Arctic: Ice Melts and Political Battles heat up EU, Russia, and Nordic Countries: interests and aspirations

Register HERE. Registered participants will receive a Webex link one day before the event. Registration deadline: 13 December 2021, noon.

Cooperation project with the Representation of the European Commission in Austria.

Speakers

EU in the Arctic
Michael Mann, EU Special Envoy for Arctic Matters.

Russian Federation in the Arctic
Alexander Sergunin, professor at St. Petersburg State University. Expert on Arctic politics and security.

Denmark and Nordic Countries in the Arctic
Torsten Kjølby Nielsen, Deputy Head of Department at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Arctic, and North America.

Background
Physically remote from most European countries, and present in the media as an example of accelerated climate change transformation, Arctic has become a new political battlefield.

While eight Arctic States are represented in the Arctic Council – Canada, The Kingdom of Denmark (Greenland and Faroe Islands), Norway, Iceland, the Russian Federation, USA, Finland, and Sweden-, China also aspires to fulfill its ambitions.

China “calls itself a “near-Arctic state” and has plans for a “polar silk road” to make use of Arctic shipping routes and resource extraction projects,” describes The Economist.

Who is who in the Arctic?  What are the aspirations of the major protagonists? Can Arctic be a region for big power cooperation, or it will be a new battleground?

Moderation: Mirjana Tomić

Format
Brief presentations followed by a live Q&A

Information and further questions: