Conference on 'Deep freeze? East-West relations and the Arctic'

Speakers included: Olli Rehn and Paavo Lipponen 

Organised in co-operation with AIG and East Office Industries, Finland

The Arctic is changing. Climate change has made this vulnerable, but resource-rich, environment more accessible to human activity.

The prospect of new shipping lanes, fishing grounds, tourist ventures and mineral extraction in the High North attracts the interest of business and governments, both in the region and beyond. Issues of sovereignty, security, and sustainability are of increasing importance.

Two trends are now casting a new light on the Arctic; the tensions between the West and Russia resulting from the Ukraine crisis and the fall in the oil price. How do they impact the Arctic’s security, its system of governance and prospects for sustainable economic development?