Researcher
Andreas Raspotnik
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Summary
Andreas Raspotnik conducts research on the European Union’s policies and interests in the Arctic, with a particular emphasis on EU foreign and security policy, the blue economy, international maritime law, and sustainable development in and for the Arctic.
Much of his work examines how the EU and its institutions strive to develop a comprehensive and integrated Arctic policy, and how this policy influences developments in the broader High North. He focuses especially on Arctic geopolitics and the EU’s role in the regional relationship with Russia.
In addition, Andreas studies the development of a blue economy in the Arctic – both as a concept and in practice – with case studies including fisheries governance and aquaculture. He also explores regional issues related to the enforcement of the law of the sea in northern maritime areas.
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Clear all filtersCritical Raw Materials: Interests of China and the European Union in the Arctic
In this Essay, we examine a potential avenue of future contestation in the Arctic – namely, the development of critical raw materials (CRMs) – with a particular focus on two actors with a growing interest in exploiting those materials in the Arctic region: China and the European Union (EU). CRMs increasingly play an essential role in the geopolitics of the global energy transition. In comes the Arctic region – a broad geographic area encompassing eight States that is rich in critical minerals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and REEs. However, mining in the Arctic poses significant risks, particularly to the region’s fragile ecosystem, and would require significant investments, often also involving public-private partnerships. And yet, as demand for critical minerals grows, the Arctic’s role in the global supply chain will likely become more prominent, particularly from a Chinese and EU perspective. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 marked a watershed in relations between the West and the Russian Federation, including in the Arctic region. Once hailed as an exceptional space of regional governance, cooperation and peaceful co-existence between the Arctic States, that notion lost meaning over the past two – almost three – years.