The European Commission and the European External Action Service presented yesterday the new EU policy for the Arctic, aimed at further strengthening its engagement in the region and working with partners to ensure a peaceful, sustainable, and prosperous Arctic.

The focus points in the plan are to foster dialogue and cooperation within the international community to keep the Arctic safe and stable, to address ecological, social, economic and political challenges arising as a consequence of climate change and take strong action to make the region more resilient, and finally to support an inclusive and sustainable development of the Arctic region to the benefit of its inhabitants, with a particular focus on indigenous people.

The EU will invest specifically in research and innovation, which are set to have a key role to play in protecting the Arctic, with science and technology supporting evidence-based policymaking and offering viable solutions. Under Horizon 2020, the EU spent around €200 million on polar research as part of the Blue Growth focus area. Such investments will be continued via a commitment to support research through Horizon Europe.

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