Factsheets Published

 Factsheets produced as a part of the EU Arctic Impact Assessment study of Work Package 2 have now been published on the website. The factsheets are primarily designed as a background material for consultations with Arctic stakeholders and were drafted by experts and present a generalized and hopefully straightforward picture of:

  • main trends, drivers and implications of changes in the Arctic,
  • significance of these changes for the European Union,
  • the role of the EU in shaping Arctic change and addressing its implications.

EU Arctic Impact Assessment: Factsheets

 

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The Project on Facebook and Twitter

The project is now taking part in the social media on Facebook and Twitter. Both accounts were created to promote the project to broader audiences and reach experts, journalists, organisations and others who might be interested in the preparatory action.

Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/arcticinfo.eu

Twitter account: https://twitter.com/arcticinfo_eu

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Synergies between the partners in the "PA EUAIC" project

From kick-off meeting, at Arctic Centre (Photo: Marrku Heikkilä)From kick-off meeting, at Arctic Centre (Photo: Marrku Heikkilä)Ecorys and GRID-Arendal, two of nineteen network partners of the "Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment of development of the Arctic" project, are partnering in the EU Arctic NGO Forum, another project supported by the European Commission's Directorate-General Environment.

This project was launched in 2011, and aims to provide a consistent way for NGOs concerned with Arctic environmental issues to get together, exchange ideas and perspectives, and to provide advice to the global Arctic community. This will allow NGOs to strengthen their positions and gain access to policy makers.

For more information about this project, please visit the Arctic NGO Forum's website.

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Update on Work Package 2 Progress

From a workshop at kick-off meeting, at Arctic Centre (Photo: Markku Heikkilä)From a workshop at kick-off meeting, at Arctic Centre (Photo: Markku Heikkilä)The development of the EU Arctic Impact Assessment study and report is the main activity within the Work Package 2 of the "Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment of development of the Arctic" project. The assessment will identify trends in the Arctic, discuss their environmental, social, political and economic impacts in the Arctic and on the European Union, as well as assess the role of EU policies and actions in shaping and mitigating developments in the region.

What makes the EU Arctic Impact Assessment different than other studies is a critical role of stakeholders, who will help experts in analysing the developments in the Arctic, the impact of EU policies, and will play central role in identifying recommendations for the EU policy-making. For this purpose, a set of factsheets will be prepared to provide stakeholders with background information and trigger discussion.

So far, the WP2 team developed methodology for the study, has been conducting research and has been organizing for stakeholder consultations. Currently, factsheets on seven themes identified for assessment are being drafted: Climate change; Maritime shipping; Oil and gas developments; Mining; Fisheries; Land use changes; and Social and cultural changes.

The factsheets will be published in September 2013 and the first round of stakeholder consultations will take place in Rovaniemi on the 3rd October 2013.

Simultaneously, the team of experts is working on the Impact Assessment in Policy-making Report, which will present how different types of assessments influence policy-making.

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AInC team meetings

From a team meeting, at Arctic Centre (Photo: Markku Heikkilä)From a team meeting, at Arctic Centre (Photo: Markku Heikkilä)The team responsible for compiling and producing an Arctic Initiatives Compendium (AInC), a deliverable of Work Package 1, held their first team meeting on 17 April 2013 in conjunction with the Arctic Science Summit Week in Krakow, Poland. During the April meeting, the team decided on a questionnaire which the project partners then used to identify the major Arctic initiatives of European Union member countries, as well as major initiatives that impact the European Arctic.

The team followed up with a second meeting in Brussels, Belgium on 12 June 2013. Team 1.1 met at the Swedish Permanent Representation to the European Union to discuss the questionnaire feedback, drawing on all available material and sorting it into categories. They settled on a structure for the AInC and assessed where more material is still needed. They identified that business and industry initiatives were largely left out in the cold and sent out a follow-up questionnaire.

Nicole Biebow, of the Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung noted that it is the first time that the AWI has been involved in a project focusing on the social sciences, and that it was an interesting experience for them. Lize-Marié van der Watt, who is based at the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, remarked that, "the meetings are never dull. The team's make-up is very diverse, in terms of institutions as well as individual backgrounds, which means that we have a broad and creative scope." Anastasia Leonenko, advisor to the Tromsø Centre for Remote Technology agrees, saying that holding physical meetings within the working group is very important. "It helps to understand the tasks of the group deeper and redesign the standard ideas into something more sophisticated/demanding and creative. The process of overcoming obstacles and reflecting the different insights of each group member gives the energy flow that leads to the fact that the task is actually completed and solutions are found. "

The compendium focuses on national, bilateral or multilateral initiatives that represent major resource investments. These investments include major research, infrastructure, institutional and governance initiatives. The AInC will be delivered to the European Commission at the end of summer 2013.

Team 1.1 is led by the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat's director, Björn Dahlbäck, who is assisted by Lize-Marié van der Watt. Other members include the Scott Polar Research Institute (Heather Lane and Georgina Cronin), the European Polar Board (Roberto Azzolini), Nicole Biebow from AWI and Anastasia Leonenko from Tromsø Centre for Remote Technology. The team is supported by the management team at the Arctic Centre in Rovaniemi.

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