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| Europe | ||||
| EU Leaders LARP in Military Uniforms In Finland While Dissing Russia | ||||
| 2026-09-20 | ||||
| [DeutscheWelle] European leaders are meeting over shipping, resources and security in the region amid pressure from the US, China and Russia. The EU sees the Arctic as key to its future security as melting ice makes it more accessible. European leaders gathered in Rovaniemi, Finland, on Monday to plan a path forward for the bloc's presence in the Arctic. The talks focused on emerging shipping lanes, raw mineral deposits and security threats from the US, China and Russia. They come as Arctic ice melts and northern waters become easier to navigate, and in the wake of US President Donald Trump's calls for the US to take control of Greenland which put severe strain on the NATO alliance. CALL FOR A 'MORE STRATEGIC AND PROACTIVE' EU ROLE IN ARCTIC German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and 11 other EU leaders issued a joint statement amid Monday's meeting well to the north of Helsinki headed towards the Arctic coastline. "We agree that the EU needs to step up its action to promote stability, sustainable development and prosperity while safeguarding its interests," the statement said. "We call for the European Union to take on a more strategic and proactive role in the European Arctic," the declaration urged. Besides Merz and Germany, the leaders of Finland, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden backed the statement. They called for improved monitoring and information-sharing, increasing investment in transport links, digital networks military mobility and other infrastrure. The statement also emphasized addressing hybrid threats and protecting critical infrastructure on land and sea. Senior EU officials Kaja Kallas and Antonio Costa also attended the session. EU USING MEETING TO SHAPE ITS NEW ARCTIC STRATEGY No formal decisions were expected on Monday,
National leaders can still have a say impacting the final document, "so in that sense this is quite a timely meeting," said Tuomas Tikkanen — Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's senior adviser on European affairs. The bloc's last strategy paper was released in 2021. "The idea is essentially to strengthen the EU's common strategic approach to the Arctic in this situation, where the geopolitical and economic significance of the region is growing considerably," Orpo, who initiated the summit, has emphasized that the Arctic is an, "increasingly important part of Europe's security environment." The Arctic, which is warming nearly four times faster than other regions, has seen increased activity as receding ice opens potential transport routes as well as access to mineral resources. The EU's foreign policy chief Kallas echoed sentiments of host Finland's government, saying that Brussels needed icebreaker vessels to boost its Arctic presence. Kallas said that given "the situation we are in, and considering also climate change and the opening of maritime routes, we need icebreakers or ships that are able to navigate" in still-difficult conditions in the polar region.
In August, China and South Korea both sent container ships through the region, testing the viability of the North Sea Route in Russian territorial waters.
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