EU still committed to keeping oil, coal and gas in ground in Arctic, new strategy says

EU Reaffirms Commitment to Halting Arctic Oil, Gas and Coal Development

EU's Updated Arctic Strategy and Environmental Commitments

Overview of the New Arctic Strategy

BRUSSELS, Oct 20 (Reuters) - The European Union remains committed to "ensuring that oil, coal and gas stay in the ground, including in Arctic regions," according to a new Arctic strategy presented by the European Commission and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Tuesday.

Protecting the Arctic Environment

"Due to its specific vulnerabilities, the Commission will work with partners to protect the Arctic environment and prevent all hydrocarbon reserve developments that pose a threat to the Arctic ecosystem," the document also says.

Comparison with Previous Commitments

However, it does not repeat a pledge from the previous strategy, issued in 2021, to work towards "a multilateral legal obligation not to allow any further hydrocarbon reserve development in the Arctic or contiguous regions" or buy any products from those developments.

Challenges in Achieving Multilateral Agreements

An EU official said that change reflected a view that "the world is changing there and that it is harder - five years into this - to get to that kind of multilateral, decision-making given the positions of various players". 

Reactions from Norway and the Oil Industry

Norwegian Response to EU Policy

Norway has called on the EU to drop its opposition to new drilling in the Arctic. With many ageing fields, Norwegian production is set to decline in the 2030s unless companies such as Equinor make new discoveries outside mature areas. 

(Reporting by Andrew Gray;Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)