Overview
- Leaders meeting in Rovaniemi on Sunday and Monday issued a joint statement that reframes the EU's Arctic policy around security and calls for a more proactive European role.
- The European Council signalled plans to boost investment in Arctic security and defence and to reflect those priorities in the next long-term EU budget.
- EU officials said Russia is expanding military activity in the Far North, including reopening ex-Soviet bases and conducting missile tests, and the summit followed Norway's seizure of a Russian vessel near Svalbard.
- Tensions over Greenland rose this year after President Donald Trump pressed U.S. claims, prompting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to announce a €200 million support package for Greenland.
- The European Commission will publish an updated Arctic strategy in the coming weeks to operationalise summit commitments and the changes could affect shipping routes, access to critical raw materials, and life for Arctic communities.