ABSTRACT
This chapter examines EU–Russian relations in the Arctic over the past quarter century. There are three specific research objectives: first, to examine past and ongoing EU–Russian cooperative programmes in the High North; second, to identify problems which impede cooperation between Brussels and Moscow in the region; finally, to outline the prospects for future EU–Russia cooperation in the Arctic in the short- and mid-term perspectives. Moscow’s position on the EU’s efforts to play a more visible role in the Arctic is rather ambivalent. On the one hand, the Kremlin is interested in attracting EU investment, high tech and research expertise to the exploration of the Arctic. On the other hand, Moscow (along with some other Arctic states) has some concerns about the EU potential activity in the Far North, including its ambitions to present itself as a normative power which tries to establish norms and rules in the region where it is a newcomer and has no right to enforce these rules. Still, the EU and Russia have some potential for cooperation in areas, such as shipping, fisheries management, conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction and enhanced scientific cooperation.
