Transcript here. - Arctic Consensus

The European Union and the
Economic Development of the Arctic
Seminar: The West-Nordic Arctic: A growth
potential at the door of Europe
03 July 2014, Brussels
Ugo Miretti
European Commission, DG Enterprise and Industry
F3 - « Raw Materials, Metals, Minerals, and Forest-based
industries »
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EU Arctic Policy: Background
• The Arctic Communication by the Commission (2008)
• The Council Conclusions on Arctic issues (2009)
• The European Parliament Resolution on a sustainable EU policy
for the High North (2011)
On 26 June 2012, Communication JOIN(2012) 19:
Developing a European Union Policy towards the Arctic
Region: progress since 2008 and next steps
On 15 May 2013: positive endorsement of the EU's observer
status by the Eighth Ministerial Meeting of the Arctic Council
On 12 March 2014: European Parliament resolution on the
EU strategy for the Arctic (2013/2595(RSP)
On 12 May 2014: Council conclusions on developing a
European Union Policy towards the Arctic Region
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EU Arctic Policy: next steps
The EU Institutions are thus strongly committed to a strong
and active Arctic policy.
In particular, the Council encouraged "the Commission and
the High Representative to present proposals for the further
development of an integrated and coherent Arctic Policy by
December 2015".
The Arctic is thus going to be a priority for the new
Commission, whose services will also focus on "ensuring
effective synergies between the various EU funding
instruments in the Arctic region".
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EU Arctic Policy: Reasons
• Three EU Member States are members of the Arctic
Council; others, such as Iceland and Norway, have strong
links with the EU
• The strategic importance of the Arctic is growing
(transport, resources, climate change)
• It is in EU interest, as well as in the Arctic countries’, that
the economic development of the region is managed
sustainably
• The EU Arctic approach (2012 Comm) rests on three
columns: Knowledge, Responsibility, Engagement
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EU Arctic Policy: Knowledge
Arctic research is key to understand the impact of climate
change and to allow sustainable development
•
The EU has been the largest contributor to international Arctic
research: over 200 million Euros (FP 6 and 7)
•
Twelve projects helped enhance monitoring and data availability,
another eight supported research networks and infrastructures
•
The EU also supports information networks, and is exploring the
possibility of creating an European Arctic Information network
http://www.arcticcentre.org/InEnglish
•
First step: the preparatory action for the strategic assessment of
the development of the Arctic
http://www.arcticinfo.eu/en/
•
The EU is also developing spaced-based applications and
monitoring tools (Copernico and Galileo Initiatives)
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EU Arctic Policy: Knowledge
Horizon 2020: the new EU research financing programme
Horizon 2020 will run from 2014 to 2020 with a budget of just over
€70 Billion. The first round of proposals have been received and
are being evaluated.
It will have an even bigger impact on Arctic research (strong focus
on links with third countries)
Information on how to participate is available at
http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/
Most relevant for the Arctic: WP2014-2015 for
•
Societal Challenge 4: “Smart, green and integrated transport”
•
Societal Challenge 5: "Climate action, environment, resource
efficiency and raw materials“
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EU Arctic Policy: Responsibility
The EU Arctic policy emphasizes the sustainable use of resources
and high safety standards.
With increasing oil exploration and mining activities taking place in
the region, these are high concerns; the EU is working with the
private sector to develop sustainable, low-risk technologies for
the extractive and shipping industries.
To develop the economic, environmental and social potential of the
Arctic, the EU has so far provided one Billion Euro through its
funds: European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the
European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European
Maritime and Fisheries.
Special attention is reserved for indigenous and isolated
populations, also through the Northern Periphery Programme
(project budget of 45 million Euro).
The EU is also the largest contributor to the Support Fund of the
Northern Dimensions Environmental Partnership (NDEP).
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EU Arctic Policy: Engagement
The EU wishes to increase cooperation with her Arctic partners:
•
Contacts and exchanges are ongoing with all Arctic countries
bilaterally
•
Engagement with non-governmental organisations and
indigenous groups is being enhanced
•
The EU participates as observer in the Arctic Council and is
working for the full implementation of the Kiruna decision
•
It is a full member of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council
•
The Northern Dimension has created a successful cooperation
framework including countries and international financial
institutions
•
Arctic research cooperation with the US and Canada is being
strengthened
•
The EU-Greenland partnership will open up important new
opportunities
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EU Arctic Policy: Energy
• The challenge: to strike the right balance between
industrial policies and climate change
• The EU is committed to re-industrialize Europe (20% GDP)
• This has to happen in the context of our climate policy
• The new energy and climate framework 2020-2030 aims
exactly at mitigating emissions while maintaining
industrial competitiveness
• Nowhere is such a balance as delicate as in the Arctic:
- it holds 13% and 33% of undiscovered supplies of gas and oil (US
Geological Survey)
- thus, it could contribute to our energy security and provide important
revenues to the Arctic states
- but the Arctic environment is extremely sensitive and vulnerable to
climate change
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EU Arctic Policy: Maritime and Space
• Traditional shipbuilding has been severely hit by the crisis
• Advanced segments including arctic-equipped vessels
have better perspectives
• The new EU LeaderShip 2020 is focusing on this:
- Stronger focus on innovation and research
- Wider range of stakeholders included: also the clients, such as shipowners or energy industry
- Coordination with other programmes is foreseen, such as COSME for
SMEs, including coastal smart specialization and clustering, and
Horizon 2020
• EU space research and programmes could greatly assist in
monitoring and communication
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EU Arctic Policy: Raw Materials
• Raw materials are a significant, if challenging, opportunity for
the Arctic
• The EU Raw Material Initiative aims at ensuring sustainable
supply from EU and non-EU sources
• The European Innovation Partnership on Raw Materials and its
Strategic Implementation Plan involve the Arctic in multiple
ways:
- Through the technology areas, particularly exploration and extraction
- Through the non-technology areas, particularly the knowledge base
and the infrastructure
- Through the international cooperation aspects (Raw Materials
Diplomacy: policy dialogues and strategic partnerships)
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EU-Greenland Cooperation
• Greenland has a vast raw material potential, and a strong
interest to develop it to diversify its economy and boost its
exports
• The EU has a strong interest to ensure and diversify its supply of
raw materials
• Greenland has a particularly strong potential in six of the
elements on the EU critical raw materials list:
- Niobium
- platinum group metals
- rare earths
- tantalum
• It could thus be a vital supplier of indispensable inputs to the
production of high-tech goods (electronics, automotive,
renewable energy solutions and navigation systems)
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EU-Greenland Cooperation
A letter of intent on co-operation in the area of raw
materials was signed on 13 June 2012 in Nuuk by prime
Minister Kleist on behalf of Greenland and Vice-President
Tajani, Commissioner Piebalgs of the Commission.
The letter stressed the mutual interests: diversification of
the Greenlandic economy and security of supply of
strategic raw materials for the EU, in a context where
most licenses went to non-EU operators.
It foresaw cooperation in a number of fields, ranging from
geological knowledge to the environmental and social
issues related to mining.
The letter sets the strategic framework for the EU-Greenland
relationship, and provides guidance for cooperation.
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EU-Greenland Cooperation
Of course, the EU-Greenland dialogue goes beyond Raw
Materials.
The main areas of cooperation (the Fisheries Partnership
Agreement is also dealt separately) are defined by the Council
Decision 2014/137/EU:
• education and training, tourism and culture;
• natural resources, including raw materials;
• energy, climate, environment and biodiversity;
• Arctic issues;
• the social sector, mobility of the workforce, social protection
systems, food safety and food security issues;
• research and innovation in areas such as energy, climate change,
disaster resilience, natural resources, including raw materials,
and sustainable use of living resources.
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EU-Greenland Cooperation
Discussions are ongoing on the financial support
(Programming Document) for cooperation with Greenland
in the period 2014-2020 within the MFF.
The choice of focal sectors for financial cooperation in the
period 2014-2020 is being finalised in consultations
between the parties.
Education will remain a priority as in 2007-2013, but another
sector might be added, and a more targeted approach
chosen.
The support will amount to 217.8 million € for the whole
period, as foreseen by Council Decision 2014/137/EU.
Cooperation in raw materials could also be supported
through horizontal programmes, particularly Horizon
2020.
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Study on EU needs with regard to
cooperation with Greenland
• A study has been tendered to assess the needs of the EUGreenland cooperation in the area of mineral resources
• The contractor group, led by Milieu, is currently collecting
data and stakeholders opinions
• Special focus on the downstream industry and the policy
options on which type of projects to support
• Areas to be assessed:
 geological knowledge
 analysis of infrastructure and investment needs
 competence building
 environmental issues related to mining
 social impacts of mining
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EU-Greenland workshop in November 2014
The Commission plans a workshop to follow up on the EUGreenland dialogue:
1. Internal meeting between the government of Greenland
and the Commission
2. Workshop of European end-users with mining companies
operating in Greenland
3. Meeting of the Government of Greenland and the Bureau
of Minerals and Petroleum with European mining
companies on opportunities for European investment
The workshop will draw on the results of the study, and
discuss the concrete implementation of the EU-Greenland
dialogue.
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Thanks for your attention!
Contact: [email protected]
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