The Development of Cooperation Between Member States of the Arctic Council 1996–2019: Environmental Partnership or Struggle for Resources

The formation of cooperation policy in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development of the Arctic is connected with international institutions. At the beginning of the 1990s, transformations in the international arena took place that were also affecting the Arctic region. The collapse of the USSR changed the geopolitical situation, while globalization raised public awareness of global issues. The fact that the Arctic States were parts of different political blocs during the Cold War hindered their political and economic interaction in the early 1990s. The then-existing international organizations present in the Arctic did not cover issues related to soft security and international cooperation. It was necessary to ease tensions between the Arctic States and thus prepare the ground for further enhancement of cooperation. At the same time, environmentalism within the world community peaked at the turn of the decade, affecting the work of international organizations at the political level. After the 1987 report by the Brundtland Commission, the Arctic strategy for sustainable development was only a matter of time. The proposals made in Mikhail Gorbachev’s Murmansk speech in 1987, as well as Finland’s initiative in the Rovaniemi Process, came to pass due to the Arctic States’ readiness to cooperate on non-military matters. The choice fell on environmental protection and sustainable development. The article examines the activities of the Arctic Council as a unique organization that was created to ensure environmental cooperation in the Arctic. The main research question is to study the place and role of environmental cooperation for the member states of the Arctic Council and assess the possibility of a joint environmental policy in the Arctic.