The EU Opens Its Doors to Reluctant Greenlanders
Brussels put 1.5 billion kroner on the table in Nuuk. But membership is still Greenland's call—and Trump and Beijing are bidding for the same island.
The Arctic Century
An independent non-profit organization devoted to studying the Arctic
The Arctic Century
The Arctic Century is an independent non-profit organization established by
joint efforts of the international experts. We cover the most recent
developments in science, business, and technologies, as well as key
political and economic trends across the Arctic in the form of news,
features, opinions, and articles.
France in the Arctic: A Commitment Without a Strategy
France's Arctic commitment is real. But does Paris move only when Russia, NATO, or Greenland force it—and borrow the means to get there?
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4 minutes
Finland Sets EU Unemployment Record Again
Finland's jobless rate hit 10.5 percent in July, the worst in the EU. The economy is growing again—so why are companies still not hiring?
Iceland Loses Fight Against Organized Crime
Around 20 organized crime groups now operate in Iceland, half again as many as a decade ago, and in 2025 alone the police registered nearly 140 large-scale smuggling cases and found 36 potential victims of human trafficking. A Justice Ministry bill published on September 2 would redefine what counts as a crime group, double the maximum penalty to eight years, extend pre-trial detention to six months and let police search seized phones, confiscate unexplained assets and use facial recognition.
Norway Plans to Drill Oil and Gas in the Exclusion Zone
Norway's biggest offshore polluter wants Nordland VI, closed since 2001, back in the licensing round—reopening a question settled 25 years ago.
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8 minutes
Sweden Buys Military Ships for Open-Ocean Naval Operations
FMV has signed a SEK 47 billion contract with France's Naval Group for four FDI frigates, the largest combat ships the Swedish navy has ever operated, with deliveries running from 2030 to 2034. Kristersson and Macron framed the Luleå class as a capability for waters far beyond the Baltic—the North Atlantic and the High North—which raises the question of whose fleet, and whose war, these ships are really meant for.
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8 minutes
Oil and Gas Production Is Splitting Norway
Norway's supply industry cheers the drive for more shelf exploration, while campaigners promise a fight over the disputed LoVeSe waters off Nordland.
Iceland's EU Referendum Exposes the Limits of the EU's Arctic Ambitions
Icelanders rejected the resumption of EU accession talks on August 29, denying Brussels a member state at the center of the GIUK Gap just as the North Atlantic regains strategic weight. Yet Iceland stays inside the EEA, Schengen, NATO, and a new security and defense partnership—exposing the contradiction at the heart of the EU's Arctic role: influence without political control.
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13 minutes
Iceland's Referendum: Small Country, Major Consequences
Icelanders voted 52.8% against reopening accession talks with the European Union, denying Brussels the Atlantic and Arctic foothold it had counted on halfway to the United States. The North Observer reads the geo-economic consequences for the EU, Canada, and Quebec, then collects the European press reaction—from Copenhagen's Greenland angle to Oslo's worries about EFTA.
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10 minutes
The Battle for Uranium on the Kalix River
An American company with no public website has won two exploration permits along Sweden's protected Kalix River, months after the Riksdag lifted both the uranium mining ban and the municipal veto. Local residents, the Sami Parliament, and Kalix municipality object—and the economics suggest the project's real purpose may not be commercial at all.
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