EU Arctic cooperation under the midnight sun

The EU Arctic Forum, to be held at Levi, Lapland, on 26–27 June 2025, gives European Arctic actors an opportunity to discuss the future of Arctic cooperation at its turning point.

The EU Arctic Forum is the most important Arctic event of the European Union. Organised in Brussels and in the Member States on alternate years, the event will now, for the first time, take place in Lapland – and under the midnight sun. The Indigenous Peoples’ Dialogue and the Arctic Youth Dialogue on topical issues will be held in connection with the event.

Active engagement in the EU’s Arctic policy has been a long-standing objective for Finland. The latest Arctic Communication of the EU was published in autumn 2021. The European Union is a major Arctic actor because of its legislative powers and numerous programmes addressing the region, including Horizon Europe.

The Forum is expected to draw about 300 participants. It will be opened on 26 June by Commissioner Costas Kadis and the Finnish Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Joakim Strand. The opening address of the Indigenous Peoples’ Dialogue will be given by former president of Finland Tarja Halonen on 27 June. The Dialogue will be attended by Acting Chair of the Finnish Sámi Parliament Tuomas Aslak Juuso, Chair of the Finnish Sámi Council Per-Olof Nutti, and Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) Hjalmar Dahl.

The EU Arctic Forum is organised by the European Commission and its Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG Mare), in collaboration with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, the REBOUND project of the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland, the Arctic Working Group of the Baltic Sea Commission, the municipality of Kittilä, Finland, and the EUROPE DIRECT Information Point of the Regional Council of Lapland.

The EU Arctic Forum coincides with a turning point in international Arctic cooperation. In May, the Presidency of the Arctic Council was transferred to the Kingdom of Denmark from Norway, who had assumed the duty with determination for the past two years.  The leading role during the current Presidency is held by Greenland, who is responsible for guiding the Council’s work in a geopolitically challenging situation for the next two years. 

The other distinguished foreign guests at the Levi Forum include Greenland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Research Vivian Motzfeldt, Greenland’s Arctic Ambassador Kenneth Høegh, who will chair the Arctic Council, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Industry and Trade of the Faroe Islands Sirið Stenberg.

The Forum, to be held on the hillside of the Levi fell, provides an excellent opportunity for Finland to showcase its own Arctic expertise, and it also allows Finnish actors to network with other Arctic stakeholders in Europe. Several side events focusing on Arctic research are available on the day preceding the actual Forum.