The Arctic ice melt:

A wake up call, certainly not a business opportunity!

The EU has three (and with Iceland, potentially four) Arctic Council states amongst its members and maintains close relations with Iceland and Norway through the European Economic Area. The changes to the climate in the Arctic or any possible accident happening in the area will thus have a direct and major impact on coastal regions in Europe and on its climate-dependent sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, renewable energy, tourism and transport. The EU has a responsibility to protect this area and to encourage its other Arctic partners to jointly safeguard such a fragile region.

Introduction