| Abstract [eng] |
EU policy implementation beyond EU borders: case of the Arctic region Climate change is becoming more apparent every year and causing more and more issues. In 2015 United Nations initiated Paris Climate Convention which encouraged to reduce the causes of climate change. European Union has taken this commitment very seriously and launched the European Green Course strategy in 2019. It committed itself to become the world’s first climate neutral continent by 2050 as well as a leader in the field of environment protection. This decision encourages changes not only in the member-states national policies but also in policies of external actors. The region which is perhaps the most affected by the climate change is Arctic. However, Arctic states prioritize economic benefits over the fight against climate change, therefore, the EU has a key role to play in ensuring environmental standards and sustainable development in there. The European Union has already tried to become a member of the Arctic Council for Regional Coordination, but its application was rejected. This has led the EU to look for other ways to influence the region through its existing foreign policy and power instruments. The main question of the research is how does EU promote its goals of environmental policy in Arctic region? With an aim to answer the research question Sandra Lavenex and Frank Schimmelfennig theory of external governance is used and 4 hypotheses are raised. The research is conducted based on principles of qualitative content analysis and 46 primary sources were analysed in order to confirm or deny hypotheses. Three countries of Arctic region have been chosen – Canada, Norway and Denmark due to different links to EU and resolved environmental conflicts, which now can be analysed to evaluate actions of EU. Three out of four hypotheses were confirmed. 1) EU uses different methods of governance to effect countries in Arctic region; 2) The more country is institutionalized its relations with EU, the more it implements its environmental policy objectives; 3) The bigger is power asymmetry the more possibility to implement the goals; 4) Competition between EU and external countries causes recognitions and implementation of environmental goals. Additionally, the importance of relations between the region and external actors plays a crucial role in their decision to implement EU rules and norms in the domestic policy. Suggestions for the future research cover amount of actual implementation of EU environmental rules and norms in the region policy and vice versa – how EU policy is impacted by activities and policies of the Arctic region. |
