As one of the world’s largest and most influential gatherings on Arctic affairs, Arctic Circle brings together policymakers, researchers, business leaders, and civil society to exchange knowledge and explore solutions to the region’s most pressing challenges, from security shifts and climate change to governance, cooperation, and resource management.

“The Arctic is where some of today’s most complex questions about security, cooperation, and sustainability meet. Our role is to bring knowledge, nuance, and context to those debates,” says Iselin Németh Winther, researcher at FNI.

Security, cooperation, and the changing Arctic order

Security and governance feature strongly in this year’s programme. Together with international partners, FNI is organizing or co-organizing several key sessions, including “NATO in the Arctic” (16 October) and “Beyond Boundaries: Vitalizing Euro-Atlantic Arctic Dialogue” (17 October).

Researcher Serafima Andreeva will moderate the panel NATO in the Arctic, which explores how the Alliance’s growing presence interacts with regional dynamics and local interests. She will also speak in Safeguarding the Arctic: Science, Geopolitics, and Security, discussing how international collaboration has evolved since 2022.

Iselin Németh Winther will contribute to Beyond Boundaries, exploring the Nordic countries’ role in maintaining stability and cooperation amid geopolitical shifts. On 18 October, she will share reflections on Nordic regional collaboration in The Arctic 6 – Identifying a Pathway Forward.

Europe, multilateralism, and the Arctic economy

FNI Senior Researcher Andreas Raspotnik brings a European perspective to several sessions. He will speak on the EU’s capacity to support rule-based multilateralism in the Arctic, discuss regulatory approaches to competitiveness, and reflect on Europe’s role in shaping governance and ocean resource management in the region.

Together, these contributions demonstrate FNI’s ongoing role in shaping key Arctic policy debates, bringing research-based perspectives into discussions on security, governance, and cooperation in a time of rapid change.

 

 

FNI contributions at Arctic Circle 2025

Thursday, 16 October

  • 08:30–09:25 – Safeguarding the Arctic: Science, Geopolitics, and Security
    From FNI: Serafima Andreeva: Science Policy and the Future of Arctic Cooperation After 2022

  • 08:30–09:25 – Trump and Putin Are in the Same Room, Can Multilateralism Survive in the Arctic?
    From FNI: Andreas Raspotnik: The EU and Its (Dis)Abilities to Strengthen Rule-Based Multilateralism

  • 10:50–11:45 – NATO in the Arctic, Organized by FNI & NAADSN
    From FNI: Serafima Andreeva, Moderator

  • 18:15–19:10 – Between Influence and Governance: Do We Even Need Think Tanks in the Arctic?
    From FNI: Andreas Raspotnik, Panelist

  • 20:15–21:10 – Who Is at the Table? Exploring Representation in Ocean Resource Governance
    From FNI: Andreas Raspotnik, Panelist

Friday, 17 October

  • 15:55–16:50 – Beyond Boundaries: Vitalizing Euro-Atlantic Arctic Dialogue, Organized by FNI & FES
    From FNI: Iselin Németh Winther: Nordic Countries’ Role in Euro-Atlantic Arctic Cooperation After Ukraine and Trump

Saturday, 18 October

  • 11:20–12:15 – The EU’s Competitiveness Compass – A Chance or Risk for the Arctic?
    From FNI: Andreas Raspotnik: The United States Innovates, China Imitates, EU Regulates, Is the EU Ready for the Arctic?

  • 14:25–15:20 – The Arctic 6 – Identifying a Pathway Forward
    From FNI: Iselin Németh Winther: North Nordic Cooperation: Norway, Finland, and Sweden