Does the EU Meet its Policy Objective of 'Promoting Sustainable Use of Arctic Resources'? An Analysis from the Viewpoint of Arctic Energy Resources

The EU started to develop its own Arctic policy in 2008. One of the three main objectives of this policy is the promotion of sustainable use of Arctic resources. "Sustainability" was also a focus of the 2011 resolution of the European Parliament as a guiding principle in developing European policies toward the Arctic. Against this background, this article investigates the question of whether the EU meets its respective objective – sustainability – in regard to the development of Arctic hydrocarbon resources. The article contrasts the development of the EU’s overall policy toward Arctic mineral resources with specific EU measures and examines the EU’s capacity to influence sustainable Arctic hydrocarbon resource development. The article also elaborates on specific questions related to the EU’s energy policy and the development of Arctic hydrocarbon resources in recent years as well as on the EU’s dependency on oil and gas imports and respective tendencies to conclude on the aforementioned questions.