At the onset of the summer season, holidaymakers across Europe are flocking to the continent’s southernmost climes in order to soak up the sun.

This year, however, the world may also witness an unprecedented ‘rush to the North’, as experts predict more human activity in the Arctic than ever before. The expected undertakings are manifold, ranging from oil exploration and fishing to tourism and shipping operations. Yet they are all part of a wider phenomenon - namely that a region as distant as the Arctic is increasingly moving towards the centre of global attention.

In recent times, the Arctic has become a central feature of talks about climate change. This is hardly surprising, given that the effects of climate change are more visible in the Arctic than anywhere else on the planet. Climate change engenders global warming and global warming is causing the Arctic ice to melt. Yet one issue that continues to raise eyebrows amongst climatologists is the speed at which the ice is vanishing in this particular region. Scientists have pointed to the fact that the Arctic is warming up twice as fast as the rest of the world and that it is likely to be entirely ice-free during the summer months in the not too distant future.

This Arctic ‘meltdown’ brings with it a myriad of consequences. As the ice retreats, pressure on regional ecosystems is mounting. Whilst threatening the livelihoods of traditional communities who live in these rough climates, the disappearance of sea ice also imperils the survival of Arctic wildlife. Thus a number of species will literally find themselves in deep water, unable to hunt along the edges of the ice.

But whilst some may be watching the Arctic thaw with concern, others are rubbing their hands in anticipation of the opportunities that are unfolding. The latter tend to have their eyes set on the vast natural resources that are slumbering under the ice and at a number of promising trade routes that may soon become accessible.

The Arctic is considered to be a veritable treasure chest of resources. Estimates indicate that the region holds around a quarter of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas deposits. Under the thick sheets of ice, extracting these resources used to be a largely impossible mission. But as the ice is melting away, it is opening up the frontiers to a new energy market. As a result, the energy companies have been elbowing their way into this uncharted territory and drilling operations are already underway in several parts of the Arctic.

Besides this rush for oil, the Arctic thaw is also unlocking sea routes that were previously icebound. This means that new “trans-Arctic” shipping lanes are becoming navigable, significantly reducing transport distances between Europe and Asia.

But amid the growing excitement about these prospects, tensions over the future of the Arctic are also increasing.

The exploitation of Arctic resources is of great concern to environmentalists, who have warned that cleaning up an oil spill in these Arctic conditions would be extremely difficult. They have equally highlighted the irony of exploiting fossil fuels in the Arctic - a region that is currently being destroyed by the adverse effects that these very fuels have caused.

Lastly, the Arctic melt has also raised geopolitical questions. The fact is that no country has sovereignty over the North Pole or the Arctic region that surrounds it. This has sparked disputes between Arctic coastal states over the delimitation of maritime borders and the conditions of passage in some of the shipping routes in Arctic waters. The main institution that handles disputes between Arctic States is the Arctic Council. As an intergovernmental forum it promotes cooperation amongst its membership – which is confined to the USA, Canada, Russia, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark, along with a number of groups representing indigenous people in the region.

As the relevance of Arctic issues increases rapidly, a growing number of non-Arctic countries hold an interest in the developments of these pristine environments.

The European Union is closely linked to the Arctic, given that three of its Member States hold Arctic territories. Recognising the growing economic and environmental importance of Arctic issues, the EU started formulating its Arctic policy in 2008. The policy aims to protect the Arctic and its population, to ensure the sustainable use of resources and to enhance the governance of the region. Obtaining permanent observer status in the Arctic Council is central to the community strategy for the Arctic.

Hopes are high that the Council will give the green light to the EU in the near future. This would allow the European community to engage more actively in the Arctic debate. Most importantly, however, it would mark an important step towards ensuring that the EU can address both its interests and its responsibilities in the northern most part of the earth.