Arktický region ve strategickém diskurzu Evropské komise v letech 2021-2025

This thesis examines how the European Union frames the Arctic region through official statements of the European Commission. Its aim is to analyse the transformation of the EU’s identity from a normative to a geopolitical one in response to external stimuli. As a key example, the thesis explores the “Trump effect,” understood as the inauguration of President Donald Trump in January 2025, along with the associated statements and the escalation of the dispute over Greenland. The results of the analysis point to a gradual intertwining of the EU’s normative and geopolitical identity, from the first Arctic strategy in 2008 to the current dynamic developments in January 2026. The analysis identifies Russia as the primary threat to the Arctic in the European Commission’s discourse, mainly due to its disregard for multilateral values and its destabilizing actions in the region. In contrast, the United States consistently appears in the discourse as a European ally and a guarantor of security within NATO. However, recent developments concerning Greenlandic sovereignty have strengthened European internal cohesion and strategic identity, as well as calls for building independent defence capacities. The “Trump effect” therefore does not represent the primary cause of this transformation but rather functions as a catalyst in this context.