EU competencies affecting the Arctic

The study will examine the legal competences of the EU - after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty - to influence the development of the Arctic. The particular emphasis of the study will be on the role the European Parliament plays in decision-making in various Arctic-relevant policy areas. The report will address both internal and external competences as well as the consequences of the EEA Agreement for the implementation of EU legislations in Iceland and Norway. The study is structured into two parts. The first part looks into the general principles of competence sharing between the EU and its Member States, as well as the role of the European Parliament in post-Lisbon EU decision-making. The second part examines in more detail eleven sectoral policy areas: what legal competences the EU has in each, what are the legal consequences for Iceland and Norway via the EEA Agreement and what is the role of the European Parliament in EU's decision-making over the development of these various policies in the Arctic.