Arctic policy of the European Union in 1973 and Sweden and Finland in 1995). The European Union's application to become a “permanent observer” in the Arctic Council was blocked in 2009 by Canada in response to the European Union's ban on the importation of seal products. The Arctic is an area of growing strategic importance. The European Union supports the successful Arctic co-operation and in helping to meet the challenges that now confront the region. The European Union is the world's strongest proponent of greater international efforts to fight climate change. It has three (and if the accession of Iceland to the European Union occurs, potentially
Arctic Circle (organization) NGOs” who have worked with the United Nations in the climate change endeavors, he urged Arctic Circle Assembly participants to ensure that indigenous peoples, their rights and their sociocultural contributions, remain central as we address these shared challenges. As part of its mission, the Arctic Circle aims to convene "as many international partners as possible to interact under one large 'open tent,'" as well as to "support, complement and extend the reach of the work of the Arctic Council by facilitating a broad exchange of ideas and information." In contrast, the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental body established in 1996, includes