Wednesday 24th of June 2015, the European Commission will host in Reykjavik the third stakeholder workshop on further development of the EU's Arctic policy.
In the latest "Council conclusions on developing a European Union Policy towards the Arctic Region", released in December 2014, the Council requested "the Commission and the High Representative to present proposals for the further development of an integrated and coherent Arctic Policy by December 2015. As part of this exercise, the Council encourages the Commission to ensure effective synergies between the various EU funding instruments in the Arctic region. "
The EU has been developing an EU Arctic Policy, not yet in place, since October 2008, when the European Parliament first released a "resolution on Arctic Governance". Since then, there have been released 3 Parliamentarian resolution, 2 European commission communication, and the Council conclusions ( you can read more here)
The developing EU Arctic Policy is built on three main policy objectives:
- protecting and preserving the Arctic in cooperation with the people who live there
- promoting sustainable use of resources
- international cooperation.
Which will be achieved by:
- supporting research and channelling knowledge to address environmental and climate change in the Arctic
- acting responsibly to help ensure that economic development in the Arctic is based on sustainable use of resources and environmental expertise
- stepping up constructive engagement and dialogue with Arctic states, indigenous peoples and other partners
A comprehensive overview of EU's role in the Arctic, inclusive of an overview of the historical development of an EU Arctic Policy,can be found at www.arcticinfo.eu, a website developed within the EU-founded project „Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment of Development of the Arctic".
The workshop that will be held on Wednesday 24th in Reykjavik, is in line with the council request to ensure effective synergies between the various EU funding instruments in the Arctic region", in order to present to present proposals for the further development.
Here is the text of the invitation:
The European Commission is pleased to invite you to the third stakeholder workshop on the further development of the EU's Arctic policy that will take place on 24 June 2015 in Reykjavik, at the Fosshotel. It will bring together key stakeholders from business, academia and the public sector to discuss fishing, maritime safety, shipping and tourism in the Arctic. This event is part of a series of three workshops: the first one took place in Rovaniemi on 29 April and the second one in Oslo on 27 May.
Topics: fishing, maritime safety, shipping and tourism in the Arctic
Steinar Martin Paulsen 04.06.2015 10:41 (Sist oppdatert: 04.06.2015 10:52)
The workshops follow from a public consultation on "Streamlining EU funding in the European Arctic" in order to identify the main challenges and common investment priorities for the European Arctic. Based on its results, the European Commission is organising a series of workshops to further explore the main issues brought forward by stakeholders. The replies to the consultation can be found here.
Topics: fishing, maritime safety, shipping and tourism in the Arctic
8.15-8.45 Registration and coffee
8.45-9.00 Welcome by the Icelandic Government
Opening by the European Commission
9.00-10.30 SESSION 1: Arctic fishing
Erik J. Molenaar, Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea
MP Vilhjálmur Bjarnason, Vice-Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee
10.30-11.00 Coffee Break
11.00-12.30 SESSION 2: Maritime safety and security in the Arctic
Andreas Østhagen, Director of the Arctic Institute
Mika Mered, Managing Partner Polarisk
12.30-13.30 Lunch Break
13.30-14.45 SESSION 3: Arctic shipping
Michael Kingston, Partner at DWF
Tianbing Huang, Senior Technical Officer in charge of Polar Code, IMO
14.45-15.15 Coffee Break
15.15-16.30 SESSION 4: Tourism as an economic growth sector in the Arctic
Annika Fredriksson, Swedish Lapland
TBC
16.30-17.00 Closing
You can register here.