On July 3rd our co-chairs sent a letter to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and several Commissioners concerning EU’s Arctic strategy. Here is the answer from the Commission:
Dear Ms. Godela von Kirchbach, dear Ms. Eva Riemer,
Thank you for your e-mail of 2 July 2026 on behalf of the European Grandparents for Climate and addressed to President von der Leyen, who asked us to reply on her behalf.
We appreciate you bringing to our attention the concerns of European Grandparents for Climate regarding potential oil and gas imports from new Arctic fields, especially in the context of current supply disruptions and the climate impacts you highlight, including unprecedented heat waves and rapid Arctic warming.
The EU remains committed to the approach set out in the 2021 Joint Communication on the EU Arctic Policy. Addressing climate change and environmental degradation and supporting sustainable economic development remain valid objectives which will continue to be pursued by the EU.
We are currently in the process of updating the EU Arctic Policy to address the evolving situation in the region, in light of the new geopolitical and geoeconomic context.
We have taken note of the different perspectives of yours and received during the public consultation, which closed on 16 March 2026.
The process of updating the EU Arctic Policy is at an early stage and no conclusions have been drawn at this point.
Yours sincerely,
The secretariat,
European Commission
Directorate-General for Climate Action
International Affairs & Climate finance
Unit D2 – Diplomacy