The European Polar Identity - A narrative analysis of the EU Arctic Policy of 2008 and 2016

Abstract: The way an actor presents itself through a policy document could tell us a lot about – not only how the actor wants to be perceived – but also about what actorness the actor holds. To this foundation, this thesis studies the EU narrative identity presented in the EU Arctic Policy. The Arctic is a region of growing importance, and more eyes have turned to the Polar north over the past decades. The EU considers itself to be, with its three Arctic Member states, “intrinsically linked” to the Arctic Region hence motivating a foreign policy document on the region. Narratives are important for both the understanding and the formulation of policies, and research on policy narratives have increased over the past few decades. This thesis studies how the EU narrative identity has changed between the first EU Arctic Policy from 2008 and the current from 2016. The EU narrative is deciphered from a qualitative analysis of the policy documents, where the Narrative Policy Framework is used as a methodological point of departure. The most prevalent narrative identity in both EU Arctic Policies is that of the EU as a hero in climate change action. The findings suggest that there is no major shift in narrative, but nuances that support the claim that the narrative identity of the EU as a security policy actor is given more space in the 2016 EU Arctic Policy. This in combination with a changing global power dynamic makes it possible that the narrative of the EU as a climate change actor is used to further EU security interests.