EU leaders gathered in northern Finland recently for a summit focused on reaffirming the importance of the Arctic region to European security. The meeting, which took place in the city of Rovaniemi, came a month before the EU is expected to release its updated Arctic policy.
This will be the first update since 2021, during which time the geopolitical climate has undergone considerable change. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, for example, the work of the Arctic Council was put on hold.