EU needs icebreakers to beef up Arctic presence: Kallas

The European Union needs icebreakers to bolster its presence in the Arctic, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday, as global warming makes the region more attractive to global superpowers.

The EU's top diplomat made the remarks at a press conference at an EU-Arctic summit in Rovaniemi in northern Finland.

Given "the situation that we are in, and considering also climate change and the opening of maritime routes, we need icebreakers or ships that are able to navigate in these very difficult" conditions, Kallas said when asked about dedicating EU funds to purchase Finnish-made icebreakers.

It was not immediately clear whether Kallas was proposing a joint acquisition programme or urging member states to bolster their own capacities.

She also cautioned the statement by adding that while Finland had "the capability of building these icebreakers" there were "procurement rules," meaning "whoever makes a better offer gets the deal."

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has suggested the EU could direct part of its ongoing surge in defence spending towards a "European icebreaker capability," which is traditionally considered a civilian capability, among other equipment vital to Arctic security.

The idea was promoted by Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

"This ice-breaking capacity is one of the capabilities we really need," Orpo said alongside Kallas.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also said he supported the initiative.

"We know that we definitely need icebreakers, and this is not just an issue for Finland, for Norway, for Sweden. This is something for the entire European Union, for the entire European continent," Merz said.

The Arctic region is warming nearly four times faster than the global average as a result of climate change, according to experts, leading to severe consequences for both the environment and local livelihoods.

As sea ice melts, countries such as Russia, China and the United States have been ramping up activity in the region, racing to claim natural resources and new maritime routes.

In October, the United States announced plans to procure 11 icebreakers from Finland, for the US Coast Guard, which currently only has three ageing vessels of this type.

Sixty percent of the world's icebreakers are Finnish-made and 80 percent are designed by Finnish companies, according to Arctia, the state-owned firm which manages Finland's icebreaker fleet.