21 September 2026. The European Commission has confirmed to media outlets that it will maintain its ban on new oil and gas drilling in the Arctic. The Commission plans to make its announcement on 20 October when it will present its updated Northern Neighbourhood Strategy.
The European Union (EU)’s support for the ban, fiercely opposed by some countries and companies, comes after a summer that has shown the dangers of climate breakdown for humankind’s survival and rights.
The decision is the result of an unprecedented civil society mobilisation that saw over 1,600 submissions, including by FIDH, to the EU’s consultation process.
FIDH argued that a moratorium on all new fossil fuel projects and the phaseout of existing ones are essential to the respect of human rights obligations. A moratorium is also a crucial, science-based piece of the puzzle to save the 1.5-degree temperature target.
The moratorium is an important victory, but it cannot be the only one. Amid a growing demand for "energy transition minerals" that risks accelerating mining in an already fragile Arctic, the EU and Arctic States must commit to protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and the ecosystems they depend on.
FIDH will continue calling for environmental action that is grounded in human rights and does not reproduce extractivism, but rather supports a truly just transition.