 --> 00:40:11.513 It's a good exchange for bilateral agreement between Denmark and U S. 00:40:11.596 --> 00:40:16.010 That it's now a multilateral agreement. That's there. 00:40:16.093 --> 00:40:23.089 In the what's security is concerned. Another thing worrying about the geopolitical a 00:40:23.172 --> 00:40:30.085 lot more difficult situation is that Greenland is only connected with two cables to 00:40:30.168 --> 00:40:37.164 the rest of the world. If these ones are cut the communication possibilities for big 00:40:37.247 --> 00:40:43.827 parts of Greenland is changed. I wonder if you have some use about what actions 00:40:43.910 --> 00:40:50.406 could be taken there. And then I think you are approached to this that it's we 00:40:50.490 --> 00:40:56.070 people living there as a central part is a very very important one. 00:40:56.153 --> 00:41:02.899 Because I think that's been also in the struggle with the US, the Danish approach 00:41:02.982 --> 00:41:08.562 that nothing there should be made without the people liv ing there. 00:41:08.646 --> 00:41:12.227 And I think this approach is important one. 00:41:12.310 --> 00:41:16.974 I think see the hammer is raised so thank you very much. 00:41:18.534 --> 00:41:21.678 Thank you. Who else would like to take the floor? 00:41:21.742 --> 00:41:27.003 Then before I hand over to our guest speakers for their closing statements of each 00:41:27.067 --> 00:41:32.328 five minut es, let me just also add that I very much welcome that the strategy has 00:41:32.392 --> 00:41:37.524 been updated and that it is a joint ownership of the European Commission and the 00:41:37.589 --> 00:41:42.978 European External Action Service. So we I think have a really good strategy in place 00:41:43.042 --> 00:41:48.431 but of course action speaks not words. And one of the first litmus tests will be how 00:41:48.495 --> 00:41:53.628 much of this will be seen the MFF for the next period because of course all will 00:41:53.692 --> 00:41:59.017 cost a lot of money. Since we're running out of time I will not go into any details 00:41:59.081 --> 00:42:04.278 many were addressed by the colleagues. I will close this meeting at 22 so we have 00:42:04.342 --> 00:42:07.101 five minutes each. Who would like to begin? 00:42:07.165 --> 00:42:08.365 Madame. 00:42:12.954 --> 00:42:18.050 Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. And thank you very much. 00:42:18.141 --> 00:42:25.693 Honorable members I'm very happy to see from the comments that we see eye to eye on 00:42:25.784 --> 00:42:32.700 the situation of the Arctic and the fact that today's strategic and security 00:42:32.791 --> 00:42:38.888 landscape call for revisiting seriously our approach to the Arctic. 00:42:38.979 --> 00:42:44.074 As Mr. Urma Pat underlined, we're not new to the Arctic. 00:42:44.165 --> 00:42:51.445 We started our first policy on the Arctic in 2008 and we're already at the fifth 00:42:51.536 --> 00:42:58.816 iteration. But gradually we increase our involvement on Arctic affairs and we've 00:42:58.907 --> 00:43:06.277 increased also the importance we give to security without walking back on the key 00:43:06.368 --> 00:43:12.010 elements that are environment, climate change, and the people. 00:43:12.101 --> 00:43:19.654 Someone mentioned the importance of standards and notably IMO, I want to high light 00:43:19.745 --> 00:43:26.751 that the Arctic is neither a place empty of people nor a place with no rules. 00:43:26.842 --> 00:43:34.304 There are rules supplying to the Arctic. And definitely IMO is one of the key rule 00:43:34.395 --> 00:43:41.311 setter for the Arctic and the shipping. And we will continue to be extremely 00:43:41.402 --> 00:43:49.045 involved in those framework bec ause the pollution that can come from shipping is an 00:43:49.136 --> 00:43:53.140 area that we can that we must keep in focus. 00:43:53.231 --> 00:44:00.875 A third point of partnerships. Partnerships as you've seen are central to the way we 00:44:00.966 --> 00:44:08.427 see our policy for the Arctic. And partnership will take a very concrete step soon 00:44:08.518 --> 00:44:15.707 as we prepare for the summit with Canada at the end of the month and the Arctic 00:44:15.798 --> 00:44:23.169 issues will be discussed with Canada. There is also a potential to strengthen our 00:44:23.260 --> 00:44:30.812 cooperation with the UK which is not an Arctic state but a key state in the EU gap, 00:44:30.903 --> 00:44:38.456 the Greenland Iceland UK gap. And as we prepare for the EU UK summit on the 20th of 00:44:38.547 --> 00:44:46.009 November and the security and defense partnership with the UK importantly includes 00:44:46.099 --> 00:44:53.743 the mention of Arctic issues. And my counterparts in the UK have already reached out 00:44:53.834 --> 00:45:00.477 to me to discuss how we can see and how we can collaborate on this issue. 00:45:00.568 --> 00:45:07.756 Norway and Iceland of course we have security and defense partnership with this 00:45:07.847 --> 00:45:14.763 countries. And we have already an Arctic dialogue with Norway and we wish to 00:45:14.854 --> 00:45:16.674 continue this dialog 00:45:16.734 --> 00:45:23.742 ue and with Iceland there is a whole paragraph on Arctic issues in our security and 00:45:23.826 --> 00:45:30.580 defense partnership with Iceland and that will be another opportunity to discuss 00:45:30.665 --> 00:45:37.588 what we can do together. Regarding Greenland I will leave to my colleague from the 00:45:37.672 --> 00:45:44.173 commission to speak about the co operation frame but we as European have been 00:45:44.258 --> 00:45:51.096 unambiguous in l ending our support to the kingdom of Denmark to Greenland and to 00:45:51.181 --> 00:45:58.273 Denmark. And we have all welcome the trilateral agreement that is streng thening the 00:45:58.357 --> 00:46:04.943 security in the Arctic and we will continue to stay with behind the kingdom of 00:46:05.027 --> 00:46:08.826 Denmark. The kingdom of Denmark has our back. 00:46:08.911 --> 00:46:16.003 And to conclude on the implementation we've worked very closely with all services of 00:46:16.087 --> 00:46:22.588 the comm ission to produce this strategy and we will continue to work for its 00:46:22.673 --> 00:46:29.596 implementation. You are right that implementation will be key and you are right to 00:46:29.680 --> 00:46:36.181 mention that the MFF will be key. Some actions can already be taken under the 00:46:36.266 --> 00:46:43.189 current MFF. For example adding some satellites to increase the observation of the 00:46:43.273 --> 00:46:50.112 Arctic territor y. But some will need to be backed by the future financing of the 00:46:50.196 --> 00:46:56.951 EU. Highlighting also that the foreign affair council will now follow up on this 00:46:57.035 --> 00:47:04.043 strategy and as the foreign affair council follows up on this strategy I hope and I 00:47:04.127 --> 00:47:10.628 look forward to stay in conta ct with the AFET and the European Parliament to 00:47:10.713 --> 00:47:14.934 prepare for those conclusion. Thank you very much. 00:47:16.614 --> 00:47:19.033 Sure. We will certainly remain in contact. 00:47:19.091 --> 00:47:21.625 This topic is always high on our agenda. Mr. 00:47:21.683 --> 00:47:22.883 Gray please. 00:47:23.994 --> 00:47:30.916 Thank you and I would like to thank the Honorable Members for their extremely 00:47:31.006 --> 00:47:38.378 salient points on many ke y issues. I'm going to start with the chair's firstly in 00:47:38.468 --> 00:47:45.929 terms of the MFF I think we would love to be able to put a bill in the text and say 00:47:46.019 --> 00:47:53.301 this is where it will all come from. I think we would argue that its simply under 00:47:53.391 --> 00:47:58.515 lines the wisdom of the commission's proposal on the MFF. 00:47:58.605 --> 00:48:06.067 In the sense of you can see actions here that will require funding from heading one 00:48:06.157 --> 00:48:13.528 from heading two from heading three it will require a mobilization of member state 00:48:13.618 --> 00:48:21.170 funding and of course we have already the very clear commitment of the commission on 00:48:21.260 --> 00:48:25.575 Greenland to double the funding in the next MFF. 00:48:25.665 --> 00:48:32.587 So I think from our side there is a very clear will and I think we hope ver y 00:48:32.677 --> 00:48:39.779 strongly that that logic in terms of an issue like the Ar ctic is underlined as 00:48:39.869 --> 00:48:47.150 final decisions are taken on the budget. My second point I want to bring together 00:48:47.240 --> 00:48:54.612 Greenland and people bec ause I very much agree with the assessment that basically 00:48:54.702 --> 00:49:02.164 anything we try to do in this strategy we need to do it together with the people of 00:49:02.253 --> 00:49:09.715 the Arctic. Because only they really understand I think the challenges that we face 00:49:09.805 --> 00:49:17.357 on a whole series of particular issues and that's why it's so important that we work 00:49:17.446 --> 00:49:24.728 so closely together. That's why there's a lot of emphasis in the communication in 00:49:24.818 --> 00:49:28.953 the final chapter on dialog ue and engagement. 00:49:29.043 --> 00:49:34.078 A very particular focus on engagement with young people. 00:49:34.168 --> 00:49:41.719 I think both the high representative but also the commissioner have spent quite some 00:49:41.809 --> 00:49:49.091 time in their engagements tal king to young people across the Arctic to very much 00:49:49.181 --> 00:49:53.136 try to listen and understand their concerns. 00:49:53.226 --> 00:49:59.969 I want to move next to the climate. I'd like to already state that from our 00:50:00.058 --> 00:50:06.801 perspective we do not see a backtracking. I think it was very important the 00:50:06.891 --> 00:50:14.173 statement that was made that you need to look at the geopolitical and the climate 00:50:14.263 --> 00:50:21.814 together. There is a complete a full chapter in the communication on the climate and 00:50:21.904 --> 00:50:26.309 that to be very open was done very intentionally. 00:50:26.399 --> 00:50:30.714 We wanted to send a very clear message of the un 00:50:30.834 --> 00:50:34.747 precedented scale of the challenge we see and. 00:50:34.832 --> 00:50:41.723 If you look at AMOC and the discussions that are taking place on that and you see 00:50:41.808 --> 00:50:48.869 ver y quickly the real climate emergency we face the same deb ate on permafrost the 00:50:48.954 --> 00:50:56.015 same debate on pollution and that is why you will see through th roughout this text 00:50:56.100 --> 00:51:03.161 a set of key deliverables on the climate itself but then as you look at each one of 00:51:03.246 --> 00:51:08.606 the sectors the climate dimension is very much reflected there. 00:51:08.691 --> 00:51:15.837 As has been mentioned by the special envoy I think the IMO regulations point when we 00:51:15.922 --> 00:51:22.642 look at pol lution when we look at emissions of black carbon emissions from the 00:51:22.727 --> 00:51:27.661 Arctic very clearly set out also within the communication. 00:51:27.746 --> 00:51:34.722 Of course it would be remiss of me not to mention the question of hydrocarb ons in 00:51:34.807 --> 00:51:41.953 the Arctic there's been a lot of press coverage as there was I think always going to 00:51:42.038 --> 00:51:47.993 be whatever the language was there I think yeah the president the high 00:51:48.078 --> 00:51:54.969 representative the commissioner have been very clear on this if you take the text 00:51:55.054 --> 00:52:01.945 that's in the communication and you compare it to 2021 it is the same language on 00:52:02.030 --> 00:52:08.921 the EU's commitment ex actly the same language on the EU yeah the EU policy where 00:52:09.006 --> 00:52:16.152 there is a difference is indeed on the fact that we have not been able to reach that 00:52:16.237 --> 00:52:23.213 multilateral legal obligation and that 's why there is different language and that 00:52:23.298 --> 00:52:30.104 does reflect also the energy security angle which is important wh y you see that 00:52:30.189 --> 00:52:35.718 language but in terms of the EU's commitment it is crystal clear. 00:52:35.803 --> 00:52:37.003 Thank you. 00:52:38.514 --> 00:52:42.276 Thank you to both speakers. There are no further comments from your side. 00:52:42.328 --> 00:52:46.657 Is there anything to raise under any other business that is not the case then let me 00:52:46.708 --> 00:52:50.986 announce the date of our next meeting that will be on the 3rd of November 2026 from 00:52:51.037 --> 00:52:53.666 9 to half past 12 and from 3 to 5 in the afternoon. 00:52:53.717 --> 00:52:57.892 This meeting will take place in Brussels. The meeting is closed and let's now all 00:52:57.943 --> 00:52:59.143 rush to the plenary. 00:53:01.074 --> 00:53:02.274 Thank you.