EUROPEAN EXTERNAL ACTION SERVICE EUROPEAN COMMISSION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR MARITIME AFFAIRS AND FISHERIES OCEAN GOVERNANCE, LAW OF THE SEA, ARCTIC POLICY Division Eastern Partnership, Regional Cooperation & OSCE EURCA.EAST.1 MARE.B.1 EU-European Arctic Dialogue Seminar Information The EU-European Arctic Dialogue Seminar will take place in Brussels on 21 November 2017. Venue: Hotel Berlaymont, Boulevard Charlemagne 11-19, 1000 Brussels Time: 9-19 (including reception), registration desk opens at 8:30 (no coffee is served in the morning) The working language of the seminar will be English. The seminar will consider various issues relevant for the European Arctic (regions between Greenland and Northwest Russia) including those outlined in the Joint Communication on an integrated EU policy for the Arctic, published by the European Commission and the High Representative on 27 April 2016. You are invited to visit the European External Action Service Arctic policy website at: https://eeas.europa.eu/arctic-policy/eu-arctic-policy_en You can consult the 2016 Joint Communication at: http://eeas.europa.eu/archives/docs/arctic_region/docs/160427_joint-communication-anintegrated-european-union-policy-for-the-arctic_en.pdf The Dialogue Seminar aims to: obtain views from Arctic stakeholders and experts about the European Union s Arctic policy and the EU s Arctic-relevant actions; deliberate ideas for EU actions in the future; and facilitate interaction between EU officials, Arctic stakeholders, and experts. The seminar will be a working event. Most of participants' time will be spent in thematic workshops, in which a moderator will facilitate discussion in groups of 15-25 participants. Participants include Arctic stakeholders and experts, as well as EU officials.
In November 2017, the first seminar in a series of dialogue events will feature four parallel workshops focused on the European Arctic issues: European Arctic Environment (including human health) Diversifying European Arctic economies (innovative activities, digitalization and connectivity, creative industries, tourism) Accessibility, transport and logistics Utilizing European Arctic resources (mining, forestry, bioenergy, renewable energy) Broader questions referring to Circumpolar Arctic including international Arctic cooperation and issues related to climate change mitigation, Central Arctic Ocean, maritime shipping will be discussed in a Dialogue Seminar in October 2018. The workshops will be divided in four phases: Phase 1: Warm-up: changes, developments and their drivers in the European Arctic (20-40 min) Phase 2: Challenges and opportunities in the European Arctic (1 hour 20 min) Phase 3: What is currently the European Union s role in addressing the challenges and capturing the opportunities identified in Phase 2 (40-50 min) Phase 4: What should and could the EU do to address challenges and capture the opportunities identified in Phase 2 (1.5 hours) The seminar will start with a short plenary session, with an introduction to the seminar goals and methods, as well as five introductory presentations by invited experts on topics related to four thematic workshops. Below you can find the draft programme of the EU-European Arctic Dialogue Seminar on 21 November 2017: Time Activity 8:00-9:00: Registration (note: no coffee will be served) 9:00-11:00 Plenary session 11:00-11:30 Coffee break 11:30-13:00 Parallel workshops (Phase 1 and Phase 2) 13:00-14:00 Lunch 14:00-15:30 Parallel workshops (Phases 2 and 3) 15:30-16:00 Coffee break 16:00-17:30 Parallel workshops (Phase 4) 17:30-18:00 Closing plenary session 18:00-19:00 Cocktail reception Two weeks before the seminar, participants will receive an information package (on event logistics and workshop methodology), including background papers serving as inspirational starting points for the workshops.
CONTENT OF DIALOGUE SEMINAR WORKSHOPS Workshop 1: European Arctic ENVIRONMENT The discussions on Arctic environment and Arctic climate change often focus on the changes taking place in the Arctic Ocean and on the Circumpolar Arctic climate. That is not surprising considering the intensity of these changes and their importance for global developments. However, Arctic regions are very diverse. The European Arctic has its own set of characteristics and challenges. The EU exerts greater environmental, economic and/or regulatory influence in the Northern Fennoscandia and North Atlantic as compared to other parts of the Arctic, and it has close relations with Greenland. This workshop focuses on changes, their drivers, challenges, opportunities and policies that are of relevance for the European Arctic. The discussion on the Arctic climate change in general and on overall EU s climate mitigation actions will take place in the 2018 Circumpolar Arctic Dialogue Seminar. Habitats and landscapes of the European Arctic are unique in the European context. The region hosts cultures dependent on the Arctic environment, which is considered to be particularly vulnerable to cumulative impacts of climate change, industrial and resource developments, as well as long-range pollution. The European Arctic warms faster than other parts of Europe. This workshop will tackle questions related to climate change impacts and adaptation needs and the environmental impacts of economic developments in Northern Fennoscandia and in the North Atlantic regions. Participants will discuss the environmental changes to and the protection of European Arctic biodiversity as well as the impacts on human health. Various EU policies such as Natura 2000 and the Water Framework Directive are relevant in that context. The seminar may also consider the environmental and economic footprint the EU economy exerts on the European Arctic. The long-range pollution and black carbon as well as relevant policies aimed at mitigation of European footprints are here of relevance. The role of international environmental cooperation and the EU contribution to international forums is of equal importance. Workshop 2: Diversifying European Arctic ECONOMIES Looking from outside the European Arctic, the northernmost European regions are considered to have economies primarily based on extractive sectors. However, the socio-economic landscape of the European Arctic is multifaceted. Regional actors attempt to further diversify northern economies, build needed human capital, boost local innovation and entrepreneurship, and benefit to the greatest extent possible from global developments related to digitalization and the circular economy. These ideas are also expected to contribute to the sustainable development of these regions. This workshop will discuss the status and potential of these trends and strategies in northern peripheral regions. Issues for debate include, among others, new trends in tourism, indigenous entrepreneurship, cold climate technologies, digital connectivity needs, data centres, cold climate testing, and circular solutions in peripheral regions. The workshop will also discuss the contributions of diverse EU funding instruments, including financing for research and innovation. The prospects of vibrant Arctic urban centres and the challenges faced by northern rural communities will be equally considered.
Workshop 3: Accessibility, TRANSPORT and Logistics Limited accessibility within the region, weak intra-regional connections, and narrow transport linkages to the EU s Single Market areas are highlighted by many actors in the European Arctic as key obstacles for peripheral and sparsely populated regions achieving their full developmental potential. Notwithstanding, transport investments may have impacts on environment and livelihoods. There is a need to discuss what the actual needs are and where the support (including through investment financing) could make the greatest difference. The workshop will consider the EU policies and funding to support the development of transport networks in the European Arctic. In the European Arctic Dialogue Seminar, the ICT connectivity is discussed in relation to broader digitalisation questions in the workshop on Diversifying European Arctic Economies. However, in the course of the discussion, participants to the Accessibility, Transport and Logistics workshop may raise questions related to digital connectivity, as it is increasingly relevant for transport infrastructure. Workshop 4: Utilizing European Arctic RESOURCES European Arctic renewable and non-renewable resources have been utilised for centuries. Forestry, mining, renewable energy, bioeconomy, bioenergy and fisheries remain also today key industries in Europe s North. Industrial-scale extractives and resource utilization can bring wealth to Arctic communities, but can have adverse impacts on the environment, communities and traditional livelihoods. Too high dependence on extractive industries may also leave Arctic regions particularly vulnerable to price fluctuations in global markets. What can be done to limit negative impacts and enhance beneficial outputs of developments? Or maybe some projects should not go forward at all? What is and what should be the EU s role as regards European Arctic resource developments? NOTE: the questions related to Arctic offshore oil and gas will be discussed in the Dialogue Seminar dedicated to the Circumpolar Arctic, which will take place in Brussels in October 2018. Registration: www.arcticcentre.org/euapa Inquiries: EUAPA@ulapland.fi Content of the workshops and the programme of the event: Adam Stepien (Arctic Centre) at astepien@ulapland.fi or +358 404844298 Event organisation logistics: Joseph Cheek (Arctic Centre) at +32 484706166 or EUAPA@ulapland.fi The November 21 Dialogue Seminar is a part of the EU Arctic Policy Assessment process (2017-2019) carried out via a contract with the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland, Finland and its partners, who provide the EEAS and the European Commission with policy support.
EU Arctic Policy Assessment process The EU Arctic Policy Assessment process is a policy support contract awarded to the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland together with a consortium composed of the Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (Germany) and the Arctic Portal (Iceland). The overall objective of the project is to provide technical support to the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the European Commission (EC) in strengthening of the EU Arctic Policy. That will be achieved by enhancing the process of further development of the policy primarily via interaction with key Arctic and Arctic-relevant stakeholders. The project aims at producing the following outputs:strengthen dialogue and engagement with Arctic stakeholders; Gather feedback from Arctic stakeholders through seminars;track follow-through on the policy responses outlined in the Joint Communication;Deepen the EU s understanding of the major issues of importance across the Arctic;Report from the dialogue process, including ideas on how to inform and potentially further develop the EU s Arctic policy. These results will be produced through a carefully designed dialogue process aimed primarily at structured input from stakeholders participating in seminars. Altogether four events will be organized: EU-European Arctic Dialogue Seminar in 2017, EU-Circumpolar Arctic Dialogue Seminar in 2018, and the final Overview Seminar in 2019. The seminars are designed as working events with participation by invitation only. In addition, an open break-out event will be organised in 2018. The process of acquiring and analysing stakeholder input is facilitated by the expert work of the project team. The project team prepares appropriate background materials, supports identification of invitees, carries out the invitation process, and the logistical organisation of the events. The methodology chosen for the seminars and the structure of the reports to be delivered are directly related to the expected results and are to produce outputs of greatest possible utility for informing the EU s policy towards the Arctic. The main aim of the events to be organised within the EU Arctic Policy Assessment is thus to provide the services in the EEAS and the Commission with substantive input into the processes of tracking of policy implementation and further policy development. The complementary goals are to maintain and enhance the ongoing interaction between EU officials and Arctic stakeholders and to raise awareness among these key stakeholders of the EU s actions under the Union s Arctic policy. Moreover, the experts will provide EU policy officers with ongoing policy advice. The project duration is 30 months from January 2017 until July 2019. EU Arctic Policy Assessment project consortium Partners: University of Lapland (Arctic Centre, Finland), Arctic Portal (Iceland), Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (Germany)