Lunch Lecture: EU-Arctic-policy… What is the EU’s Arctic engagement actually about?

At this week’s lunch lecture, we are pleased to welcome Adam Stepien, a political scientist and part-time lecturer at the University Centre of the Westfjords

In January 2026, the European Commission opened consultations on the update of the EU’s Arctic policy. Since 2021, when the most recent EU Arctic strategic document was published, much has changed in the Arctic and the world. Therefore, it is a good time to look at the actual realities of the multifaceted EU-Arctic interlinkages and discuss what the EU Arctic policy has meant in practice. The lecture will outline: the EU-Arctic connections, the cross-cutting EU Arctic policy, and the various specific EU actions that affect the region. The talk aims to provide context for discussing what, as Northerners, we should and could expect from the EU in the years to come.

Adam Stepien is a political scientist working at the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland in Finland. He works on Arctic governance, EU policies, and socio-economic development in peripheral regions. He also works as a consultant. Currently, he is involved in projects on pollution governance in the European Arctic. At the University Centre Westfjords, Adam teaches a course on foresight methodologies.

The lunch lecture will be held in english

The presentation will take place in the cafeteria at the University Centre of the Westfjords and will start at 12:10.

Join Zoom Meeting https://eu01web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5lccEs98QEy2Sk9P5YsHVg