Written By: Tania Casetti
Supervised By: Finn Seiffert, Aurora D’Auria, Élea Huguet
Edited By: Edoardo Dall’Amico
ABSTRACT
The effects of climate change are transforming the Arctic into an increasingly contested region for access to natural resources and strategic maritime routes among great powers. In this context, intensified U.S. pressure to acquire Greenland has contributed to the European Union’s call for a renewed Arctic strategy. While European Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen alluded to Finland’s icebreaker construction and expertise as a potential source of leverage to ease such pressure, this paper argues that Helsinki’s geographic proximity to Russia and reliance on the United States’ extended deterrence might outweigh any EU-level strategic trajectory. This does not preclude alternative options: a more plausible path lies in closer alignment with other mid-level powers, particularly Canada, an Arctic state and a signatory to the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE) Pact. By aggregating capabilities to build collective bargaining power, the EU could secure a meaningful role in Arctic governance and support Greenland’s sovereignty.
