Chosen justice question particularly relevant for the regulatory/policy framework (in the light of JUSTNORTH research, aimed at supporting future justice-focused research on Arctic governance):

General: What is expressed/defined as “just” within the governance framework? 

General: What is the idealized vision of the future state that the framework is to achieve (e.g. as expressed in introduction to legal acts)?

Multilevel perspective: How different levels of governance interact to produce justice?

Weighting values: Does the framework promote certain values and interests at the expense of others? Whose interests are being promoted? 

Procedural justice: What are the opportunities for participation in decision-making and who is envisaged as a stakeholder?

Inclusion and participation: Are all relevant stakeholders included in the governance/decision-making process and are there any important stakeholders who are excluded?

Capabilities: Does the framework promote or hinder capabilities of affected/involved “stakeholders”?

Climate justice: What measures have been put in place to ameliorate the climate change effects?

Environmental justice and ethics: Are there any systemic practices of racism, oppression, patriarchy, colonialism and privilege that shape the distribution of environmental harms and benefits?

Intergenerational justice: What implications does the framework have for future generations?

Humans and nature: How are human-nature relations treated in the governance framework (is the framework or its elements anthropo-, bio- or eco- -centric)?

Humans and nature: Is the environment treated as a value in itself?

Rights: Which rights and rights frameworks are expressly included in the governance framework, which are missing?

The EU’s updated Arctic policy, published on October 13, 2021, aims to help preserve the Arctic as a region of peaceful cooperation, to slow the effects of climate change, and to support the sustainable development of Arctic regions to the benefit of Arctic communities, not least Indigenous Peoples, and future generations.

The implementation of the EU’s Arctic policy will help the Union to deliver the targets defined by the EU Green Deal and meet its geopolitical interests.

The main policy areas identfied by the EU in its policy towards the Arctic are:

- contributing to maintaining peaceful and constructive dialogue and cooperation in a changing geopolitical landscape,
- Addressing the ecological, social, economic and political challenges arising as a consequence of climate change,
- Supporting the inclusive and sustainable development of the Arctic regions. 

The documents reiterated the acknowledgement of the EU economy’s environmental and economic footprint in the Arctic.