Adapting to the changing Arctic? The European Union, the Nordics, and the Barents Governance Mosaic

The Arctic region is significantly affected by rising temperatures and melting ice due to climate change, which provides immense economic opportunities for stakeholders within and outside the Arctic. China and Russia have already put themselves in a good position regarding these opportunities, while the European Union (EU) struggles to find its place in its Northern periphery. A decade ago, the European Commission issued its first policy paper on the Arctic region. The European Commission developed a northern maritime and Arctic policy that will support cooperation in the Euro-Arctic area and give a voice to, and align with, the Nordic countries in the EU. Ten years later, the general contours of a European Arctic strategy have appeared. The EU’s Arctic policy has shifted from a more general Arctic approach, towards the Euro-Arctic region, especially towards the Barents Sea. This paper experiments with the idea of an emerging Barents Governance Mosaic (BGM) that consists of various actors and mechanisms involved in interconnected, but non-hierarchical, areas the EU may further develop to improve its role in the Arctic and Arctic governance as a whole.補正完