Planning from the margin - The European Union's potential role in spatial planning for managing activities in the marine arctic

Abstract

The Arctic is subject to increasing levels of human activities and environmental stresses. The need to protect Arctic ecosystems and utilize the region's resources sustainably necessitates effective and coordinated management of human activities. A potentially important instrument is marine spatial planning (MSP). The article analyses the potential of the European Union (EU) to contribute to the development and implementation of MSP, or related instruments, in the marine Arctic. Although we conclude that EU law relevant to MSP currently has very limited applicability in the region, either directly or through the so-called EEA EFTA States, there are still ways in which the EU may contribute to making activities in the marine Arctic more sustainable. In this context, the EU's new 'policy for the Arctic' could be an important instrument, but it will not by itself affect the region's development or even guarantee concerted action by the EU Member States.