Main Outcomes of January Stakeholder Consultations in Tromsø
Plenary session during EUAIA stakeholder consultations in Tromso (Photo: Jenni Lintula Arctic Centre)On 22 January 2014, back-to-back with Arctic Frontiers Conference, the project team organized second stakeholder consultations, which constitute a critical element of the EU Arctic Impact Assessment process.
The consultations were attended by more than 60 Arctic stakeholders and about 30 project network partners. The meeting, similarly to the one organized in Rovaniemi in October 2013, was divided into a plenary meeting and structured thematic workshops.
During the plenary, participants were informed of the project objectives and process, the methodology of the assessment work and the role of consultations in the EU Arctic Impact Assessment report.
Questions during plenary session of the EUAIA stakeholder consultations in Tromso.(Photo:Jenni Lintula Arctic Centre) Jamie Reynolds (European Commission’s DG Environment) and the senior expert in the project, Prof. Timo Koivurova (Arctic Centre, University of Lapland), gave an overview of the European Union’s competences and role in the Arctic, as well as talked on the process of shaping EU’s Arctic policy. Prof. Oran Young (Bren School, University of California), the day’s keynote speaker, provided an overview of changing perception of the Arctic over last decades and challenged the notions of Arctic boom and scramble for Arctic resources. Martin Sommerkorn (WWF Global Arctic Programme) presented recent assessment activities of the Arctic Council and underlined the importance of stakeholder engagement in projects such as Adaptation Actions in Changing Arctic report and Arctic Resilience Report, showing how the EUAIA process fits into the current forefront of bridging science and policy in the Arctic.
Workshop on the Arctic maritime transport during the EUAIA stakeholder consultations in Tromso (Photo: Ilona Mettiäinen)The workshops had been designed to allow stakeholders to comment on accuracy of factsheets and the direction of assessment work as well as to help assessment team to identify critical issues and develop recommendations for EU policy-makers. While workshops in Rovaniemi discussed primarily on terrestrial issues and more local perspectives, workshops in Tromsø had clearly maritime and global dimension. The January workshops focused on climate change, maritime transport, oil and gas extraction and fisheries.
Common facts identified by stakeholders across various themes included the need for broad public participation, supporting targeted research and international cooperation, in particular with Russian partners.
Stakeholder consultations were organized primarily by GRID-Arendal, the Tromsø Centre for Remote Sensing (University of Tromsø) and the Arctic Centre (University of Lapland). Currently, the project team is working on reporting the outcomes of the consultations. The process leading to final report will enter its concluding phase in February and March.
The outreach to stakeholders does not end with the consultation meeting. The participants to the workshops will have possibility to provide feedback both on the consultation reports and later on the draft final EUAIA report.
Moreover, until the first week of February the team is collecting stakeholders’ input also via an online questionnaire at http://arcticinfo.eu/en/online-questionnaire
