European interests vs European values in the making of the EU’s new Arctic Strategy

This paper is a continuation of the research whose contours I had drawn in my earlier work on the political and normative contestation of the EU presence in the Arctic (Terzi 2021, forthcoming). Adopting the same methodological approach, i.e. discourse-historical approach of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this paper focuses on the question: ‘how does normative and political contestation within the EU impact the emergence of a new European strategy for the Arctic?’ The EU is to adopt its new Arctic strategy towards the end of 2021. A public consultation has been held in 2020 and even more member states have adopted an Arctic strategy by now. This paper focuses on the two main (and interlinked) issue areas of ‘climate change mitigation & sustainable development’ in the Arctic and the ‘indigenous peoples’ rights’ within the formulation process of the new Arctic strategy. Both of these issues bear normative and interest-based aspects in the formulation of the new EU strategy. Based on relevant policy documents and interviews with those involved in the policy-making process (EEAS and European Commission officials, MEPs, business and indigenous organisations, member state officials) in these two issue areas, this paper shows the dynamics of influence between normative and political contestation within the EU policy making process.